Ford corvair

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Carmakers have been comparing their products to competing products ever since there have been more than one car to buy. And, of course, no one expects one company to go out of their way to be sure that both cars get an equal and fair shake, because why the hell would they? Because why else would they make it? Parts of it are also enjoyably catty, too. The Falcon was an extremely conventional car design, essentially a scaled-down Ford Galaxie.

Ford corvair

Above all, the Corvair will always be remembered as being different — very different. Instead, the company charted a more radical design course that ultimately proved fatal for this most controversial of all automotive brands. Back in the s, North American cars were mostly road-hog huge, equipped with equally large petroleum-swallowing engines and acres of chrome. Gas was dirt-cheap, and the majority of drivers neither knew nor cared about such a mundane issue as fuel economy. Smog was viewed simply as a necessary, if unfortunate evil, and vehicle emission controls had yet to be invented. But there was concern in Detroit. Those pesky imports — Volkswagen, in particular, lead the charge — were invading North America in ever-increasing numbers. With one eye on a shrinking market share and the other eye firmly fixed on the bottom line, GM, Ford and Chrysler executives set about to develop cars intended to blunt this infestation. By fall , the Big Three rolled out their respective new compact offerings. The Ford Falcon and the Plymouth Valiant were traditional sedans powered by comparably thrifty six-cylinder engines. But the public stared slack-jawed at what GM had wrought. The Corvair featured an horsepower air-cooled horizontally opposed flat six-cylinder aluminum engine positioned where the trunk traditionally would be. By early , the sensible-shoes Ford Falcon with its superior gas mileage held a commanding sales edge over the Corvair. The Monza was equipped with bucket seats, fancy wheel covers and narrow-band whitewall tires. A two-speed powerglide automatic with a dash-mounted shifter was optional.

Car in The Man from U, ford corvair. Some contend that Nader's lack of an automotive engineering degree or a driver's license at the time he wrote Unsafe at Any Speed disqualifies him as a critic of automotive safety.

The Ford Falcon and slightly more revolutionary Plymouth Valiant, for example, both tucked the engine up front with a solid rear axle driving the rear wheels—just like their full-size Fairlane and Dodge Dart big brothers yes, the Dart was a full-size car in The Chevrolet Corvair was something else entirely. Hitting the road in as a model, the Corvair represented a sharp departure from domestic-automaker convention: An hp, air-cooled aluminum flat-six engine ran behind a transaxle, way in the back, and the car featured unit-body construction and swing-axle rear suspension. The Corvair was the future, or at least it looked a lot like the future. Sure, cost factors—along with the gnashing of accounting and engineering—resulted in a car that could have been better, but the Corvair drove into the world as it was. Except for one little thing: The Corvair, like any rear-engine car, could, in fact, oversteer enough to get a driver not familiar with rear-engine driving dynamics in some rear-first trouble.

In the US, the Corvair was unprecedented for its rear-engine, the first American mass-production car to adopt a configuration common in Europe since the s and even earlier. Its very low height suggested a sporty car, even though the initial sedan had no real sporting aspirations; that would come a bit later, in the Monza coupe. And undoubtedly, its clean lines were attractive to many American import car buyers, which explains why it sold so well to that contingent. The Corvair had no real lasting influence on American car styling. And its influence on the pony cars and sporty coupes was huge. But the reaction in Europe was almost the polar opposite: the Corvair instigated the biggest design revolution of the modern era, one whose effects are still with us today.

Ford corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact car produced by General Motors from to It was designed to compete with the European imports that were becoming popular in the United States. The Corvair was notable for its innovative design, which included a rear-mounted air-cooled engine, four-wheel independent suspension, and a compact, lightweight uni-body. The first generation of the Corvair was introduced in and offered as a sedan or coupe. The car was well received, and sales were strong in its first year on the market. Station wagon and convertible body styles were added to the lineup, as was the Rampside and Loadside pickup trucks, and the Greenbrier and Corvan vans. In , the Corvair Monza Sypder debuted a turbocharged version of the flat-6 engine. In , the second generation Corvair was introduced, with sleeker styling and upgraded raar suspension.

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New padding around the central section of the dash; thicker padding on top of the dash, steering wheel spokes on Monzas now brushed aluminum instead of chrome. Society of Automotive Engineers. Chrome ring inside the taillight lenses was widened. Retrieved March 28, Corvair engines have been used to power light and experimental aircraft designs by Pietenpol , Zenith , and Sonex. Download Confirmation Please complete the form below. National Technical Information Service. The Corvair offered more style, performance, refinement and, arguably, safety than ever before, but it was too late. It was sold with the expectation that it was a nice little car for the little lady of the house, that it was a cruiser, or an economy car. Does Ford not think that most people tie Christmas trees on car roofs? Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years — in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle , [1] it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted , air-cooled engine. The Corvair was manufactured and marketed in 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, convertible, 4-door station wagon, passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck body styles in its first generation — and as a 2-door coupe, convertible or 4-door hardtop in its second — — with a total production of approximately 1.

Go to page. The Corvair evolved for nearly a decade, taking a few surprising turns along the way, as what may not have started life as a sporting machine grew into one. May 23, Always came with rubber mats, bench seats, and very little trim. It was sold with the expectation that it was a nice little car for the little lady of the house, that it was a cruiser, or an economy car. General Motors Heritage Center. Inline Feedbacks. Retrieved July 12, Automotive News. This almost unintentional sportiness resulted in a more sorted Corvair suspension.