At $15,000, Is This 1966 Chevy Corvair Monza A Safe Bet?
Wouldn't it be nice if we could do our part in saving the planet while still being able to have a little fun in the process? I mean, most conservation efforts, despite instilling an intense sense of noblesse and self-satisfaction, don't often engender any adrenal-exercising Kool-Aid "Oh Yeah!" moments. The 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid we looked at yesterday might very well be a notable exception to this unwritten rule. It, after all, had that rare commodity on any car, much less on a hybrid: a manual transmission. And it was a six-speed row-yer-own, to boot! That makes for some fun while sipping fuel and zipping through electrons to lower one's carbon footprint. Another fun factor was the Honda's $5,900 asking price. You all gave that a solid 65% Nice Price win.
Read more: Popular Cars Consumer Reports Recommends You Skip In Favor Of Something Better
The 1970s was a weird time for ironic deaths. Notably, There was the passing of Euell Gibbons, the healthy diet advocate whose eating habits didn't prevent his dying of a ruptured aorta. Then there was Jim Fixx. His fame arose from writing a best-selling book on the health benefits of running and died of a heart attack while, you guessed it, out running. Having demonstrated so cruel a sense of humor, it wouldn't have been surprising for fate to have marked safety advocate and perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader for a fiery death behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvair, one of the targets of his screed against the auto industry's lackadaisical attitude toward occupant safety in the '50s and '60s. "Unsafe At Any Speed." Instead, Nader dodged that bullet and is still kicking it today at the ripe old age of 91. The Corvair, however, is not.
First introduced for the 1960 model year, the Corvair was a very obvious answer to the best-selling import of the time, Volkswagen's Beetle. It became the unfortunate object of Nader's aggrievement due to the quirky handling characteristics of the early models. Those suffered from snap oversteer due to the back-forty engine placement and a cost-saving swing axle rear suspension.
By the time the second generation arrived in 1965, those demons had been exorcised. A redesigned and fully articulating rear suspension tamed the handling and allowed for more horsepower out of the air-cooled pancake six. To fete the feat, Chevy's designers imbued the revamped models with knuckle-bitingly beautiful styling. On the downside, the model line was pared down to pillarless sedans and coupes, as well as a convertible. The previous generation's station wagon and forward-control vans and pickups were no more.
This 1965 Chevy Corvair Monza proves that Chevy's stylings really knew what they were doing. The car's long, low, and clean design is immediately familial. It shares its subtle Coke bottle side profile with the Chevelle, but with more purpose in its shark nose and Corvette homage quad tail lamps.
Under the deck lid is the 164 cubic-inch displacement flat-six, but in this Monza, it's fitted with four single-barrel carburetors. The carbs are set up like a four-barrel, with two primary carbs and two secondaries that only open upon full throttle. The benefit over a single 4BBL carb is better response and more torque down low. As fitted, the naturally-aspirated "Turbo-Air" engine offers 140 (gross) horsepower, which can move the 2,300-pound car smartly. Ahead of that is a four-speed manual shifted via a curvy lever sprouting from the Corvair's iconic flat floorboard.
Other notable features of the Monza include a black crinkle finish on the dash and glovebox door, a tach in the instrument panel, and bucket seats for the driver and front passenger. According to the ad, this Monza also wears a set of SS wheels off a Chevelle or Camaro and features an older respray in the factory Aztec Red. Some bubbling under that paint is evident just ahead of the windshield, but there doesn't seem to be any major road rot anywhere structural. Things are just as nice in the cabin. The vinyl upholstery is wholly intact and doesn't suffer from fading. And while this is a sixties car with a reputation for danger, it has been updated with seat belts and a dual-circuit brake system. The seller says it also has had a "sporty exhaust" added to improve the sound.
Overall, it appears to be a good ten-foot car, and aside from that bubbling under the paint, seems to need nothing to be a great classic weekend cruiser.
A clean title and the seller's suggestion that "In these uncertain times, why not drop the top and enjoy the journey?" add to the car's advocacy. Any and all upgrades and replacement parts are said to have come from a Corvair specialist, so nothing janky or weird should pop up for the next owner. It's also fun to think that Chevy built this sports car, which offered more power than its next-closest layout competitor, Porsche's then-new 911, as well as a full convertible roof when the German car could only manage a Targa top.
The only real question, then, is whether it's worth the seller's $15,000 asking price to gain that experience. What do you think? Is this Corvair a deal at that $15K asking? Or do you stand with Nader that this Chevy is unsafe at any spend?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at robemslie@gmail.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.
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