1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza SS Concept Information and History

View more photos

The 1963 Corvair Monza SS concept car was one of two Corvair Concepts to make their public debut at the 1963 New York Auto Show. Created in the GM Design studio, Larry Shinoda working under Bill Mitchell's direction penned both this stunning SS roadster and the equally remarkable Monza GT coupe.

Like the GT, the SS was based on a shortened Corvair platform. But unlike the GT, the engine was left in its stock location, behind the transaxle. With a wheelbase of just 88-inches, the rear mounted engine helped give this short wheelbase roadster a comfortable cockpit, featuring fixed seats with adjustable pedals and the added benefit of a small luggage compartment.

When viewed today, with its four-wheel disc brakes and magnesium wheels complimenting the Weber carbureted air-cooled flat-six, the 1963 Monza SS is clearly a concept that demonstrated how heritage can influence the shape of the future.

Chevrolet's air-cooled, rear-engine Corvair reached production for 1960 as GM's answer to the growing popularity of small, inexpensive imports, including the similarly laid-out Volkswagen Beetle. Mitchell was excited by the design possibilities offered by the Corvair's component set. With no big lump of an engine or bulky radiator up front, it enabled the designer's dream of very low, sleek, aerodynamic front ends.

To explore the possibilities of Corvair-based sports cars, he created a gorgeous pair of concepts named for Italy's famed Monza racing circuit. The red Monza SS roadster's five-inch-high windscreen swept around its cockpit, and its rear targa wing incorporated a built-in roll bar. Developed in 1962, both slippery shapes reflected substantial wind-tunnel testing.

Among other innovations, these concepts pioneered the tall, voluptuous fenders that made the 1968 Corvette such a stand-out design. And they offered the potential of a future expansion of the Corvair line to include a low-cost alternative to the Corvette.

'I wanted something more exotic,' Mitchell told historian David Crippen in 1985, 'so I built the one where the hatch came up....and it's still a beautiful car, but it was heavy. Then I built the open job. GM just couldn't see putting that out....but it went around to shows everywhere.'

The Corvair came on the scene in 1959 and featured a flat-six engine mounted in mid-ship. Even with putting the engine in the middle of the vehicle, the weight distribution was not evenly distributed. The engine sat behind the rear axle and this actually caused handling problems. The vehicles main competition was the VW Bug and the Porsche 911. It was originally built to compete with the Bug, but with the flat-six engine, it was more in the Porsche 911 league. But with the poor handling, it was in an undesirable class of its own. The handling issues were addressed in 1965 when new suspensions with upper and lower control arms were added. But when comedian Eddie Kovacs was killed due to over-steer, public confidence and sales plummeted. Chevrolet tried to save the Corvairs by introducing media campaigns that focused on the new suspension. Race drivers were used to demonstrate the cars ability. However, it was not enough and Chevrolet finally ended production of the Corvair in 1969.
The front of the vehicle did not have a grill. This was because the engine was air-cooled, so a grill was not needed.

The car came with fifteen different color options on the outside and eight on the inside. The retractable room was foldable, and an automatic option available for an additional charge. In 1962, a turbocharged version was added to the line-up in attempt to boost sales and improve the image of the vehicle as a sports car. A top speed of 115 mph could be ascertained with the turbocharger with a zero-to-sixty time of about 10.8. In 1966, the vehicle received styling updates and was named the Corvair Corsa. Drum brakes were always used. The vehicle came in a variety of gearboxes such as a three-speed manual, four-speed manual or an optional two-speed automatic. The body was integral chassis with two-door steel body.

The name Corvair came about by breeding the Corvette and Bel Air together, two trademark names of Chevrolet.

The Chevrolet Corvair was introduced in 1959 and remained in production for ten years. It was an economy car that had its engine mounted in the rear which offered superior handling and exceptional performance, especially for the Monza model. An update to the styling in 1965 left the vehicle with a design that was very European. It was slightly wider and sat lower to the ground. Its body was described as a 'Coke bottle'. The Corsa and Spyder were now the top-of-the-line models in respects to performance and style, a title taken away from the Monza.

The Corsa models were equipped with a 140 horsepower four-carbureted six-cylinder engine and fixed to a four-speed manual gearbox. It was offered in two configurations, a two-door coupe and power-top convertible. The interior featured a 140 mph speedometer, re-settable trip odometer, 6000 rpm tachometer, analog clock with second hand, and chromed gearshift boot. The exterior was adorned with badging, dual exhausts, and aluminum-finish taillight cove.

Vehicle Spotlight

Other models by Chevrolet