1964 Chevrolet Corvair Series

The engine of the Corvair was made completely of aluminum making it very lightweight and durable. Road and Track hailed the car as a very well-designed car but another man, Ralph Nader, disagreed. He published 'Unsafe At Any Speed' which highlighted many safety concerns and lack of standards in the United States. He attacked all US cars but primarily focused on the Corvairs claiming that the rear wheels 'tucked under' on turns resulting in a vehicle roll. In 1964, these issues were addressed but Nader still championed the idea that the Corvair was still the '....leading candidate for the unsafest car title.'

The courts got involved and disagreed with Nader. General Motors responded to Nader's accusations by searching Nader's past for any discrediting information. Nadars' record was clean and GM looked very guilty. As a result sales of the Corvair dropped from 220,000 in 1965 to 14,800 in 1968. A year later the decision was made to cancel the production of the Corvair.

The Monza convertible option was the sportiest of all the four original Corvair models. In 1964 it carried a $2,492 factory price which included a 164 cubic-inch engine capable of producing 110 horsepower.

The 'Big Three' (Chrysler, Ford, GM) primarily focused on intermediate and full-size vehicles during the 1950s, but the recession of 1957 sent consumers seeking less-expensive and more economical options. American Motors was one of the few automakers to witness an increase in sales during these lean years, prompting other automakers to explore this niche market. By the close of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s, the Big Three automakers had introduced 'compact' cars of their own, with most wearing scaled-down designs of the larger products. Instead of hefty V-8s, they were powered by four- or six-cylinder power, with bodies approximately 20-percent smaller than their standard cars.

Led by General Manager, Ed Cole, Chevrolet designed a revolutionary new car named the Corvair. It was powered by an air-cooled, horizontal, six-cylinder engine mounted in the rear of the car, driving the rear wheels through a compact automatic transaxle. It had no conventional frame and was the first unibody built by Fisher. The suspension was independent all round, and the tires were an entirely new wide, low-profile design using GM's Z-body platform. Bucking the trend, the styling was rather unconventional and restrained for Detroit, devoid of tailfins or chrome grille, with elegant and subtle features throughout. They had a low silhouette with flat passenger compartment flooring, and offered improvements in ride quality, traction, and braking. The engineering was awarded numerous patents, and Time magazine placed Ed Cole and the Corvair on its cover. Motor Trend magazine named the 1960 Corvair its 'Car of the Year.'

During the first six model years, sales of the Corvair exceeded 200,000 units. 1,786,243 examples were produced between 1960 and 1969.

The 1964 Chevrolet Corvair
Production and sales of the Corvair dipped rather considerably for 1964, partly due to the introduction of new competition, including from within the Chevrolet brand. Chevy introduced the Chevy II with conservative styling and mechanical configuration, appealing to buyers who preferred front-engine layouts and contemporary designs. Ford introduced its Mustang in mid-1964, which made an immediate impact on those seeking a youthful and sporty vehicle. Additional reasons for the decline were stagnating designs and growing fears due to safety concerns, particularly due to handling issues.

1964 was the final year of styling that had been first introduced in 1960. The 'base' trim level was the Series 500 offered as a two-door club coupe with seating for five and priced at $2,000. The 500 Series came standard with electric wipers, a heater and defroster, rubber floor mats, front foam seat cushions, front armrests, a lockable glovebox, a cigarette lighter, and dual sun visors. The interior colors included fawn, aqua, and red. They rode on five tubeless black sidewall tires with small hubcaps, and the model nameplates continued to reside ahead of the front wheel cutouts.

The 145 CID displacement grew to 164 CID thanks to an increase in stroke, and output rose from 80 to 95 horsepower. The high-performance version of the engine increased from 102 to 110 horsepower. The Spyder engine displacement had grown in size but its output continued to produce 150 hp. Performance and comfort were further improved with updates to the swing axle rear suspension with the addition of a transverse leaf spring and softer rear coil springs. The heavy-duty suspension was no longer available, but all models now had a front anti-roll bar as standard. At the back were improved finned drum brakes.

The Corvair Deluxe Series 700 was a four-door sedan with seating for six and priced at $2,120. The list of standard equipment, which included items found on the Series 500, added chrome exterior moldings, dual horns, front fender model nameplates, and an upgraded interior. Along with the color options as the Series 500, the Series 700 added a blue cloth and vinyl interior.

The Corvair Monza Series 900 wore wider rocker panel moldings, full wheel covers, trim moldings along the wheel cutouts, and an inverted cross-shaped insignia positioned behind the front wheel housings. Body styles included a two-door club coupe priced at $2,280, a sedan at $2,335, and a convertible priced at just under $2,500. The most popular was the club coupe with 88,440 examples sold, followed by 31,045 of the convertible and 21,926 of the sedan.

The list of standard equipment on the Series 900 included a Deluxe steering wheel with chrome horn ring, all-vinyl upholstery on the sedan and convertible, bucket seats, backup lights, rear armrests, simulated vents below the rear window, and glovebox light.

The Corvair Monza Spyder Series 600 became its own separate series in 1964, with the two-door coupe priced at $2,600 and the convertible at $2,800. The coupe was slightly more popular with 6,480 examples built compared to 4,76 of the convertible. Styling of the Series 600 was similar to the Series 900, but with a Spyder signature nameplate located below the Monza badges on the lower front fender. On the rear deck was a 'turbocharged' emblem proudly proclaiming the higher performance engine. The horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine displaced 164 CID (19 cubic inches greater than the previous year) and used a Carter one-barrel sidedraft carburetor and a turbocharger to deliver 150 horsepower at 4,000 RPM.

Standard equipment on the Series 600 included full wheel covers with Spyder center inserts and full instrumentation within a brushed metal dash insert.

Chevrolet produced 22,968 examples of the 500 Series, 16,295 of the 700 Series, 141,411 of the Monza 900 Series, and 11,241 of the Monza Spyder 600 Series. 1964 was the final year for the Rampside pickup.

Updates to the 1965 Corvair included a new fully independent suspension with coil springs at each wheel, and was devoid of a 'B' pillar.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2006