(In response to ‘Chevrolet Corvair’s gone, but not forgotten’, The Citizen, Nov. 13, 2021, page 3)
Not just Ralphie Nader
Dear Editor,
I’ve just finished your article on the Corvair, having owned 3 at one time or another, I have fondness for the little car.
It wasn’t just Ralphie Nader that killed the car, GM’s bean counters did a good number on that project too. Many a fan of the Corvair referred to it as a heavy-duty Porsche. Suspension was quite alike. John DeLorean had a solution to the roll over problem and was flatly turned down by the ‘Board’. When he presents the fix a second time, with cost analysis of $10 per car, the board not only shoots him down, but questions his employment. So it could have survived and by now GM may have fixed the oil leaks. They all leaked. Even the training motor we got from Chevrolet Division leaked. It was a good car, great in snow, just risky when trying to do parking lot donuts. A great deal more about the ‘General’ is in his book, ‘On a clear day you can see GM’. It wasn’t a muscle car by U.S. standards, but it could have been. Bottom line: It was fun to drive.
If they gave it the same chance they gave the Vega, it would still be in the line up.
Sincerely, Donald Best