Vehicle Description
The Chevrolet Corvair is a unique collectible for fans of the
American motoring genre. It was the only mass-produced US. car with
a rear-mounted-air cooled engine, and GM produced close to 1.8
million of these versatile cars. The full Corvair line up spanned
two-door coupes and convertibles, four-door sedans, station wagons,
pickup trucks and even vans, and through the entire 1960's decade
we were treated to two pretty special generations. One has to
wonder if given more time, the Corvair engineers would have found a
way to make them float and fly. This particular 1966 Corvair Monza
Convertible features a slick blue-over-black color combination,
rare options, and classic European styling all for a price that
won't break the bank.
Corvairs have a style all their own, and this 2nd generation
droptop really looks great. A dramatic redesign was ushered in just
a year before, with the new body showed influences from the
Corvette Stingray, an early '60s Bel Air, and the 1963 Buick
Riviera. In fact, the very name 'Corvair' is a portmanteau of
Corvette and Bel Air, and with a name like that it was inevitable
that this design would be dramatic. The coke bottle styling set the
trend for GM cars for the next fifteen years, foreshadowing the
1967 Camaro that would take the world by storm the following year.
Although the car was born with Code F Marina Blue paint, it now
wears a shade much closer to Danube Blue from the same year's color
chart, which is a great color to match with that black vinyl
convertible top. The paint is top driver-quality and shines up
beautifully under our lights, with the factory brightwork and trim
providing a nice contrast that's not overbearing. You'll hear cars
like this referred to as having a 'sympathetic restoration' meaning
that it's not a full blown, over the top, open-checkbook job, but
rather the car has largely lived a comfortable existence since new,
has always been in great condition, and regularly gets what it
needs to keep it looking and running as it should. By the looks of
things inside-and-out, that's likely a bit of an understatement,
because even as a strong driver this Corvair is about as nice as
you'll ever see on the road today. The grille and tail panel are
clean, and the dramatic lenses and lights really punctuate the
look. Gaps are precise, the body lines are straight, and all of the
glass is very clean and tidy. Bottom line, this is a darn
good-looking droptop.
Sporty bucket seats and room for four greet your entry, where the
cabin is a lot more spacious than it looks. The black vinyl seat
covers and matching black carpets are correct replacement pieces,
but again this was a car that has been cared for and likely didn't
need much to get it looking this good again. The black wrinkle
finish dash is a Monza hallmark, and the sporty gauge cluster and
floor-mounted 4-speed manual shifter practically begs you to go out
and have some fun. The factory AM/FM radio is in place, which is a
pretty rare find, but not quite as rare as the options list for
this economy car - factory A/C (converted to R134a refrigerant and
blowing cold today), a tilt/telescopic wheel, seatbelts, and a
power convertible top (needs service) are all part of the original
package. Quite frankly, this is the most loaded Corvair Monza we've
ever seen. Every part of the cabin is done right, with
factory-style ornate door panels still in place, along with a
2-spoke woodgrain steering wheel at the head of the cockpit, and
the rear seat looks rarely used. Open the bonnet and find an awful
lot of storage space for a car this size, and it too was neatly
finished to match the standard of the rest of the car.
Pop the rear engine lid to find the venerable 164 cubic-inch,
all-aluminum flat six. By 1966, the troublesome generator was
replaced with a reliable, modern alternator, so a quick flick of
the key and this rumbling little motor is ready to scrap. The
engine runs strong, fed through 4 original-style Rochester single
barrel carburetors and breathes easy thanks to that unique
six-snorkel air cleaner up top. The spare tire was removed from the
engine gay, which means you can actually stick your hands in for
easy access, and there are signs of recent maintenance throughout.
There's not a ton of horsepower on tap, but in a car that only
weighs around 2700 pounds it's plenty zippy around town, and for
those of you perplexed by the auxiliary fans on an air-cooled
engine, they're for the A/C system. Underneath, a lot of work has
been done to keep this Corvair roadworthy through the years, and
with a light dusting of undercoating the floor pans have been
protected from the elements. The 2nd generation models had vast
improvements to the suspension and they drive really well, with
revised spring rates, a fully independent rear suspension modeled
after the Corvette, larger brakes, and a front anti sway bar all
pitching in to give this little roadster great road manners.
Setting the mildly aggressive stance are a set of American Racing
Torque Thrust 'Old Style' wheels, which frankly improve the look of
any classic car and are wrapped in thick, fender-filling 205/70/15
blackwall radials.
Loaded, fun, a little different and very affordable. This classic
American roadster sometimes gets overlooked in the collector car
world, but with examples like this super-clean '66 droptop
re-entering the market more frequently each year, we think things
are about to change. Corvairs are on the rise! Call today!
