Vehicle Description
1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible
Corvair was the brainchild of Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole,
said Corvair Preservation Foundation historian Dave Newell and
technical adviser Larry Claypool. Cole began the project in 1956,
ordering parts and blueprints under the guise that it was for GM's
Australian division, Holden. This is similar to the surreptitious
development of the GTO package for the Pontiac LeMans. Cole
considered front- and rear-engine placement and 4 and 6-cylinder
air and water-cooled engines. He settled on a 140-cubic-inch,
rear-mounted, flat 6, air-cooled engine, powering a 15-foot,
five-passenger car.
For consignment, a Corvair Monza Convertible from 1965. This was
the first year for the Fisher Z body and it addressed the Nader
false accusation of the suspension being unsafe with a rear
suspension that now resembled the Corvette.
Exterior
This two toned light and dark blue Corvair presents in fair
condition for the exterior. There are areas of dulling, and some
sap damage to the paint. The rockers show invasive rust under the
stainless trim running along the bottom of this car. There is heavy
involvement behind each wheel well. Other trim presents nicely, and
there is plenty of it, even highlighting the gas filler door. On
the back the trunk lid appears to have had a luggage rack installed
at one time as the mounting holes are still within the trunk and a
spot of cracked body filler on the center raised bodyline. Invasive
rust is taking over the door jambs and bottom of the doors. Also,
there are some large surface rusted scratches under the rear
bumper, and in front of the roll pan is slight bubbling of the
paint. The white canvas convertible top is solid but does not
appear to have a rear window within it. Wire wheels are wrapped by
thin white wall tires all around.
Interior
All original interior which shows some age in the form of smudges
and areas of dulling on the original vinyl. Bucket seats upfront
are original and have had lap belts added at the dealership. The
rear bench is all there too in the same color and shows some loose
and torn vinyl on the seats. The driver's seat has a tear on the
upper back near the seam for the side panel. The original dash in
dark and light blue painted metal houses original gauges, knobs and
levers. The original AM radio is within the dash, and just below
the ash receptacle has a missing door. Nice dark blue carpet covers
the floors.
Drivetrain
A lift of the trunk and we see an albeit dusty and patina riddled
164 ci flat 6-cylinder engine. It has a 1-barrel carburetor on top,
and a 4-speed manual transmission attached to this horizontally
opposed air cooled configuration. A 3.27 gear ratio is on the
Corvair.
Undercarriage
Plenty of years of patina and surface rust make up this
undercarriage. Some areas are heavily involved. The center of the
floor has some invasive rust that has taken the first layer of
metal off at certain points. The bottom end of the engine has heavy
oiling, and as the rockers are involved in the outer shell, we see
invasive rust on the seam of the unibody on the underside.
Drive-Ability
This car started right up, and after a short warmup, ran great.
Nice handling, a good ride, and shifting was effortless. I am
concerned about the rust involvement, so it is difficult to say if
it is truly structurally sound.
We could classify this as a project car, with many areas that will
need some TLC. For the ambitious restorer, here is something for
you to do.
VIN DECODE
105675W302446
1-Chevrolet
05-Corvair Monza
67-Convertible
5-1965
W-Willow Run, MI Assy Plant
302446-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
