
The two biggest improvements were to the engine and suspension. The engine displacement was increased from 145ci to 164ci. The horsepower of the base engine increased from 80 to 95 HP and the optional "performance" engine went from 95 to 110 HP. (The Spyder turbo engine remained at 150 HP. The second generation Corvairs had a 140 HP option and the turbo Corsa engine put out an amazing 180 HP. The displacement remained at 164ci.)


This car has some Corvair "Holy Grail" options, including an original AM/FM radio (I've never seen one in person), wood steering wheel and wire-wheel style hubcaps. (You'll often see Corvairs with Chevy wire-wheel hubcaps, but more than likely they are 14" Nova rims with Nova wheel covers. The bolt pattern was the same, so it was an easy swap. The Corvair rode on 13" rims and the 13" Corvair-only wire-wheel covers are extremely rare.)

I've owned a number of Corvairs in my life.(Including 1 first generation car, a 1962 station wagon. I had put a rebuilt 140 engine, a 4 speed and a Spyder dash in it. The week before it was scheduled to go to the bodyshop for a respray, some bastard - or bastards - stole it from behind a mall, set fire to it pushed it into a lake. That was a long time ago and I'm still pissed off!). They're fun and, contrary to Ralph Nader says, safe cars. This car, given its condition and options, would be the perfect car for anyone desiring to own one of the best of the first generation Corvairs.

1 comment:
I owned a 1964 Corvair convertible back in 1975 which was given to me by my aunt. It was aqua colored and ran very well.It had a problem with oil leakage as I recall but was a fun ride. I did keep 2 sand bags in the "trunk" to help keep the front tires in contact with the road.By the way, how much is the maroon corvair selling for?
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