Ran When Parked: 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 700
Chevrolet entered the compact car market in 1960 in an unconventional way (for U.S. automakers at the time). The new Corvair had a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine along the same lines as that of the VW Beetle which was beginning to annoy Chevy and the other domestic manufacturers. This example is from 1960 and is said to be a “300” Series car, but the VIN decodes as a “700”, a step below the Monza. If it has an engine, it’s no longer in the car and somewhere in the shop. Located in Stockon, California, this project (or parts car) is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,500.
The seller calls this a Corvair 300, but there was no such thing (not even a unicorn). There were rumors of a 300 being built in Mexico, but comments on a Corvair forum say that wasn’t so. The 500 was the entry-level car (like a Biscayne in the full-size arena), followed by the 700 (like this car which was more like a mid-level Bel Air). 139,200 4-door 700s were built in 1960 and they all came with a 140 cubic inch “flat” six-cylinder engine.
What little we know of this Corvair includes it having a Corvair version of the 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. It seems this was a running car until a mechanic “took stuff apart” and never got past doing what you see here. The photos don’t help determine how good the body is though the paint has run its course. And the status of the interior is a bit of a mystery as well. This Chevy was listed for sale two months ago, and it hasn’t moved to a new home yet. Too many doors or too much work?
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Comments
I think this falls more under the category of “Ran until someone tore it apart for unknown reasons”. It would be nice to see this 4 door Corvair on the road again. Its really hard to tell in the photos but the quarters, at least what you can see, seem to still be there. If the engine is still there maube theres something there to work with. Its a shame theres no interior shots, or cleaned up and outside in the daylight.
Looks like a solid 60 more door. The 1960 model was a prototype Corvair released to the public. The 61-64 models were vastly different. 1960 was the only year a gas heater was the only heater option. The engine was unique in several ways besides the displacement. I would rather have the sellers Lakewood in the foreground. Same color as my 61 Lakewood only less rust being from California.
You know, I seem to remember a chap that was heck bent on killing the Corvair, his name escapes me( hey, senility can be a good thing) and let’s hope this is the end of that.
I thought Corvairs were great cars. An amazing find, and only in California. Corvairs became the standard issue beater for many. With a set of “Town & Country” snow tires, they drove so well in the snow, for a hundred bucks, you usually got where you were going. Like VW, air cooled motors always started in the coldest weather. Also, like a VW, one just put on an extra sweater. Ah,, but there was a downside to that. Corvairs rusted quickly, to the point of actually being unsafe,( aXX scraping on the ground type) and since the motor would only work on another Corvair, of which there were none, most were junked. While I think any rust free Corvair is worth restoring, a 1st year 1960 would be my choice.
The survival rate of Corvairs far exceeds the survival rate of contemporary Falcons, or Valiants.
Not even close . There are plenty of Valiants and Falcons to be had .
That chap you mentioned also happened to have a lot of Ford stock at the time.
The only TRUE Corvair Killer was Lee Iacocca and the 64 1/2 Mustang.
The other guy? Still to this day the man has never had a driver’s license.
Back in the early 90’s when the International Corvair Club had its convention in DC, we got him to sit in a Early Model Convert and EVERYONE took pictures.
The Camaro came to life b/c even the 65 and up Restyled Corvair with its 140 and 180 hp engines couldn’t compete with a new style 6 cyl water pumper.
The Car of Tomorrow—Made Yesterday.
My mother bought a ’60 four door light green automatic as her first of two. I was amazed how well the automatic worked, especially in stop and go situations. It wasn’t as slow as most folks said.
My 61 Lakewood has a powerglide. Never thought I would like driving with one but I will never swap for a 4-speed.
My Vietnamese friend was given one in the eighties. I think a 61. It needed a very odd battery (very long and very thin)and the cheapest one was almost $150,00. I hooked (2) garden tractor batteries in parallel and he used it for several years.
The ad is pretty much BS. We have an odometer showing 97k miles on a “30k mile” car. Also, five will get you ten the engine was picked apart to get the Lakewood which he also has, running. There’s lots of rust on the car too. This is a parts car, nothing more.
“Too many doors or too much work?”
Too much money,
All three.
Even though there are more than a few Corvair cheerleaders on this site, there aren’t any in that part of California where roughly 8 million people live within a 2 hour drive. It’s been listed for over 2 months with a nominal asking price and a stated willingness to consider offers. It’s likely future is as a $500 parts car or a trip to a local Pick N Pull.
Steve R
Pick N Pull already started.
Bone, we ran one of the largest wrecking yards in Colorado. Bought every Corvair, Falcon, Valiant that came along. There are hundreds of Corvairs still in the yard. Only ever had 3 early 60’s Falcons, and no early 60’s Valiants. Falcons and Valiants were already crushed and recycled years before we started. There are many dozens of Corvairs in the Denver and Colorado Springs Corvair club. There is a Denver Falcon club with a few Falcons. The local WPC Club has zero early 60’s Valiants in the club.
Really? Not too many junk yards in Colorado, that I know of. The one in Penrose has some older cars, and a collection near Westcliffe, but none in my area( central Co.) Last year, the COS Corvair club came to my small town( Salida) and had about 30 cars, of all types of Corvairs. Aside from the owners, I was practically the only attendee.