Turbocharged! 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa
The Corvair may go down as the most unusual automobile to be built by Chevrolet. With its air-cooled, rear-mounted flat-six, the car would see an output of more than 1.8 million units across 10 model years. But a safety controversy – along with the introduction of the Camaro in 1967 – took the sail out of the Corvair’s sales in the later 1960s. This second-generation Corsa from 1965 is the “performance” edition and has a turbocharged engine. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this project runs off a can of fuel and needs restoring from head to toe. The Chevy is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached just $1,525, but the car can go home for $3,000. Thanks for the cool tip, Steve Clinton.
While many blame Ralph Nader for causing the Corvair’s eventual demise, internal forces at GM also contributed to it. Chevy introduced the Camaro in 1967 and buyers who might have otherwise given the sportier models of the Corvair a nod, may have bought the new pony car instead. Sales shrunk to a trickle in the late 1960s and when it came time to bring the Corvair up to new safety codes (like a locking steering column), Chevrolet quietly pulled the plug.
The Corvair was all-new for the second time in 1965 and 237,000 deliveries were made. Of those, 20,300 would be the new Corsa, a sportier model with an optional turbocharged engine that was just offered through 1966. While the Corsa had a 164 cubic-inch six with four single-barrel carburetors, the turbo was also available. The horsepower difference was 140 vs. 180. Years after the cars were discontinued, some pundits prefer the carbureted Corsa’s over the turbo as the former seem to be less troublesome to maintain and repair.
This Corsa Turbo sat outside under a few trees for several years, so the body and interior are both showing a lot of age. Rust is apparent in lots of places, including the floorboards, around the windows, left quarter panels, and the left front fender. The car’s original blue paint can only be identified as such by looking at the lower extremities. The interior is sunbaked and will require an extreme makeover. On the plus side, the motor may be okay as it will at least run off a can. The seller has taken care of a few mechanical tidbits, like a new alternator, battery, spark plugs, and wires. He/she is playing hard ball with this repeat listing due to a deadbeat winner on the last go-round.
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Comments
At first glance I thought this would be a good price at the buy now price. After looking at all the pictures no so much. Car was built in the Willow run plant and may have done some hard time in the north before finding its way to somewhere dry and sunny. Paint code W was not blue but glacier gray so it got a color change along the way. I prefer the 4 carb 140 engine over the turbo. My 65 Turbo was purchased at a estate sale in Seattle and even my car has less rust than this one. It’s definitely worth fixing but understand this needs everything!
I believe the 140 cars are the best all around car to drive. I’ve also had a turbo car. the 140 would kick but through 1st and second gears, but the turbo would start producing noticeable boost in 3rd gear and start to pull away from the 140. Fun little cars.
Def not worth 3k in this shape… for 8-10k you can get a very well sorted version with 1/10th the issues!
Haven’t seen a turbo coupe in decent condition for anywhere near 10k in quite some time.
I wish it were closer. I’m looking for a nice 180 turbo engine for a Corvair, but the shipping would kill any sort of reasonable price.
I too wish it were closer to me. Price a little high but parts are readily available and reasonable. I’m particularly interested in what it would take to rebuild the engine and turbo.
About 6 to 7K to do it properly. That’s splitting the case, new pistons and cylinders, cam and lifters, rework the cylinder head and install deep valve seats to correct seat dropping issue, rebuild the turbo and overhaul the carb. Powder coat the tin., rebuild the distributor.
$2,425 now, i guess the reserve has been met, and the BIN is gone.
Not too bad of a car if the money stays low and no bidding wars start. From the pictures posted the rust thru’s appear minimal. The Turbo Charged cars were Monza Spyders and Corsas were the non turbo carbureted ones . This one has the Spyder dashboard as well so its a Spyder not a Corsa. Its loaded with “patina”.
The Spyder designation was a first-gen thing only. Second-gen Corvairs replaced the Spyder trim/spec level with the Corsa, which came standard with the fully-instrumented dash and 4-carb 140hp engine (optional on the base 500 and the midrange Monza) and offered an optional upgrade to the turbo engine with 180hp (vs. 150hp for the Gen1 Spyder).
There were no 1965 Spyders.
Obviously all the rust and paint aren’t exactly a good thing. However, the Corsa Turbo value sure helps! A restomod might be an affordable option considering all the interior work needed.
These engines are super-affordable to work on too. As long as the crank or cam don’t need replacement, engine repairs are a breeze!