Having grown up in a "Corvair Family," it was natural for me to buy one of these air-cooled wonders in 1999 when I was looking for a classic car to cruise the open road. My dad owned two, I have owned two, and three of my five brothers have owned a total of five. So Corvairs have been a part of my life before I was old enough to remember.

Owning a Chevrolet Corvair can be a love/hate relationship. There aren't a lot of qualified Corvair mechanics to work on, what some would consider, a complex car. But if enough time is spent studying the inner-workings of the Corvair, even "I" can work on one....and that's saying something! But when I drive into a gas station, more often than not someone will talk to me, usually to tell me "I had one of those things...it just kept leaking oil!"  Well, fortunately for Viton seals, leaking Corvairs are a thing of the past. But what really makes it all worth it....all the money spent on repairs and restorations, is when someone passes by and gives a "thumbs up" or a wave from another guy driving a classic himself. It gives a sense of pride. It says that people still appreciate a car that was much maligned from the mid-1960's on. Due in part to scare tactics by one young hotshot lawyer named Ralph Nader. Even though his "findings" of the safety of the Corvair were later disproved, people still think one is synonymous with the other. However, the true demise of the Corvair was introduction of the Ford Mustang in 1964. The public wanted a little more "gitty-up" and found that with the Mustang, despite Chevrolet upgrading the Corvair with a new body style in 1965 and an upgraded turbocharged engine putting out 180hp.

The Chevrolet Corvair was produced for 10 model years, from 1960-69. There were 1.7 million produced over those ten years, with just a fraction of that total still on the road today. And because just a fraction remain, people tend to be more intrigued with the Corvair than they are with other mass produced cars of the 1960's. And lets not forget either that the Corvair was an intriguing car in and of itself. Rear engine? Air cooled? Aluminum engine? The list goes on and on. And those of us out there doing our part to keep this chapter of automotive history alive know our corner of the hobby is truly a special one. We take a special pride knowing we have a car that isn't often seen; a car that has more history behind it that just being another car, as hard a pill as that is to take. Not to knock the folks out there driving the '57 Chevys, the Mustangs, the Camaros, the Chevelles.......Corvair owners know they don't have just "another" classic. We have a piece of automotive and American history.

Today, the Corvair is alive and well. There is a national Corvair Society of America (CORSA) which represents over 5,200 Corvair enthusiasts representing clubs from 40 states and 5 foreign lands. There are scores of companies in the business of parts reproduction to assure the Corvair has ample parts for future generations to enjoy. One such company, Clark's Corvair Parts, is the benchmark for such companies. With over 11,000 Corvair parts in their catalog, Clark's has been one of the main reasons many Corvairs are still in existence today.

So whether you've never seen a Corvair, whether you used to own one, or are just passing by, I hope you'll find the pictures I have on the web site of some entertainment for you. Enjoy the ride!

The Road Maven