charlie8575 Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Well, it looks like the Corvair people are demanding the record finally be set straight, and plan to go straight to the man himself and demand it. In related news, just ran across a 'Vair locally for sale at the right price. Dad likes it. Might have to get it and join in. Charlie Larkin https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2020/03/19/corvair-vindication-day-aims-to-set-the-record-straight-with-ralph-naders-tort-museum/?refer=news&utm_source=edaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-03-19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) I have owned rear engined VWs, Fiats, a Renault, and 1st gen Corvairs. The Corvair was by far the safest. I have always ignored both Nader and his soapbox when it came to the Corvair. Edited March 19, 2020 by Sam I Am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Back when I was attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, Ralph showed up for a lecture. After the speech (which I don't particularly remember), I hurried over to the black limousine. There was Ralph sitting in the middle of the back seat looking over some papers. I had my Corvair model car and a marker for him to autograph it. One of his boys sniffed that he didn't do such things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie8575 Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 30 minutes ago, Motor City said: Back when I was attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, Ralph showed up for a lecture. After the speech (which I don't particularly remember), I hurried over to the black limousine. There was Ralph sitting in the middle of the back seat looking over some papers. I had my Corvair model car and a marker for him to autograph it. One of his boys sniffed that he didn't do such things! I love that you did this. Just got a good laugh from it, too. Truth be told, I'm enough of a wise-guy that I probably would've attempted the same thing. Charlie Larkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Motor City said: Back when I was attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, Ralph showed up for a lecture. After the speech (which I don't particularly remember), I hurried over to the black limousine. There was Ralph sitting in the middle of the back seat looking over some papers. I had my Corvair model car and a marker for him to autograph it. One of his boys sniffed that he didn't do such things! After a talk at the University of Minnesota in the late '80s I got him to autograph my copy of Unsafe At Any Speed. By coincidence, I was writing my paper on history of Corvair at the time. I naturally disagreed with the conclusions in his book. But, I liked the man, and found him to be sincere. And if one really looks at the true history the Corvair, his book did not have as much to do demise of the car, as the Ford Mustang did. Mustang and Chevy's response, the Camaro, were the cake of Corvair's death. Nader's book, was just icing on that cake. Edited March 20, 2020 by unclescott58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) 44 minutes ago, unclescott58 said: After a talk at the University of Minnesota in the late '80s I got him to autograph my copy of Unsafe At Any Speed. By coincidence, I was writing my paper on history of Corvair at the time. I naturally disagreed with the conclusions in his book. But, I liked the man, and found him to be sincere. And if one really looks at the true history the Corvair, his book did not have as much to do demise of the car, as the Ford Mustang did. Mustang and Chevy's response, the Camaro, were the cake of Corvair's death. Nader' book, was just icing on that cake. Who wrote "Autographed on . . ."? It is a very nice example of cursive writing. Edited March 19, 2020 by peteski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 57 minutes ago, peteski said: Who wrote "Autographed on . . ."? It is a very nice example of cursive writing. That is my handwriting, making note of the day Mr. Nader signed it. I knew at the time if I didn't note the date, I was sure to forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 1 hour ago, unclescott58 said: That is my handwriting, making note of the day Mr. Nader signed it. I knew at the time if I didn't note the date, I was sure to forget it. Was that nice handwriting beaten into you by nuns in a Catholic school, or you are just naturally neat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 1 hour ago, peteski said: Was that nice handwriting beaten into you by nuns in a Catholic school, or you are just naturally neat? Non Catholic. Learned it in public school. The beatings came at home. But that's another story we don't need to talk about here. I'm sure part of it came from being a little dyslexic. I'm neat but slow when writing in cursive. If it's not written neatly, I have a hard time reading it. Rearly use it today. I print even better. Dreamed of being a architect when I was in junior high and high school. So I learned to print beautifully. Today, I work in a high school with special education kids. All the hand written things I do for them, and even for "regular" kids is printed out. Because we live a computer age, the kids haven't be taught cursive writing in many, many years. It's becoming a lost art. I have mixed feels about that. By the way, even if the kids today don't know cursive. They sure know how to at least curse! One of the ways world has changed that I'm not please with. P.S. It's not just the kids cursing too much today. Most adults are just as bad. If not worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 I thought of just ignoring the guy and asking Ralph directly, but decided it wasn't worth wasting any more of my time. It's not like he had another speaking engagement that evening. There was still daylight, so he could clearly see me if he had bothered looking up. I was so close, l could have stepped in the limo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 23 minutes ago, unclescott58 said: Non Catholic. Learned it in public school. The beatings came at home. But that's another story we don't need to talk about here. I'm sure part of it came from being a little dyslexic. I'm neat but slow when writing in cursive. If it's not written neatly, I have a hard time reading it. Rearly use it today. I print even better. Dreamed of being a architect when I was in junior high and high school. So I learned to print beautifully. Today, I work in a high school with special education kids. All the hand written things I do for them, and even for "regular" kids is printed out. Because we live a computer age, the kids haven't be taught cursive writing in many, many years. It's becoming a lost art. I have mixed feels about that. By the way, even if the kids today don't know cursive. They sure know how to at least curse! One of the ways world has changed that I'm not please with. P.S. It's not just the kids cursing too much today. Most adults are just as bad. If not worst. Thanks for that. Sounds like you find your job fulfilling. But cursive writing might not be dead yet. https://fox6now.com/2019/04/12/cursive-writing-is-making-a-comeback-in-classrooms-in-several-states/ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/news/a43159/cursive-writing-is-making-a-comeback/ https://www.businessinsider.com/cursive-making-comeback-american-schools-2017-3-2?op=1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/once-all-but-left-for-dead-is-cursive-handwriting-making-a-comeback/2016/07/26/24e59d34-4489-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/12/us/cursive-is-coming-back-trnd/index.html So, there is hope. I grew up in Poland and we also had cursive writing lessons is school (slightly different than the style used here), but I never embraced it, and my handwriting is terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) After 50+ years I can't imagine there are too many people that remember or care about Corvairs...seems like odd timing, a few decades late.. Edited March 20, 2020 by Rob Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 You'd be surprised. Many of the car savvy millennials I know are well aware of the Corvair and it having been bashed by Nader. It becomes apparent in sentences like 'ah, bugger off with your NCAP rating, I'd rather swing a Corvair backwards into a tree while giving Nader the two finger salute, because looking cool is much more important than all that safety nonsense'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyLvr Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 (edited) On 3/19/2020 at 1:13 PM, Motor City said: Back when I was attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, Ralph showed up for a lecture. After the speech (which I don't particularly remember), I hurried over to the black limousine. There was Ralph sitting in the middle of the back seat looking over some papers. I had my Corvair model car and a marker for him to autograph it. One of his boys sniffed that he didn't do such things! Back in 1991, the Corvair Society of America (C.O.R.S.A) held its annual convention in the Washington, DC, area. Just for giggles, the club officials invited Nader to be the keynote speaker at the convention. Of course, they didn’t expect him to accept the invitation, but they figured it would make for some good PR in the newspapers (remember when everyone still read the papers?). Well, much to our surprise, he accepted the invitation and showed up for the convention, made his speech, and hammed it up with the attendees, posing for photos in Corvairs, etc. IIRC, he said if he had known they would become a “collectible”, he would have bought one and stashed it away? You can do a search (just type in Ralph Nader 1991 CORSA) on YouTube if you want to hear his speech.... I’ve owned 36 different Corvairs over the years, and used them for daily transportation for many years. I’ve driven them in some of the worst road conditions, and even intentionally drove like a nut on a gymkhana course, and never once did one show a tendency to flip.... Edited March 21, 2020 by ToyLvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, ToyLvr said: ...I’ve owned 36 different Corvairs over the years, and used them for daily transportation for many years. I’ve driven them in some of the worst road conditions, and even intentionally drove like a nut on a gymkhana course, and never once did one show a tendency to flip.... Yup. I've owned at least one of all of 'em except the wagons and rampsides. Fine little cars, all. The '60 was a little squirrelly if the tire pressures weren't dead on and you found yourself going a little fast into a decreasing radius turn, but was easily fixed with a "camber compensator". The gutted, race-prepped '66 140 I eventually ran on the street was one of the most fun cars I've ever owned. Nader was my first exposure to a self-styled "expert" with verbal diarrhea concerning things he had little knowledge of (followed by countless others) and a gullible drama-seeking public swallowing just-flat-wrong loads of excrement whole...but GM's gutless lack of defense of the little car and its entirely adequate engineering (exemplary from '65 on) was what actually killed it. There is, however, no question GM should have installed the camber compensator from day one. The engineers knew it, but the bean-counters nixed it. Edited March 21, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyLvr Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 25 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Yup. I've owned at least one of all of 'em except the wagons and rampsides. Fine little cars, all. The '60 was a little squirrelly if the tire pressures weren't dead on and you found yourself going a little fast into a decreasing radius turn, but was easily fixed with a "camber compensator". The gutted, race-prepped '66 140 I eventually ran on the street was one of the most fun cars I've ever owned. Nader was my first exposure to a self-styled "expert" with verbal diarrhea concerning things he had little knowledge of (followed by countless others) and a gullible drama-seeking public swallowing just-flat-wrong loads of excrement whole...but GM's gutless lack of defense of the little car and its entirely adequate engineering (exemplary from '65 on) was what actually killed it. There is, however, no question GM should have installed the camber compensator from day one. The engineers knew it, but the bean-counters nixed it. Indeed, GM could have done a better job of defending the Corvair, but they had greater concerns at the time - namely the Ford Mustang. As much as so many of us love the Corvair, we have to face the facts. The 64-1/2 Mustang is what really killed it, IMHO. For about the same price as a Corvair Monza, the average guy could buy a sporty Mustang with bucket seats and get a *V8* engine. GM released the Camaro in response to the Mustang, and unceremoniously dumped the Corvair. The rest, as they say, is history.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 My late Uncle was one that knew ALL things Corvair! I swear he owned just about every Corvair model that Chevrolet made at one time or another except maybe the convertibles. Never, ever complained about the handling of the car, or the quirky things that could happen to them such as the notorious "fan belt throwing" that they were known for. He was one of those kinds of guys that could fix literally anything and he still had a Corvair when he died back in '09. It was a '66 Monza in excellent shape and I don't know what became of the car. None of my cousins have it so my Aunt must have sold it. I have an unpainted but built '66 Monza in my collection. One of these days when I'm in another restoration mood, I want to redo that one in the color of his car. I've always like Corvairs........they're another one of those cars (along with older Chryslers) that I can close my eyes and tell when one is starting up. VERY distinctive sound they have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Ever heard a Tucker starting up, Bill? Sounds like a Corvair on steroids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 I do miss my '66 Corvair Monza. Built a model of it when the kit was released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 This I'd an interesting thread. I've learned some things about the history of the Corvair, and I learned that there is a model of one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 There is, indeed. I have built a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 18 hours ago, Jon Cole said: There is, indeed. I have built a few. Nice looking Corvairs, Jon. I wonder if Round2 will reissue them. I'm thinking probably not as they'd look kind of silly with Coca-Cola decals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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