When Ed Cole was appointed Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, he wasted no time in setting up a research and development department. Cole foresaw a growing market for smaller cars with innovative engineering. The Corvair, with its air-cooled, rear engine, was born from this vision. But first, Cole had to convince Harlow Curtice, the President of General Motors, who believed that cars should be as large as possible.
After taking the prototype for a spin, Curtice admitted, “I think you’ve got something there, Ed.” The Corvair indeed proved to be innovative, even powering a mobile laboratory for Apollo astronauts’ training in New Mexico.
Our featured 1965 Chevrolet Corvair boasts a beautiful hue called “Evening Orchid” by General Motors and “Iris Mist” by Pontiac. This distinctive color adds to the car’s unique charm.
If you’ve heard of the Corvair, you probably know Ralph Nader too. In 1965, Nader published "Unsafe at Any Speed," targeting several cars, with the first chapter dedicated to the Corvair. He claimed the Corvair’s swing axle design made it accident-prone, though he himself didn’t have a driver’s license.
After a two-year investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cleared the Corvair’s name in 1972, declaring no evidence to support Nader’s claims. It became the only car officially deemed “safe” by the U.S. government.
Nader is often credited with killing the Corvair, and he certainly hurt its sales, but that’s not the whole story. GM’s decision to hire private investigators to follow and harass Nader backfired, leading to a lawsuit where Nader received a substantial settlement. This drama catapulted Nader into the limelight, making his book a bestseller. Instead of quietly pulling the Corvair, GM doubled down, extending its production deliberately.
Nearly 2 million Corvairs were produced over a decade, all at the Willow Run plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Willow Run is historically significant as the birthplace of the “Rosie the Riveter” iconography, thanks to Rose Will Monroe, who built B-29 and B-24 “Liberator” planes there during WWII. J. Howard Miller immortalized her with the “We Can Do It!” poster.
To delve deeper into the Corvair’s history, watch our latest YouTube video about the 1965 Chevrolet Corvair and explore more with the Online Museum Archive Membership.