[09W]

Corvair when unveiled created a firestorm of public interest. It was a truly revolutionary vehicle at the time.
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Interestingly - the car in the foreground was the proposed 'Pontiac Pegasus Polaris' variant of the Corvair.

 

[09W]

'dated Mustang' refers to it's Falcon-derived underpinnings. I don't agree that 4 years makes any sub-component 'dated'.

The 1st Corvair definitely was revolutionary. It opened the USDM market to a high volume small car where there wasn't one prior-to. And it gained considerable traction in Europe as well. It was FAR from being a "recycled VW".

Automotive History: How The 1960 Corvair Started A Global Design Revolution

(first posted 8/5/2011. Updated and expanded 1/22/2019) The Corvair was a revolutionary car, but in quite different ways on each side of the Atlantic (or Pacific). In the US, the […]

www.curbsideclassic.com

 

[09W]

Motor vehicles are complex; they inspire and revolutionize via different criteria.

With the Corvair, it was revolutionary via it's market segment and inspirational via it's design.

 

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As I stated above- the Corvair's huge influence was its design, but it still earn credit as one of the founding 'small domestics' and opening that segment up.

As for your claimed "claim" - I never stated the beetle wasn't selling well, so who's semantics were you referring to?

Beetle did sell well (Corvair eclipsed it in '60, '61, '62 & '63), but primarily to a different demographic- the growing 'foreign car buyer'. The Corvair opened the demographic up to domestic buyers (some were already there with the '59 Lark & the Ramblers, tho not in similar numbers), hence the Falcon, Valiant, Dart, continuing Lark, continuing American, etc. Corvair -with a full line of variants- offered a lot more choice to buyers than any of the others. Plus- the now ubiquitous turbocharging.

 

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Oh, and you forgot the renault caravelle - another rear-engined small car "from the pit" that only lasted 10 years.

 

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“Not one prior to” - implying the then USDM 100,000 unit p/annum VW was not already a high volume small car?

Again- as I clarified; opened the segment up to DOMESTIC buyers.
I consider the beetle sales to be decent, but to put it in perspective : the Lark was outselling the Beetle almost 2:1 in '59 (159K vs. 88K).

Thanks for further proving my point!

Your statement was that the Corvair was "the only" one - it wasn't.

 

[09W]

Clarfied as DOMESTIC buyers, or buyers of DOMESTIC cars?

Not hard to understand RE the reality of the USDM at the time (if one looked into it), but: 'domestic car buyers'.

Which part of my “flat engine, air-cooled” stipulation do you not understand?

The part where you think 'air-cooled' was a meaningful component of the Beetle's sales.

Whoever sent this puppy out with the original rear suspension was a total maroon.

'64 & up had much-improved handling / revised rear suspension. A buddy of mine had four '65-66 Corvair coupes that I rode in many times in my youth (when we all drove like lawless animals) - never had an issue. One of his Vairs was a 4-carb Corsa / 4-speed.

 

[09W]

Average schlub wouldn't do well with Porsche's 58% rear weight bias, swing arm suspension 356 either.

 

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Btw whenever I see a Tesla M3 I can’t help associating its front end design to the pretty Floride, along with the widespread disapproval of the grille-less M3

I made this lil comparison pic 4 years ago:

 

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It was going to be called Polaris. The Pegasus was a design concept based off the then new 1970 Firebird.

Thanks for the correction - my flub.

 

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Wonder if Nadar even bothered to drive a Corvair. Of course; he's not an "expert driver" in a crash helmet doing wildly atypical maneuvers on an empty, closed course with the express purpose of taking a squat, family sedan to 11/10ths of it's capacity.

 

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Hagarty says the yellow Corvair was actually owned by Nader! Oooh such bitter irony in bald display.

And yet, that still doesn't answer my question, does it? Oooo.
I've owned vehicles I've never driven, too. Oooo.

 

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Is this the best argument you can produce?

It's wasn't an "argument"; it was a question.
Is there an answer?

 

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I believe Ralph did not possess a driver's license.

Interwebs said he does, and that "he even drives upon occasion". Ooooo.