1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Convertible

As the 1950s rolled into the 1960s, General Motors was at the top of its game, leading the industry in style and engineering excellence. GM was not afraid to be creative and push the boundaries of what an American car company could do. The 1960s were rich with experimentation and creative design – the decade bringing us the four-wheel independent Pontiac Tempest, Buick’s compact light-alloy 215 cubic inch V8, Oldsmobile’s turbocharged F-85 Jetfire and the later front-drive Tornado. But it was the Chevrolet division that led the engineering charge with the introduction of the Corvair in 1959.

This Corsa features the top of the 1966 Corvair engine offerings; the 164-cid 180-hp flat six-cylinder turbocharged engine, in this case paired with a four-speed manual transmission.

Corsas were differentiated from lesser models by “CORSA” front fender lettering above and behind the wheel opening and below the body feature line; special Corsa ornaments ahead of the rear wheel openings; a “140” emblem on the rear decklid; special “C” center ornaments on the wheel covers and the steering wheel center; and full instrumentation consisting of a tachometer, oil pressure, and temperature gauges.

The cabin features front bucket seats and a rear bench upholstered in black leather along with a white shift knob.

Instrumentation includes a 140-mph speedometer, a 6k-rpm tachometer, a clock, and gauges for cylinder head temperature, manifold pressure, and fuel level.

The Chevrolet Corvair is a unique collectible for fans of the American motoring genre. It was the only mass-produced US. car with a rear-mounted-air cooled engine, and GM produced close to 1.8 million of these versatile cars.