"Formed by and for those who still appreciate the Corvair" in 1973, the Niagara Frontier Corvair Club is New York State's oldest Corvair club.  It has 50 members from across the Niagara Frontier, and it is affiliated with The Corvair Society of America (CORSA), an international organization with 5,500 members and 130 local chapters worldwide.

The club holds monthly meetings, either at the Town of Tonawanda's Greenhaven Library (from September through May) or at different car cruises and shows (from June through July - see "2003 Summer Meeting Schedule," after this section, for a listing of meeting dates, times, and locations); at the meetings, various club functions, ranging from technical sessions to cruise/show outings to social get-togethers, are planned.

Beyond local Corvair events, the club also participates in major events.  In July, 2003, a number of members will be attending the CORSA International Convention, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; in addition to participating in the convention, the Niagara Frontier Corvair Club will be submitting a bid to host the 2006 CORSA International Convention in Buffalo, which will bring approximately 300 Corvairs to this area.  On September 5, 6, and 7, 2003, the club will be hosting the "4 Clubs International Fun Corvair Weekend" with the Rochester, Syracuse, and Ontario Corvair clubs, at the Radisson Hotel & Suites/Buffalo Airport, which will bring approximately 50 Corvairs to this area.

Membership in the club is not limited to Corvair owners; it is open to any and all "who still appreciate the Corvair."  The dues are $10.00/year, for all club functions and a monthly newsletter.  For more information, we can be reached:

This website will be undergoing some major changes in the next weeks and months; photos of members' cars, tech tips, and other Corvair links will be included.  Please be sure to visit again!

We hope to see you soon, on this website and at our meetings!

  2003 SUMMER MEETING SCHEDULE

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 7:30PM  Savannah's Cruise, 4723 Transit Road, Depew

Thursday, June 24, 2003 - 7:30PM (raindate for June meeting)  Jimmy B's Cruise, 6856 S. Transit Road, Lockport

Friday, July 11, 2003 - 7:30PM  Paddock Chevrolet SuperCruise/Show, 3232 Delaware Avenue, Kenmore

Monday, July 28, 2003 - 7:30PM (raindate for July meeting)  Lockport Monday Night Cruise, Main Street, Lockport

Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 7:30PM  Lake Erie Italian Club Classic Car Cruise (benefit for the Lackawanna and South Buffalo Pantries' non-food needs), 3200 South Park Avenue, Lackawanna

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 7:30PM (raindate for August meeting)  Lake Erie Italian Club Classic Car Cruise (benefit for the Lackawanna and South Buffalo Pantries' non-food needs), 3200 South Park Avenue, Lackawanna

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 9AM-4PM  Niagara Frontier Corvair Club Family Picnic and 30th Anniversary Party, at the Autumn Sports Classic Show, Como Lake Park, Lancaster

3rd ANNUAL "FOUR CLUBS"
INTERNATIONAL FUN CORVAIR WEEKEND

Join the Niagara Frontier Corvair Club, Rochester's Association Of Corvair Nuts (ACORNS), Syracuse's Central New York Corvair Club, and Canada's CORSA Ontario for a weekend of Corvair events at the Radisson Hotel & Suites Buffalo, on September 5, 6, and 7, 2003.

The events will include a Friday night BBQ & Valve Cover Race, car shows (in both concours and people's choice categories), a swap meet, a tech session, a model car show, an autocross, and a Saturday night Buffet & Awards Ceremony, as well as door prizes and raffles.  There will also be a tour of Buffalo's Naval & Military Park and Pierce Arrow Museum.

Contact the Niagara Frontier Corvair Club for more information - see you there!!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
CORVAIR

During the mid-50's, Volkswagens began to be imported in larger and larger numbers, so Chevrolet decided to offer an compact car by 1960, different from its existing line of full-size cars, trucks, and the Corvette; when they heard about Chevy's plans, just about every other manufacturer quickly followed Chevy's lead! The Corvair wasn't a copy of the VW, though; even though both cars were economy cars with air-cooled rear engines, compact transaxles, & similar suspension, the Corvair was larger, both inside and outside, making it an "American-sized compact."

The Corvair represented many production firsts for Chevy, including its first (and only) air-cooled rear engine, its first unitized body, its first production car turbocharged engine, and its first production car with independent suspension for each front & rear wheel. From 1960 through 1969, almost 1.8 million Corvairs were made, with its sporty look and power winning the hearts of many people. In fact, the Corvair was Motor Trend's 1960 "Car Of The Year," being called "the most significant car of 1960" which was "totally unlike any other U.S.-built car."

With all of the advantages of these engineering and technological advancements, the Corvair remained, as it does today, an economy car. At the time, it was sometimes referred to as "a poor man's Porsche," and it is now sometimes referred to as "a poor man's classic."

Most people assume Ralph Nader's mid-60's book was responsible for the demise of the Corvair, with his claim that the rear suspension of the 1960-63 Corvairs would "tuck in" under hard cornering, causing the car to go out of control and flip; a film was even produced to show this occurring. It has been contended, though, that "tricks" were used to cause this occurrence; GM hired race drivers and other experts to prove that the Corvair was safe, with the general conclusion being reached that the Corvair was as safe, if not safer, that most cars of the time; in actuality, the National Highway Safety Administration concurred in a 1972 report. This information vindicated the Corvair, but it was a hollow victory – production had ceased 3 years earlier, so the information received little space in the news.

What really happened was, quite simply, consumers began to prefer the inexpensive horsepower and inexpensive gasoline available at that time. The Corvair was always expensive to build and was always limited by its engine size; for a few hundred dollars more than the price of a Corvair, you could buy a "muscle" car, such as a Camaro, or, if you didn't want a car quite as sporty as the Camaro, you could buy a Chevy II or a Chevelle, which were also available with large V8 engines. You certainly weren't concerned with the price of gasoline for these big engines, since "high test" was only about $0.34/gallon!! It wasn't until the first gasoline crisis in the early-70s that consumers began to re-think their horsepower preferences, but the Corvair, the Falcon, & most of the other economy cars were gone by then.

1960 The Corvair was initially offered as a 2-door coupe or a 4-door sedan, in 2 trim levels; it was a basic, utilitarian car. During the Spring of 1960, however, a sportier Monza model was offered, with bucket seats, a full-vinyl interior, and full wheel covers, which was to attract increased interest and to help increase sales in the coming years. 250,007 Corvairs were produced in the first year.

1961 Several new models were added to the Corvair lineup – a 4-door station wagon, a window van (the Greenbrier), a panel van (the Corvair 95), and a pickup truck with a side panel that hinged down to the road (appropriately named the Rampside). The engines were made available with slightly more power than were available in 1960. Production increased about 32%, to 329,632.

1962 A convertible was added to the Corvair lineup. Also, a turbocharged "Monza Spyder" option, adding power to the Monza's sporty look, was offered, and Chevy began to capitalize on this new combination of power & look with sporty ads, often including the Corvette in the same ad. Production remained about the same, at 328,500.

1963 The station wagon was discontinued from the Corvair lineup. With the exception of a few minor interior and trim changes, the styling remained identical to the 1962 models. Production decreased about 14%, to 281,539.

1964 The Monza Spyder became an actual model, rather than an option. The basic engines' size and available horsepowers were slightly increased, although the Monza Spyder's turbocharged engine was unchanged. The rear suspension was improved to carry more of the rear-end weight and to control rear suspension "tuck in." Chevrolet introduced the Chevelle & Ford introduced the Mustang this year, while the Corvair remained virtually the same as it had since its introduction; production decreased 26%, to 207,114.

1965 The Rampside and Corvan 95 were discontinued from the Corvair lineup; the Greenbrier was discontinued after only 2,000 were produced. The exterior styling was radically changed from a "boxy" to a "curved" look, which even today does not seem as dated as other mid-60s cars do. The coupe and 4-door models were re-styled to eliminate the center pillar (true "hardtops" in an economy car). The basic engines' sizes & available horsepowers remained the same, while a 4-carburetor/140HP option was offered on any model; the turbocharged option horsepower was increased to 180HP and was available only on the Corsa. The rear suspension was re-designed to be more like that on the Corvette; although it greatly improved handling, most agree that this later body style was never as "solid" as the early body style was. Production increased about 14%, to 237,056.

1966 The only major change was the use of the new Saginaw 4-speed transmission. Many believe that Chevy wanted to discontinue the Corvair altogether in favor of the 1967 Camaro but that the Corvair was continued until 1969 so as not to appear that Chevy had given-in to "consumer advocate claims." Production decreased about 56%, to 103,743.

1967 The Corsa was discontinued from the Corvair lineup, as was the turbocharged engine option. The bucket seats were re-designed to a narrower style. Chevy was relying on the Camaro to combat Mustang sales; there was very little advertising for the Corvair. Production decreased about 74%, to 27,253.

1968-1969 There were very few changes in either of these 2 years, other than some smog control improvements and a few minor interior changes. Production in 1968 decreased about 44%, to 15,399, & production in 1969 decreased about 61%, to 6,000.

Corvair -
safe at any speed!!