The Last Corvair

Revised April 3, 2012:  We hope you enjoyed our April Fool's post about 1969 Corvair #6000, the last car built, which disappeared shortly after being photographed at the assembly plant on the day it was built. Despite some dogged investigation by Corvair historian Dave Newell and others, there has never turned up any evidence of the car's fate.  There has been much conjecture through the years – the most commonly accepted one being that it was simply destroyed so as to not create a fuss over the "last Corvair" – but even that is only conjecture.

We posted a fanciful story about new information and documentation on the car, asserting its survival into the 1980s and announcing a display to be presented at the convention.

It was all hogwash, as you found out if you clicked through to the page that was purportedly going to show you some of the evidence.

But even without new evidence of #6000, there will be plenty to see and do at this summer's convention.  No fooling!

What's the Diff?

At CORSA Conventions there are two car shows, the "Concours" (Concours d’Elegance) and the "Car Display" (the Peoples’ Choice Car Display). What’s the difference?

Nothing. And Everything.

The "nothing" is that all convention participants are free to enter either one. If you are a registered convention attendee with your Corvair you can enter the car in your choice of the Concours or the Car Display.

The "everything" is that the two events are not at all alike.

The Concours is a formal judged event. Exacting and precise criteria are used to classify and judge the cars, and the resulting scores are an accurate measure of each vehicle’s condition and a yardstick against which each vehicle can be compared to others.

The Car Display is an informal show in which awards in several categories are selected by popular choice. A winning car may not necessarily be the "best" but it will be the one that people like the most.

While CORSA has held a Concours at every convention since the first one in 1971 (in fact, the Concours is a convention requirement per the CORSA by-laws), the Car Display was added in 1984 to provide an alternative. Some Corvair owners felt that their cars might not be of sufficient quality to be entered in the Concours, while others simply did not wish to go through the preparation and processes necessary for the Concours.

The Car Display was created also to ensure that every Corvair at a convention, from work-in-progress to show-winner, was put on display. This goal remains paramount for Sturbridge this summer and is why the Car Display is scheduled for Saturday, when the greatest number of participants and spectators are likely to attend.

A further distinction is that the Concours is limited to pre-registered participants, only. It is not possible simply to show up the day of the event and enter. CORSA policy dictates that while the formal judging takes place on Friday, all Concours cars must go through a rigorous classification process that begins Thursday afternoon, and there is a Concours participants’ meeting on the schedule as well. So all Concours entrants must be signed up and on-site in advance.

This is not to say that the Concours committee will not accommodate individual hardships or other special cases, but suffice to say that entering the Concours takes a level of commitment that is distinct from what is required for the Car Display.

The Car Display is open not only to those who register in advance, but also to those who sign up on-site. Come Saturday morning, unregistered arrivals will be welcomed – at least, to the point where we run out of room to park the cars! Given the high concentration of Corvair owners in the Northeast, we are expecting – and striving for – the largest gathering of Corvairs in one place since they left the factory. Plan on being a part of it!

As an added bonus, at the Sturbridge Host Hotel it will not be necessary to move the Concours cars from their Friday location on the lawn once the judging is complete, so the Concours cars can be viewed alongside the Car Display entries all day on Saturday.

So whether your own a Corvair that you wish to be judged to CORSA’s high standards, or a Corvair that you simply want to put on display for everyone to enjoy, this convention offers you that choice.

Flynn’s Flyin’ Four-Doors

Here’s a somewhat unusual photo – a 1960 Corvair sedan leading three newer and ostensibly faster cars on the track at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

The photo was taken in 2002 and we post it here because the car’s owner and driver will be at Sturbridge, and if history is any guide he will be at the wheel of an early model four-door.
　
This 1960 Model 700 sedan is an unrestored original, including the original Tasco Turquoise factory lacquer paint. Geoff Flynn, who lives in the Albany, New York, area, bought the car from the family of the original owner. It had 49,000 miles on it, and had been sitting in a garage for 27 years before Geoff bought it.
　
Geoff then made up for the car’s years of inactivity by putting it on the track, in stock form, at Lime Rock and Pocono. Of course it was never the fastest car on the track, but Geoff had more fun extracting maximum performance from a modest car than most people have driving high-powered machines.
　
Geoff says, "This was, hands down, the most solid feeling, smoothest running, quietest Corvair I owned. Right down to the exhaust system, every component on this car was correct, original or an exact reproduction."
　
Geoff later "updated" to this car, shown on the Lime Rock track in 2006.

The car was sold originally by Roosevelt Chevrolet in Jackson Heights, Queens. Geoff bought it from the original owner with 41,000 original miles. After Geoff was done making period-correct modifications to the car, it went from a base engine with a 3-speed to a high-horsepower engine with a 4-speed, with a bunch of tweaks to the brakes, suspension and steering. It ran not only at Lime Rock, but also at Mosport and BeaveRun.
　
Anyone who saw Geoff drive either of these cars will understand that early model Corvairs can move!
　
In the photo below Geoff is on the track for the autocross during the CORSA convention held in Buffalo, New York, a few years back. This year’s autocross will take place on a similar oval track, and we expect to see Geoff there in an early model sedan!

Now THAT’S a Meeting!

At each CORSA Convention there is an item on the schedule, described as the "CORSA Annual Meeting." This is the annual general membership meeting that is required under the laws that govern not-for-profit membership organizations such as ours.

And this year the meeting will be anything but perfunctory. This year we are making it worthwhile for all CORSA members to attend, not only because it is an important opportunity for the members and the officers to interact, but also because this year the meeting will offer dessert and entertainment!

The dessert is our "Ice Cream Social."

The entertainment is "Cobblestone Crossing."

Immediately following the business portion of the meeting, our Ice Cream Social will begin, where you can create your own special dessert from an assortment of ice creams and toppings. Then, sit back and enjoy the music of Cobblestone Crossing, a great group of musicians with CORSA members at its core.

Cobblestone Crossing has been performing for about fourteen years in front of audiences ranging from intimate gatherings to more than 4000. Their repertoire comprises mostly American nostalgic folk, with a  touch of bluegrass, country, Irish and even an up-tempo spiritual or two.

They’ll play familiar songs from such icon folk groups as the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Denver, The New Christy Minstrels, Woody Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot, the Limeliters, the Irish Rovers, and the ever-popular Weavers.

The members are Brian Schendel on bass, John Tobias on guitar, Janet Varley on mandolin and tenor guitar, and Darrell Varley on banjo and everything else. Janet and Darrell are CORSA members and members of the Central NY Corvair Club in Syracuse. They own a red ‘67 convertible, but Darrell tells us "it is very hard squeezing a banjo and guitar into the trunk of our Monza... a Greenbrier would do the trick... and carry all our and all our equipment as well!"

Cobblestone Crossing will entertain us with some silly stories and some great sing-along tunes. For the convention they have prepared a few additional songs that relate to the occasion and the area. You can learn more about the group at their web site, http://www.cobblestone-crossing.com, and where you can hear a sampling of their music as well.

Needless to say, the "CORSA Annual Meeting" at this convention will be a special occasion! Don’t miss it!