(first posted 10/7/2015) A couple of years ago, the historic Capitol Theatre located in the heart of downtown Flint, Michigan was offering free tours of this grand, old dame that was under renovation at the time. And what a fine edifice and architectural treasure she is. Upon entering the main part of the theater, and to my complete surprise, sitting up on stage was this ’64 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder. She was basking in the hazy half-lights washing upon the stage, looking a little like a middle-aged vixen, sitting on a stool up there with a sultry smirk. “Well, Boy…what are you waiting for? Come have a look-see, huh?”
Ignoring my present company (pretty much leaving them in my dust), I heeded this siren’s call. Boom-chicka-boom. Like an enduringly beautiful, mature lady who knows she’s still fine, this Corvair had me under her spell. Her lustrous black paint and scarlet interior were proving to be irresistible. And then there was her intoxicating scent once I allowed myself to move in a little closer. Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson. Wait…what’s that you’re showing me? Your “for sale” sign? I am so turned on right now.
(Okay…I’m back after a cold shower.) This is precisely just my type of Curbside Classic: sexy, quirky, imperfect, a little exotic, and oh-so-very alluring. Yowsah! This Corvair was not at all like some of the other temptresses I had experienced back when I had a car of my own – some of them being newer, further upscale, more efficient or sophisticated – and most of them faster. No, this Corvair was different, exuding confidence in a way that comes only with life experience. She was making me work for it – to play the game and try to understand this attraction which felt so wrong, but oh, so right.
The asking price was something like $5,500 OBO for what was one of just under 6,500 turbocharged Monza Spyder Club Coupes produced for the model year. This car and configuration was originally base-priced at $2,589 USD, which is just under $20,000/even, adjusted for 2015. Surely I could think of one regular or semi-regular habit I could live without that would enable me to save money with which to pay myself back for buying this car. There’d be no need to drive it back to Chicago. I’m back in Flint often enough that I could just pay for car storage somewhere in Genesee County for the cold weather months and just drive it around town when I’m back once it gets warm again. There’s probably also a whole lot more automotive and mechanical know-how concentrated in that part of Michigan than in some other states as a whole. And I’d probably get a better price on labor in this area, if past experience is any indicator.
Owning a black Corvair coupe like this one would also be a way to connect with a piece of Flint history. None other than the Charles Stewart Mott, wealthy benefactor of not just this community but the entire United States, owned several Corvairs, one of which was a black coupe which I imagine to look something like this one. I was unable to verify the model year of any of Mr. Mott’s Corvairs, but having read about his penchant for frugality (despite his massive wealth), I doubt any of his examples was a turbo Spyder. He passed in ’73.
Enough about Charles Stewart Mott…let’s have another look at this car. A real dish, isn’t she? Much like with the AMC Javelin, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time deliberating as to whether I like the first or second generation better. I like both Corvairs for completely different reasons – the first-generation for a style which combines a certain, understated continental flair with daring engineering, and the second-gen for pulling off a sleek, Italian-esque makeover and remaining both decidedly American and recognizable as nothing else. This particular Corvair has never heard of anything called an “identity crisis” – she knows exactly who she is and what she’s about.
Let’s talk about those round quad-taillamp pods. Has there ever been a car that didn’t look sporty wearing them? (This includes the 1974- ’78 AMC Matador coupe – another car I had once fawned over.) She has just the right amount of chrome jewelry in all the right places (rocker panels, headlamp bezels, window surrounds, and bumpers front and rear), calling attention to all her best features. She really knows how to dazzle a photographer, especially in a setting like this.
Now she’s really getting to me…or is it just this cinematic backdrop in which we met? I start seriously asking myself if this May-December thing could actually work out. The last thing I would want to happen is for her to make me her plaything – draining my wallet, needing my constant reassurance, and consuming all my time and resources. I am my own man, and in some ways, this could potentially go very badly. But it could also go the other way. She could end up teaching me a lot about life, car-love, and patience (though a nine-second 0-60 time is hardly slow). She also might expire a lot sooner than me, but I can’t really think about that right now. I’m still blinded by her allure.
The internet is a beautiful thing in this decade, and smartphones make it possible to obtain information on pretty much anything, within a matter of seconds. What smart person wouldn’t do a quick check on a potential? …Uh-oh. As it turns out, many Corvairs like her were wont to smoke, and smoking’s a deal-breaker for me. She’s in great outward condition, but not pristine. And there’s no way I can start her up now. She’s such a tease. She sees the indecision in my eyes fading into a more definite answer and seems to sense me pulling away. I gaze at her fondly and smile. “It’s okay. I understand,” she purrs, with a shrug of her shoulders and that cute, crooked pout of hers. “It would probably never work. But it was a nice idea, wasn’t it?“
Sure it was. Thanks for the memories, Sweetheart.
Downtown Flint, Michigan.
August 2013.
Related reading:
- From Tom Klockau: Curbside Classic: 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder – Activate The Turbocharged Scat;
- From Paul Niedermeyer: Curbside Classic: 1963 Corvair Monza Spyder – The Turbo Revolution Started Here;
- and: Curbside Classic: 1963 Corvair Monza Coupe – A Coup For Chevrolet And A Sedan For Me; and
- From Robert Kim: CC Capsule: 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible — Winter Is Coming, Plan Ahead.
IMHO, any Corvair is a “Fine edifice” and “Architectural Treasure” Esp any ’65+ coupe or conv. Rather have one than a Porsche (…runs for cover….)
Screw running for cover. Say it proudly, and say it loud. As far as I’m concerned, GM’s death started with killing this car.
…and replacing the ’61-’63 Y-Bodies with *just another* bread-and-butter body-on-frame mid-size (A-Body, I’m looking at you).
The Corvair’s position in the automotive market never did comport with what GM planned. Envisioned in 1960 as GM’s version of the compact, it lost that war to the traditional Falcon, with GM quickly rushing the Chevy II into production to fill the void. However, having failed as a cheapo compact, the Corvair surprisingly found a niche as a sporty, fun to drive car, especially in Monza form. The spectacular 1965 re-style that eliminated the faults of the first generation just added to the package. However, life as a sporty, fun car was short-lived, as the Corvair ran head-on into the Mustang juggernaut.
From a purely financial viewpoint, GM’s mistake was thinking it could ever sell a quirky, unconventional car in any great numbers. Sales numbers were disappointing, first as a cheap compact, then later a sporty car. Both versions fell to more conventional Ford products with designs that were more familiar to the public, cheaper to make and far more profitable. As nice as generation 2 was, it could never sell in the numbers needed to survive. GM eventually realized this and the more conventional Camaro would become the Mustang fighter. The Corvair met a fate that was to become commonplace at GM. A car killed as soon as it was perfected.
P.S – Many in the general public erroneously attribute the demise of the Corvair to Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at any Speed”. Regardless of its merits, this book did not appear in bookstores until 1966, after the Corvair’s fate was basically sealed.
The other headwind that the Corvair ran into was its six cylinder engine. The car came out at the peak of the V8 boom in the US. In that era, to many people, sixes were for tightwads and dull people. While the Corvair had a more European concept of performance, the competition started putting V8s in their compacts. The 65+ Corvair may have been a well-balanced and pleasant driving experience, it was the kind of car that the owner was going to have to justify. Most people are unwilling to drive a car like that.
Outstanding photography and very nicely expressed musings.
Being that spyder/spider is an Italian term for an open top, am I missing something here?
In period GM-think, Spyder was just another model name.
Exactly, Pete – remember the H-Body ’77 Chevy Monza Spyder? (I think these are actually great looking cars…)
And Don, to your point, it’s baffling why GM would have co-opted a name for a closed coupe that was already associated with an open bodystyle.
An enjoyable read about a very collectible Curbside Classic and great photos of a wonderful old movie palace but I’m left wondering; what was a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder doing on the stage of the Capitol Theater in the heart of downtown Flint, Michigan?
Does dissonant object juxtaposition qualify as art? 🙂
Joseph, thanks for this evocative writeup and the wonderful photography you have included.
The Corvair is such a strange car in so many ways. GM, at the height of their market domination sends a car out to import buyers that says to them, we could own you too if we tried. Here is a European style car done just a little better than anything your manufacturers, who compared to us are on a shoestring, could put together. What a dramatic, much copied, statement of dominance.
The American people then voted with their feet for the Falcon and the Chevy II. This was another statement of dominance. Just because we don’t have much money, it does not mean we don’t want a real American car. We are Americans too.
All that domination is long gone. A huge portion of the next generation would just turn away from Detroit simply because it was Detroit. They will tout the real benefits of German and Japanese cars, many of the old guard will wonder what they are thinking
By the nineties GM, despite still paying Americans a living wage, were forced to try to sell cars at a discount to what their overseas rivals charged, we had Corsicas costing 25% less than Accords. Was it a competitive car, it was but many potential buyers were not even paying attention. Many serious car guys even around here did not know what it even was when it arrived before them. Ironic and sad.
This was a true joy to read. One has to wonder if this Corvair is a veteran of stage (and screen) or is this was her triumphant debut.
Regardless, like any good actress, she had the right lighting to camouflage any minor imperfections!
Thanks, guys.
James, no worries, Man – we like what we like! Haha
Don and Gene, both of your questions are legit! And I have no idea. LOL
John C., that is super-insightful. The somewhat continued anti-US domestic bias still hurts. We’re building great cars again.
Jason, you are spot-on…sometimes lighting can make all the difference. 🙂
I was under the (apparently mistaken) impression that Monza Spyders were convertibles.
I’m thinking the name just stuck with the sporty model after Bill Mitchell used it on his concept car.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/1961-corvair-sebring-spyder-and-1962-super-spyder-the-first-of-many-corvair-design-studies/
Yup. A classic example of 1960’s adspeak…..
Awesome – Gene, thanks for posting that. The spare in the engine compartment / trunk looks as slightly-goofy in real life as it does in the ad.
You’re very welcome, Joseph.
Given how European car makers used the term “spyder” to denote a roadster body style, it’s easy to understand why anyone would think that all Corvair Monza Spyders were convertibles.
Interestingly, Chevrolet dropped the term when the ’65s rolled out, and instead named the turbocharged version “Corsa.”
A note on the Corsa: Its standard engine was the 140-hp non-turbocharged engine. The turbo was optional; I think it was available only in the Corsa, though.
Correct on both. I’d forgotten that the four-carb, non-turbo engine was standard in the Corsa.
“I like both Corvairs for completely different reasons – the first-generation for a style which combines a certain, understated continental flair with daring engineering, and the second-gen for pulling off a sleek, Italian-esque makeover and remaining both decidedly American and recognizable as nothing else.”
Joseph, thank you for expressing so eloquently my exact thoughts. Although I have to admit it took me a while (well into my adult-hood) to develop the ‘aesthetic maturity’ to fully appreciate the first generation Corvair. These days I find myself really liking the look of the Lakewood station wagon.
Thanks, Fintail Jim. Even today, I think the 2nd-gen Corvair is one car from its era that didn’t need the “long hood / short deck” look that was coming into vogue to still look like a knockout.
I’ve also been reading about the Lakewood station wagon lately – I guess I hadn’t remembered it was produced for only two model years! Great-looking, little wagon – but Chevy seemed to have a way with stylish wagons (Nomad, Vega Kammback, etc.).
Joseph, this was a fascinating read for me, as I fell for the allure of a ’63 Monza convertible (non-Spyder) a dozen years ago.
We parted ways a few years later, as I realized I couldn’t afford two mistresses: an old house AND an old car, both of which often required major infusions of my limited time and cash. I actually made money when it sold, not many months prior to the financial collapse of 2008.
Of all the cars I have owned (including a Porsche and my current Mustang convertible) I’m not sure anything else brought a smile to my face quite like that Corvair – despite its many cosmetic issues and constant need for mechanical adjustments.
I completely get this, BuzzDog. Sometimes the emotional connection can’t be explained by facts – I love that your Corvair outranked even your Porsche in terms of your enjoyment of it. Glad you were able to sell yours before the economic downturn!
Very artfully done and excellent pictures as well.
I’ve finally gotten past my bias that the first gen Corvair metal roofs all had framed side window glass. The ’60s were so much about hardtops that there were too many other cars for me to look at. Now, I could definitely see this car in my garage.
As long as we are admitting Corvair lust today, I’ve long been unnaturally attracted to the second generation four door hardtops. Quite possibly the first Corvair I would pick for my garage.
Dave, I believe as you do that the best 1st gen Corvairs are the convertibles with their frameless side windows….followed by the wagons. The 2nd gen 4 door hardtops, in most factory colors, are my favorites as they put a nice “face” on a domestic car that was Euro-inspired. Even the low priced 4 doors, with 2 tone paint or one color, have a special charm.
A fine, amusing post – thank you! I love all Corvairs, but especially the first series. Tuxedo Black with red just looks so right on these cars. In my family, we had a ’61 Corvair 700 sedan, white with red interior, that I learned to drive in. We loved that car and kept it for seven years, until my mother fell in love with a new 289 Mustang in Brittany Blue. When she traded in the ‘Vair, the Ford salesman couldn’t believe it had only 27,000 miles on it.
Owning,restoring, and driving a Corvair of any type (mine was a 65 Monza convertible) affords an experience so different from any other 1960’s American car that this risks and ridicule simply evaporate. The stage is the prefect backdrop to explore the clean design of this car.
Seeing one the interstate as I did last weeks is another matter. It looked so small even next to the Civic sedan and Cobalt coupe that surrounded it.
If it weren’t for the width of ’60s full-size cars, even many of those look amazingly small today, and very low.
Corvair, the BEST car that Chevy EVER built, bar none. Too bad the thing handled better than their beloved Vette, and with the Turbo, was quicker.
Um, let’s not get carried away. Any fair minded car enthusiast recognizes the handling quirks of the ’60 – ’63 Gen 1. Volumes have been written on the subject and it’s fair to say that inherent problems with a swing axle rear suspension (terminal oversteer, axle jacking, rear wheel tuck under), and common failure to adhere to a bizarre 11 psi difference between front and rear tires caused a lot of these to enter the weeds backwards, or worse. And the sad part is that GM could have all but eliminated the problem with a $20 camber compensating spring, which finally made its appearance in ’64. I could also go on about the awful heater that filled the interior with exhaust gases when the heater box rusted through and the fan belt that was prone to break and leave you stranded. Best Chevy ever? Hardly.
As far a being quicker that a ‘Vette? Car and Driver clocked a ’63 Spyder at 11.7 sec. for the 0-60. The best Corsa in 1966 did 8.1. A ‘Vette with the base 327 did better in all years. The big blocks crushed it.
Thanks, Joseph…now I cant shake the image of Stifler’s mom outta my head! Another enjoyable read, man. You definitely know how to tell a story. I’ve always had a soft spot for Corvairs, even if the more rakish 2nd gen coupes are more my style. Apparently my gramma had a 1st gen coupe while my dad was in HS…she loved that car and even Dad took a liking to it.
Stifler’s Mom – *perfect* metaphor.
Excellent photography and storytelling. You really added character to that Corvair. A couple times I actually felt uneasy, as if I shouldn’t be reading this at work on my lunch break. 🙂 You even made me feel charitable towards the Corvair’s round taillights too; normally I have a strong bias against simple round taillights. Cheers!
Hahaha! Thanks, BigOldChryslers. Pretty much everything I post will be SFW.
Loved reading that Joseph and the pics were terrific as usual. The article made me think how nice it would be to spend an evening in an upscale antique car museum, with the right company and some cocktails.
That theatre is gorgeous ! . I hope it’s all finished and working again soon .
I like this car but beware of Corvairs that smoke ! BT , DT ,loved the car but BIG $ and mondo time and effort to do it right .
-Nate
Nice to see both the car and the theatre preserved.
Beautiful Corvair, gorgeous theater. What’s not to like? And a well-told story to boot.
Great writing and photos. I wasn’t a fan of the gen 1 Corvair or Wayne Newton at the time, but time has a way of encouraging different perceptions and insights. Nicely put together!
On a completely different tack – in an alternate universe perhaps VW bought the Corvair from GM when the Chevy II was introduced in 1962, and a different marketing approach turned it into a good seller (including in Europe) that lasted until the introduction of the Golf.
I owned 1964 Spyder convertible that leaked oil into the heater boxes which surrounded the exhaust manifolds. In the winter, on the way to work, at the same location, I would roll down the windows anticipating the copious quantity of blue smoke that would soon issue forth from the heater outlets. The good old days. Wish I had that car now.
So what is this Corvair doing on stage?
Didn’t ever find out, Teddy. That’s the million-dollar question.
Thanks everyone for reading this and being kind with your comments. I get carried away sometimes, but this was a lot of fun to write. 🙂
A restorable mostly complete but dismantled convertable is being offered for $9,999 on a facebook classic car site I frequent, they are rare here.
Seeing the `Vair on stage was nice, but that theater-wow.Takes me back to a time when going to the movies was fun thanks to theaters like this- and the quality of the movies . A far cry from todays faceless multiplexes, nothing can top a theater like this. IMHO, that was half the fun of moviegoing back in the day. What have we got now? Sequels, prequels, remakes, tv shows turned into movies,and too many superhero movies. I quess I`m just showing my age, but sometimes a mini-rant can be a liberating experience.
Not to mention; People not knowing how to behave in a theatre, Hearing the loud parts of a movie on the screen “next door”…..Multiplexes sucked anything special about going to a movie. On a sorta related note, CCs found at the Drive-In would be a natural for this site!
Joseph ;
Being passionate is very different from being carried away .
You done good here, keep it up .
I’ve owned both Corvairs and 356 Porches , both have considerable merit .
-Nate
Nate, thank you so much.
Seriously Joseph ;
You’re the one with not only the passion but also the ability to describe the inherent beauty of both the old Movie Palaces and the fun of driving a light weight quirky automobile .
As I’ve said before : a good writer can scribble about watching the bumpers rust on Dad’s old DeSoto in the back yard and make it interesting , it’s a gift , much like my Son’s motoring skills ~ keep ’em coming .
-Nate
(BTW : I’m a die hard Chevrolet Fanboi for almost anything they ever made with a 6 cylinder engine and God knows I love me some Corvairs but ‘ the best ever ‘ ? get serious)
(Also : if the heater fills the car with oily smoke , it’s _YOUR_ fault , not the cars !)
Oh yeah ~ _excellent_ photos here too ! .
-Nate
How the hell did I not ever hear about tours of the Capitol?! I live relatively nearby, and would enjoy a tour (or three). of the grand dame.
This was in August 2013 (during Back To The Bricks) and I don’t think this was widely advertised. But when I saw the lit marquee and “THEATRE AND BAR OPEN”, I thought this might be a limited-time opportunity. Both years since, there haven’t been tours during the car festival, but I can’t wait to see an event at the theater once the renovations are fully completed.
News update RE: the Capitol Theatre: it has reopened just this week, following a $37M renovation. I can’t wait to see a show here.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2017/12/tour_flints_newly-restored_his.html
The gen 1 Corvair was cross shopped with the Beetle. I assume it was the austere 500 model VW buyers were mostly interested in. Very little chrome, dish hub caps. GM didn’t have to call it the Euro variant. That aspect was baked in. Saturn should have looked very carefully at this little gem.
The Corvair at the 2016 Tony Awards:
LOL!! Well-played!