Sunday is a good day for CC spotting. Not only do many babied oldsters make appearances for pleasure cruises, trips to the grocery store and the like, but all the dealerships, repair shops and tire stores are closed, too. Sometimes these places harbor all sorts of interesting four-wheeled rolling stock, as was borne out on a recent Sunday.
Gotta start with the Corvair. I think no other GM car is as polarizing, fun, loved and misunderstood as the flat-six Chevy. That the 1965-69 coupes and convertibles are beautifully-styled cars is without question, as this black-over-red example proves.
I had first spotted this ‘Vair at a local Ford agency back in March. The weather was crummy, cold and windy, so I didn’t stop for a while.
Finally, one late night I stopped to check it out. I even attempted to take some night shots to use in a post, but they all turned out poorly. I am going to have to get a tripod if I ever want good night shots apropos to a CC write-up!
But the main task for my motoring about town that day was to get good shots of this Corvair. I really liked the red interior, and it was near pristine.
Even the back seat riders didn’t get claustrophobic, thanks to the airy greenhouse. Remember when you could actually see out of cars?
But the goofy boy-racer speakers in the back look really, really stupid on a car of this vintage. Come on, at least try to make them look like they belong!
Upon further examination, some other less-than-great modifications became apparent, including black-painted headlight bezels, and the nose garnish molding with custom stone chips. I imagine they were becoming pitted and the previous owner, too cheap to do it the right way, decided for the Rustoleum fix. At least they didn’t paint the Corvair script black. The front spoiler is a bit contrived as well. I do like the stone guards on the headlights, though.
So, what do second-gen Corvair coupes go for? This one has an asking price of $10K, which may explain why it’s been sitting on the lot for three months. Heck, right now there’s a nice ’65 Monza ‘vert on Hemmings for 10.5K, with no blacked-out trim or “pump the volume” rear speakers.
And so it sits, but at the right price and with a new parcel shelf and some NOS trim bits, this car could be quite a pleasant summer runabout. And the rear windows roll down, Zackman!
Next, let’s take a look at this Riv. Unlike the 1986 original, the 1989 update (CC here) was actually good-looking, and its proportions were much better. Curiously, this one appears to have a 1987-88 grille, as ’89 and later versions had a busier appearance.
This one looked pretty nice in pearl white, and the turbine-style alloys are much more attractive than the rattly wire wheel covers most of these cars sported when new. Sadly, this one appears to have only three wheels, judging from that plain black wheel on the driver’s side.
But look, it has an Astroroof! Until the mid- to late-’90s, moonroofs were not frequently seen on GM lux brands, as they were rather expensive. I know, it’s hard to believe when you consider all the 2013 Sonatas and Civics with sunroofs and moonroofs running around today!
The interior is a bit worn–especially the door armrest–but the burgundy interior still looks presentable. That Grant GT steering wheel has to go, however.
Here’s the back seat. A bit more confining than in the Corvair, wouldn’t you say? Like a Broughamy cocoon. Depending on what floats your boat, that could be good or bad.
All in all, this was a successful facelift. I was in junior high when these were mid-cycle, and I saw a LOT of them; the 1986-88s, not so much.
Lasting all the way to 1993, these outlived their Caddy (1991) and Olds (1992) cousins. The Eldo was redesigned for 1992, and the Toro just faded away. One question for Carmine or CraiginNC: Did these have the electroluminescent “R” emblems like the 1980-85 Rivs? From this example, it looks like they do, but I’m not sure.
How about another Buick? A-bodies of the 1982-96 generation are all over the place in the Quad Cities, but very few are of the pre-1989 variety. This Limited has seen better days, but you can still see it was a nice ride in the mid-’80s, in a cookie-cutter GM kind of way.
We’ve all seen the Fortune cover with the ’82 A-bodies on it, but the Buick, as the most expensive variant, still had a Buick-grade interior. Naturally, the top-tier Limited had the plushest velour, finest fake wood and full power.
Yes, they were boxy, but that paid off in ample rear headroom. I rather like the light-sage color of this one. I believe it was called Jadestone.
How do I know it’s an ’84? Easy–all 1984 Flint Flexible Flyers were plastered with Olympic sponsor decals. GM must have printed out five million of them. In fact, I’ll bet there are still three million of them sitting in a dusty GM warehouse. They’ll really make hay when these cars are being collected and restored in another twenty years. Or not.
This particular Limited had some sort of problem with a stationary object. Perhaps the final outing taken by someone’s Aunt Hilda before her relatives took away her keys?
Like the Riv we looked at earlier, this one has the rarer alloys instead of the ubiquitous wire-wheel covers. Good luck finding replacement center caps for those…
These were nice looking cars, despite their obvious similarity to the other A-bodies. A childhood friend’s mother had an ’85 version (I think) in burgundy-on-burgundy, with wire wheel covers, of course. I remember it as a silent, comfy cruiser. His dad had a GMC Safari van (neé Astro).
As I recall, their Buick was traded for a silver ’90 Mitsubishi Galant–a common ’80s-’90s tale as GM customers moved on. And yes, I did notice that white Mark IV; we’ll leave it for another time.
Tired of Broughams, you say? No problem. Let’s close with a remarkably preserved first-gen Eagle Talon. These were pretty respectable sport coupes when new, especially in AWD TSi form.
But thanks to a recent string of uglify-your-Asian-sporty-car movies, just about all of them have been painted pink, purple or lime green, with rubber-band wheels, five-point harnesses and other assorted garbage.
The ones that escaped that treatment were largely driven into the ground, which makes this one a rare treat today.
Look, it even still has the factory alloys! And remember the 7/70 plan Chrysler cars had back in the late-’80s and early-90s? It was a pretty big deal until Hyundai came along in the ‘oughts and introduced their 10-year, 100K warranty.
Unfortunately, this one was shoehorned between a Nissan minivan and a Landie Disco, which prevented any profile or front-quarter shots. This was the best I could do, nose-wise.
I also liked the interiors on these cars, particularly the instrument panel. The Eagle was my favorite, followed by the Plymouth Laser. Ironically, the original version of the Diamond Star trio, the Eclipse (CC here), was my least favorite.
Clearly, this car has been babied from new. I would not want to be a backseat passenger, though–where the blinkety-blank do you put your legs?! And the glare and heat from the backlight would make all but the shortest jaunts uncomfortable, even if you did manage to find a place for your legs and feet–wrapped around your neck, perhaps?
Here’s a better shot of that dash. In those pre-airbag days, the steering wheel was a slim, sporty design, and I always liked the angled HVAC vents. Did these ever come in colors other than gray, black or tan? A Talon in this color with red cloth would have been a stunner!
Well, that’s all for today. When you write for CC, your “car radar” is greatly enhanced. I can only speculate at how many interesting old cars I missed before I started writing CCs! ‘Til next time…
Nice white Riv.
Actually, I’ve found that closed dealer lots on Sundays is primarily a Midwest thing. I was surprised when I moved to CA that dealers have normal biz hours 7 days a week.
The way it should be, IMO.
In STL, for example, you can blow thousands of dollars on booze, guns, big screens and even homes on Sundays… but you are strictly prohibited from buying a car.
Out here in CA the dealers seem to be open all the time. I have typically done my window shopping on Christmas and Easter, but on one Easter we stopped by a closed Lexus dealer to take a look and we were greeted by an off duty salesman handing out his business card. He let us look and left us alone after giving us a card, but it sure seemed like it was impossible to do some preliminary window shopping without being bothered.
The backseat of a Eagle Talon was not a comfortable place to be. A friend had a white one in high school. However, when you are 15 and one of your friends is 16 and already has a license, it doesn’t matter how cramped and uncomfortable the car might be, you are in it and it’s awesome, haha.
A friend had a Laser, and now it seems unreal we were ever able to get 4 people in there.
My manager from a summer job I had had one. He took a couple of us out to eat one day and I was stuck in the back seat. Every bump he hit, my head hit the rear glass. I always liked these cars until I had to be a passenger in one.
The Corvair is a Powerglide, which means no fun.
Ditto. I once squeezed in the back seat with a bunch of other kids into a PG Monza couple like this, and listened while the poor little six moaned in Low gear for seemingly forever as the driver merged into the Beltway. I swore then that I’d never have one….
A couple of times I rode in the back seat (optimistic description) of a Fiat 850 Coupe for 3 hours or so. My ears were literally inches away from the little engine that was screaming at highway speeds. That probably was the start of my tinnitus. Very little headroom also.
I could enjoy it quite easily!Nice car my favourite of this feature,thanks once again
Gem,
Even with an automatic the 65-69 Corvairs were one of the best cars available in North America at that time. I owned a ’64 Monza Convt 110 hp 4-speed. I loved it. My roommate had a ’65 4-dr sedan with a Powerglide. Aside from the transmission, the ’65 was light years better than my ’64. The ’65-69 Vairs were really great cars.
Dealers are usually closed on Sundays in many parts of the country both for family/religious reasons as well as practical considerations. Most of the dealer personnel are full time and it can be difficult to schedule people to cover 7 days 12 hour weeks. Most of the dealers that are open sat/sun usually close their parts/service department for most of the weekend. It’s easier to employ one or two salesmen to cover the gawkers but much harder to do business behind the scenes. Years ago banks weren’t open, DMV not open, etc. High populated areas like California have more services available off hours. Plus areas of the country like the Midwest with more homogenous populations tend to follow customs more closely.
Sadly, this is rapidly changing due to the selling-out to the Almighty Dollar. I’m sure the author is already noticing this with the buying-out of local dealerships by a certain big-city family (I won’t mention their name here and I hope no one else does!).
Those dealerships aren’t closed out of the goodness of their hearts; Blue laws in Illinois and maybe half a dozen other states prohibit car sales on Sundays.
It was surprise to me when I moved to CA in 72 that dealer sales departments were open on Sundays and holidays. A few years ago some dealer service departments began having Sunday hours as well (Saturday hours began decades back). Given odd work hours, busy lives, and lengthy commutes (both in terms of time and distance due to housing prices and congestion in SoCal), the expanded hours meet the needs of folks whose weekly calendars and driving patterns between work and home are far from conventional.
Dealerships are closed here in PA on Sundays also, even in the Philly area. I believe it’s the same in most of the mid-Atlantic. Honestly, I thought it was the same all over the country until I i ventured into the Southwest.
Sunday is the best day to do window shopping for that reason. A few of the dealerships around here take advantage of that and leave flyers or information on the window with the price and salesman contact info specifically for the Sunday window shoppers.
As for the sail panel lamp, I am going to let BrunoStachel ( or whatever his real name is ) answer as he seems to have cornered the market on this generation of E-bodies and I don’t want my head bit off… 😉
Even though the redesign was needed to improve sales and the 86-88 was smallish in proportion, I like those because I prefer crisper lines with less curves. I like the 90-92 Toronados and the 88-91 Eldorado for this reason. Also why I loved my 90 TS but not the 91-92 redesigns. Cadillac has gotten back to that with the Arts&Science theme to my delight and fits the mold of my currently driven vehicles.
This could be my shop lot as I have a Century, once owned an Eclipse, have an Eldorado, but never had a Corvair though. Actually worked on several but only drove one a couple of times.
Yes, these did have the electroluminescent R in the quarter.
Love the Corvair. Agree with you Tom on reworking the speakers and the black paint in front. Great interior with original steering wheel. Make the interior kick panels red instead of black. Maybe keep the front air dam if it helps to keep the nose down at speed. As Kevin says too bad it’s a Powerglide but might be OK for cruising with all the windows down.
That is one beautiful Corvair except for the speaker box. I seem to remember that the area behind the seat was a luggage well like a period Beetle and didn’t have a package shelf. I like the blacked out headlight bezels, and chrome wire stone gaurds against the black car. What I don’t like the the red pinstriping, the fact that it is dead straight clashes with the sexy curves of the car.
Around here almost all of the dealers are open on Sun, I do remember coming across one that was closed on Sun one of the times I was looking for a car and was rather perturbed. Seems like Sun would be one of the busiest days of the week for car shopping. I guess in the midwest it is a hold over from the blue laws. I know the first time I went to ND to visit the wife’s family I was surprised that the stores like Target didn’t open until noon on Sun and closed at like 5 or 6pm. I was informed that being open at all on Sun was a rather recent change and this was in the early 90’s. Since her grandparents have both passed on haven’t been there in over a decade.
Your memory is correct. I saw a similar Corvair at a cruise night last Friday and they did indeed have a Beetle-like well behind the back seat.
My family had a 1960 Corvair. I would sometimes ride in that well with the dog and look up at the sky through the back window.
I agree with you Eric. If they had to have it – the pinstripe should have followed the shape of the top of fenders and door.
An inch or so below the fender line would have accented the lines of the car nicely.
I recently saw a current-model Subaru Impreza with pinstripes (gold, on a dark maroon car) that cut straight along the front fender, completely ignoring the way the line it follows further back on the car arches over the front wheel.
This, on the Corvair, works imo- it’s dead straight but highlights the one dead-straight line on the whole thing, that crease two-thirds of the way up from rocker panel to beltline.
Can we agree to disagree and still be friends?:-) I respect what you are saying about the body crease, but there is something about the straight pinstripe that bothers me. Maybe I’d like it better if it were a bodyside molding or rub strip.
That Corvair body is so beautiful – it has to be one of the best looking cars in US automotive history – that it does not need any pinstriping and definitely not this one. I also thought these cars looked better without the imitation wire wheel covers and in lighter colors. A good friend’s parents bought one new (I think it was a 68 or 69) in light metallic blue with matching interior. That is a better color combination for a car that needs no additional adornment or flash because its lines alone are so attractive.
The luggage well is really tempting as a speaker enclosure. This is a ’66 Monza that has been painted in the rear to look like a Corsa. The asking price is, of course, crack pipe territory. Don’t know for sure but I will guess that is a base engine or a 110, not even a four carb 140 and definitely not the turbo (sold only in real Corsas in 1965-66). Cut the price in half and you’re in range, cut it more if it’s a bondo buggy.
Yes, they do have a well in the 1st and 2nd gen cars, and you could spec a fold down rear seat too.
I think the Century pictured is a handsome little car. Coming from a family that only owned full-sized GM cars, I recently learned/remembered that these little Buicks were available with the 3.8. I searched online and found a great YouTube clip showing an incredibly strong and fast one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnSD1hVH4o . Love!
I can attest. My 93 Century wagon has 3300 with 4spd overdrive heavy-duty brakes suspension slightly bigger tires (195/70/14) and unloaded is unusually capable for a vehicle it’s size. People that have driven it have remarked about this. Chevrolet and Pontiac versions only got 2.8/3.1 (except for STE which got H.O.) but Buick/Olds could have larger V6 option.
I dig your wagon, sir. The version you have is the best version of the A body, in my opinion. My dad’s old 84 6000 wagon had the heavy duty brakes, but the carbed 2.8 was pretty lacking in power. Then again, what wasn’t lacking in power in 1984…. 🙂
I’d love to have a 3300/4 speed auto powered Century wagon. I had a 3300/4 speed Century sedan about 7 years ago. It was a great car. I bet the wagon is even better.
The corvair and the eagle are great. Keep mixing them in with the GMs and I’ll be a happy camper.
Nice comparaison Riv and Vair, I have owned both of them, a 1965 Monza 140 Convert and a 1993 Riv 170HP ,
they are the same size, 108 inches of wheelbase, but not the same weight as the Riv is much heavier than the Vair thanks to power accessories.
The Vair is much fun to drive , but you should set the PG linkage for low RPM kickdown and do some extra sound insulation in the engine bay and rear cowl so you dont hear the flat six groaning, then you can take a highway on-ramp as fast as a Porsche of the same vintage.
The Riv is comfortable to ride, but the gearbox seems be set for fuel economy and not for accelleration, I get 11litres per 100Km with the Riv and 15litres/100Km with the Vair, in highway driving, a substantial progress after nearly two decade.
These two cousins are both nicely styled cars, one was cheapest Chevrolet of its time and the other costliest Buick, but now they share the same used car lot,
the passing of time makes social differences disappear.
Thanks Tom, keep on sunday shooting
If the Rivera had all of its wheels I’d give it a whirl but compared to the other vehicles on the lot I’d go for the Talon.
Actually, each car was in a different spot. The Talon and Century were at repair shops.
I am pretty sure the Riv has all its turbine wheels. The 4th one is most likely in the trunk due to a flat. The black wheel looks like the optional full size spare tire that was offered those years for the Riv, Eldo and olds Toro.
My 13 Subaru is dark blue metallic with a grey double pin stripe. it looks faded even new but breaks up the car a bit. The wire wheel covers help the Corvair.
What’s up with the Chrysler 300 taxi cab?
That Talon is an incredible find. Usually the only ones to escape the F&F treatment are base-trim automatics that were too trashed to bother with by the late ’90s (and thus mostly Crushed today). This one doesn’t look to be a TSi, but it’s still a manual and the fact that it’s been kept in such great shape without mods is uncanny. Must be a one-owner car.
Today was a pretty good CC spotting day in my neck of the woods. 50 Ford, Marauder, Toronado XSV, Farimont Wagon, Marauder, Ambassador SST, Marauder (same one going the other way on the same road at about the same spot ~2hrs later) 57 Chevy. They were all on the road going the other direction except the Farimont which pulled alongside me in the left turn lane right as the light was changing so I couldn’t get any pictures.
As always when I spot other Marauders I wasn’t driving mine, I was in a Scout, and of course when I see other Internationals I’m not driving one of mine.
I love the Corvair. I could do without the ghetto blaster speakers, Powerglide and pinstripe (the blacked out brightwork I actually don’t mind so much) – but none of them ruin the inherent goodness of a 2nd gen Corvair coupe… especially in black with a (mint) red interior.
Buick shouldn’t even have offered fake wire wheelcovers on their FWD cars. These turbine-style alloys look sooooo much better! I like the color on that Century too, although I like that color on pretty much everything. This is also one of the rare instances where I actually like the vinyl roof, too… although not so much on the Riviera. At least it’s the same color as the body and manages to blend itself in.
I’ve been a rear-seat passenger in a Mitsubishi Eclipse before and it was harsh. The Talon in these pictures looks like it has the seats pushed all the way back, but even at their other extreme you don’t get much leg room. The one, painful, ride I ever took in one I was sitting behind a girl who was probably no more than 5’2″ and sitting with her face pressed up against the windshield. I’m not that tall and I still had to stretch out sideways, with no seatbelt, to even fit. The back seats of cars like that were not made for full-sized adults to sit in. Young children, maybe… but that’s it. That’s not even close to being the most ridiculous and useless backseat in the history of backseats, however. Ever seen an MGB GT’s rear “seat” ? I believe they actually had the audacity to sell this as a “four seater”, LOL… more like a 2.25 seater. I couldn’t find a picture that properly illustrates the ridiculousness of it, but these drawings should give you a good idea…
Might the four-seater designation for the BGT have been a ruse to fool insurance companies into thinking it shouldn’t be charged sports-car premiums? (I think Jaguar also pulled something like that with their XJS, didn’t they?) Also, even if you somehow did manage to cram four adults into that MG, wouldn’t the extra weight slow the car’s acceleration down to a crawl? In any case, it’s good to know there are at least one or two vehicles out there with backseats even more useless than my 3rd Gen Camaro.
I recall a car mag (probably C/D), many years ago, in reviewing some expensive imported convertible, described the penalty-box rear-quarters as “suitable only for transporting double-amputees and Roman busts.”
I like the look of that Corvair a lot. I’d drive it the way it is. Slightly modified means I don’t have to worry about originality. And generally, what’s been done to it, is mostly tasteful. The speaker box in the back can be fixed by covering it with fabric so you don’t see them. I’d like it better with a manual, and much better at half the price.
Not a fan of the shrunken Riv. The larger previous generation was one of the better looking cars of the 80’s in my opinion.
The A body needs to be a wagon or a 6000 STE for me to like it. 🙂 The later versions of these Centuries with the V6’s were pretty bullet-proof though. Unlike in the Midwest where the GM J or A bodies may have the honor, here on the east coast, 5 to 10 year old Mitsus, Hyundais and Kias are the cockroaches of the road.
Speaking of which, that Talon is a car that I never cared for, simply because every kid has on, and most are modified in terrible ways. I don’t give these cars a second look.
My Dad had two Talon TSi AWDs – one a 1990 and one a 1992 – GREAT cars. I wish I could find one in original condition to use as my commuter.
The Corvair looks like a fun summer ride, little bit overkill on the speakers but hey I bet it’s fun. That Riv is a beautiful car! It’d be very tempting for me to buy especially if it had a blue interior like my 98 and Caprice. The Century is interesting due to it’s age and looks like it was well kept up until not too long ago other than the rust spots on the doors. I’ve never seen one that old before, let alone a vinyl topped one. Paint isn’t even faded out on the hood which I find amazing. Too bad someone isn’t crazy enough to fix it up, wouldn’t take much. The earliest I’ve spotted was probably the ’86 model with the smaller sealed beams and canted forward front end. I’d still take that Riviera any day though!
I’d take the Eagle and show up to RICEr events and shock all of the RICE (Race Enhanced Cosmetic Modifications) lovers to shock them into oblivion and to get a good hearty laugh too!
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2459538/1966-chevrolet-corvair/
actually the Black Corvair was my car, sold and someone removed wheels and other parts, then added that hideous stripe. It was a 95hp/PG car that ran really well…as a package when I had it I won many awards at car shows, regardless of the quirky box racer speakers, black bezels, and funky spoiler….as a package it worked.
JTVairs.com
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2459538/1966-chevrolet-corvair/
Those extras work much better with the alloys it has in the picture–then it makes sense. Looks like quite a nice car before the dealer decontented it–and presumably added the do-it-yourself striping.
And someone said a Corvair with a PG is no fun….probably wasn’t to the 93 RX Mazda I beat this day at the autocross