It is often said that the 1960-1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza started the sporty car boom in America. Many would argue that it began long before the Monza was even a gleam in Chevrolet's eye, giving the honor instead to early Corvettes, Thunderbirds, and Studebaker Hawks. But whether a pioneer of the concept or simply a follower, it can be accurately said the Monza saved the Corvair -- and incidentally introduced the marketing ploy of sticking vinyl buckets and a floor-mounted shifter into a compact and calling it a sports car. Ironically, the Monza is perhaps Learn more noted for what it led to (the Mustang) than what it did for the Corvair. As it turned out, GM's unique rear-engine compact proved one of the corporation's major albatrosses; it was the subject of endless litigation, and played the lead villain in the book that launched Ralph Nader. Though the 1960-1961 Corvairs could indeed be a bit tricky to handle, later models were much improved, and by 1965 the Corvair sported a superb suspension that made it one of the most imaginative, efficient, and progressive cars of the decade.

The first Monza arrived late in the 1960 model year as a "spring special" to shore up the Corvair's disappointing sales. Against the plug-ordinary Falcon and Rambler, and the unique-looking but technically mundane Plymouth Valiant, the Corvair was doing much poorer than expected. Indeed, the Monza was barely on the market when GM Styling was hard at work on what would become the 1962 Chevy II, later the Chevy Nova -- a conventional compact that would, finally, outgun the Falcon. But then an unknown product planner got the idea of dolling up a Corvair coupe with a colorful vinyl interior, carpets, and other luxurious widgets, and Chevrolet dealers finally had something to cheer about. Go to the next page to find out about the engineering and sales performance of the 1960-1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza. There was nothing wrong with the coupe's styling: it looked European, not too unlike the little German NSU, but longer, more balanced. It lacked a conventional grille (stylists gave it a fake one in 1962), but it was pleasant enough otherwise.

When the dust settled, that model year had accounted for 110,000 Monza coupes plus another 34,000 of the new Monza four-door sedans -- more than all the cheaper Corvair models put together. In 1962 they added a handsome convertible, and Monza sales went to over 200,000, which was the best ever. By the end of the first Corvair design generation in 1964, there were only two non-Monzas in the lineup, and the Monza was still racking up six-figure sales totals -- which was something, considering all the competition that had developed by then. Largely the work of longtime Chevrolet engineer and Click here later GM president Edward N. Cole, the Corvair was an enthusiast's car, radical and innovative. Its flat-six engine developed 80 or 95 bhp and was complicated: two cyles, which are far more numerous but offer unlimited head room. People who think Ralph Nader was right about the Corvair ought to try a 110 bhp four-speed 1964. Few cars of the era handle better, and fewer still offer more fun for the money. For 1960-1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza specifications, go to the next page.