The Corvair was Chevrolet’s entry in the 1960 “compact car” market, which was created by the U.S. auto industry to combat the onslaught of economical import cars. Where Ford’s Falcon and Chrysler’s Valiant had conventional front-engine, rear-drive architecture, Chevy’s Ed Cole looked abroad for inspiration. Choosing the rear-engine drive layout of the Volkswagen, he gave it a nudge in the Porsche direction by specifying a six-cylinder engine in the air-cooled boxer idiom.

In fact, it was Porsche enthusiasts who were most attracted to the Corvair, not the economy-minded VW folk. For them, a Monza model was created: a smart coupé with such sporting appointments as bucket seats with leather-like vinyl upholstery, spiffy trim, and faux wire wheel covers. By 1963, a Monza Spyder with a turbocharged 150 brake horsepower engine was offered. The standard Corvair engine was uprated to take the turbo thrust, and the special trim was topped off by a 120 mph speedometer.

Unfortunately, safety crusader Ralph Nader took aim at the Corvair, denouncing its swing axle rear suspension because of its tendency to induce oversteer. Suspension redesign for 1964 did not halt the criticism, and in the ensuing mêlée, GM just gave up on the Corvair; it started to produce steadily diminishing quantities through 1969. By that time, Chevrolet had decided to concentrate on developing the Camaro. They saw the Camaro as more of a challenge to Ford’s incredibly popular new Mustang, and it spelt the end of the road for the Monza.

The Chevrolet Corvair Monza presented here is finished in white with a red vinyl interior, and it is fitted with whitewall tyres, giving it the classic American look. The odometer is currently showing just 28,000 miles, which are believed to be original. It is fitted with a manual transmission, and it remains a left-hand drive example. Finally, this Monza has benefitted from a light service prior to the auction.