Corvair, Chevrolet's first compact car, featured a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine like the VW Beetle. Chevy followed the German company's lead further by turning the Corvair into a van and a pickup with the 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside Pickup.

Three models were offered -- Corvan, Loadside, and the Rampside like the example offered here, which was distinguished by door on the right side of the bed that folded down to form a ramp. Unique to the Corvair, this feature allowed heavy loads to be rolled instead of lifted into the bed, and Chevrolet sales literature never missed a chance to illustrate it.

Clifford Sherman was retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant and flew over 30 missions in the European theater during World War II. He also served over a decade as the Highway Superintendent for the Township of Richland in Upstate New York. His passion for classic cars became his life Long hobby with special attention to prewar vehicles. He and his buddies founded the Pathfinder Car Club of Fulton in New York where Cliff served as president for over 10 years. Other restoration projects included a 1935 Ford Coupe, 1941 Chevrolet Sedan, a 1949 Ford Coupe and the 1928 Ford Model A Phaeton also offered in this sale.

The cosmetic restoration of this particular Corvair 95 Rampside Pickup was completed in 2002 after four years of effort. Cliff’s wife Lillian, remembers when he brought the Corvair home and couldn’t understand why he took this on as a project since historically Cliff’s restoration projects were all prewar vehicles. When asked he said, “I was driving down this road and inside this barn I saw this oddball and I just had to have it.” As it turns out he was right, it was cute, a little odd and got all the attention.

Cliff passed away in 2004 and his cars remained in static storage. In preparation for the sale, a mechanic checked over the Corvair and got it running and driving, noting that the transmission required topping off. The mechanic also noted that the oil pan gasket will need to be replaced, the tailgate door will need to be adjusted, among a few other items that will likely need to be sorted; it is advisable for the new owner to perform a thorough safety inspection and mechanical sorting to his or her own satisfaction.

Overall it presents as a good older driver-quality restoration with a white exterior with red accent line and wheels and some overall wear as would be expected from a vehicle that has been driven. The underside is undercoated, and an aftermarket sunroof has been installed in the cab. This piece of American automotive history and design is offered for sale to a new home by his wife Lillian who sat through endless weekend hours on lawn chairs supporting her husband’s love of these classic vehicles.