1962 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Loadside Pickup
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$31,350 USD | Sold
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- Offered from the Estate of Bob Jones
- One of only 369 Loadside pickups produced for 1962
- Signature Corvair 145-cu.-in. air-cooled flat-six engine
- Wears a well-maintained restoration completed under previous ownership
- An innovative pickup rarely seen today
Chevrolet rolled out an expansive 1962 lineup, from all-new Chevy II economy compacts and the pace-setting Corvette to a restyled full-size fleet and Corvair 95 trucks, including this Loadside pickup. Introduced in 1961, the driver-forward R12 model trucks and vans were built on a Corvair platform and offered alongside more conventional C/K series 1/2-ton light duty trucks as alternative Jobmasters.
However versatile and innovative, the rear-engine Corvair was in the midst of an identity crisis since its introduction a few years earlier. Facing internal competition from extra thrifty Chevy II sedans and wagons, Corvair passenger cars shifted focus away from economy. Sporty Monza models, from practical wagons to the 150-horsepower turbocharged Spyder, won over more customers than the low-end entries.
The Corvair 95 truck line consisted of two pickups and a panel delivery van dubbed Corvan. The Loadside pickup featured a conventional bed, and the Rampside lived up to its name with a drop-down side loading ramp and low-slung center section. While the Greenbrier Sports Wagon window van bridged the gap between car and truck with passenger comforts and camping accessories directly from dealers, the Corvair 95 pickups and Corvans were part of the truck lineup.
Unibody Corvair 95 trucks rode on heavy-duty section beams with four-wheel independent suspension and coil springs rated for up to 1,850 pounds of cargo capacity. The air-cooled flat-six engine and three-speed manual transaxle comprised what Chevrolet called the Unipack Power Team. Scaling in at just over half the weight of the company's stalwart Stovebolt six, the 145-cubic-inch horizontally opposed engine was factory-rated for 80 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque.
Corvans outsold pickup models three-fold, and the Rampside was by far the more popular choice out of the pickups. Records indicate this Corvair 95 Loadside was one of only 369 produced in 1962. Corvair 95 trucks did not make it to the 1965 Corvair redesign, and disappeared with the introduction of the 1964 El Camino. The unusually rare 1/2-ton hauler underwent a restoration by a previous owner and is offered in appealing condition today.