Chevrolet Corvair - Reception

Reception

Time (magazine) featured Ed Cole and the 1960 Corvair on its cover for the Corvair introduction in 1959 and said: "its fresh engineering is hailed as the forerunner of a new age of innovation in Detroit." Time reported in 1960: Chevrolet sold 26,000 Corvairs its first two days on the market, taking over 35% of Chevy's two-day total of 75,000. Chevrolet had intended to sell one Corvair for every five Chevrolets. By March 1960, the Corvair comprised 13% of Chevrolet's sales. Shortly after its introduction, the Corvair faced competition from the Ford Falcon and Mercury Comet and was plagued by problems—though according to a 1960 Time report, "many were the minor bugs that often afflict a completely new car." Problems included a slipping fan belt, carburetor icing and poor fuel mileage "which sometimes runs well under 20 m.p.g." The 1960 model gasoline heater was cited as a problem, which itself could consume up to a quart of gas an hour—with Chevrolet engineers quickly modifying the Corvair's carburetors to improve economy.

Motor Trend awarded the Corvair its "Car of the Year" award for 1960.

Car and Driver reported upon introduction of Corvair's revised second generation – editor David E. Davis said: "We have to go on record and say that the Corvair is – in our opinion – the most important new car of the entire crop of '65 models, and the most beautiful car to appear in this country since before World War II."

In 2007 Time (magazine) named the Corvair one of the 50 Worst Cars of All Time, citing the controversy surrounding its rear-suspension and saying it "It leaked oil like a derelict tanker. Its heating system tended to pump noxious fumes into the cabin. It was offered for a while with a gasoline-burner heater located in the front "trunk", a common but dangerously dumb accessory at the time."