1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible

Corvair was the brainchild of Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole, said Corvair Preservation Foundation historian Dave Newell and technical adviser Larry Claypool. Cole began the project in 1956, ordering parts and blueprints under the guise that it was for GM's Australian division, Holden. This is similar to the surreptitious development of the GTO package for the Pontiac LeMans. Cole considered front- and rear-engine placement and 4 and 6-cylinder air and water-cooled engines. He settled on a 140-cubic-inch, rear-mounted, flat 6, air-cooled engine, powering a 15-foot, five-passenger car.

For consignment, a Corvair Monza Convertible from 1965. This was the first year for the Fisher Z body and it addressed the Nader false accusation of the suspension being unsafe with a rear suspension that now resembled the Corvette.

Exterior
Fire engine red in respray form covers the metal and overall exterior of the car and presents in very good condition. The fit and finish is good, the body is straight, and all is in working order. Chrome is in great condition. A newer black canvas convertible top is manually actuated up and down and works smoothly. Seen is a thin stainless trimming on the rocker and wheel houses and wide stainless making up the bezels for the dual headlights. Round taillights are bringing up the rear and these have backup lights optioned on and are right behind the engine. There is another nice bumper below. 13-inch wire wheel covers are on with knock off style hubs with dish centers and P185/80R13 tires, which is an add on option for the year. Corvair badging is original and correct. Nice exterior. Screw Ralph Nader I'm hopping in.

Interior
A swing of the sporty doors and we are greeted with a black painted metal surround for the door sills, then this changes to a horizontal stitched center panel. Here the armrest in black vinyl with a chrome trimming and chromed knobs and actuator lever are housed along with a Monza emblem. Very midcentury modern if I must say so myself. Slipping inside I rest my buttocks on wide buckets that practically take up the whole front row. These are nicely padded and have turks and roll inserts and smooth bolsters all in wonderful black! These front seats present very well with merely minor signs of usage. In back a nice bench and plenty of romper room for that 3rd date. Up front a large deluxe black rimmed steering wheel with a half horn ring and badged center fronts the original perfectly preserved dash. This has a black dual eyebrow shaped cowl design for the top and nice use of aluminum for the dash front panels, which include the instrument cluster and glove box covering. Some of the controls and options include the padded dash top, tinted windows seat belts, two speed wipers and a convenience group. The centrally mounted AM/FM/Cassette radio is also in a chrome bezel and looks right at home. The rear-view mirror is a tilt inside glare style new for this year. Awesome conveniences and add ons, rarely seen on an early version of the Corvair. Black carpeting is flooding the floor and go with this car like a duck to water. LUV It!
Drivetrain
A lift of the trunk and we see a lightly patinaed engine bay with a very clean 164 ci flat 6-cylinder engine. It has dual 1-barrel carburetors on top, and a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission attached to this horizontally opposed air-cooled configuration. A 3.27 gear ratio is on the Corvair.

Undercarriage
As I expected from this car, buttoned up and looking good with all straight steel painted black with light surface rusting. Definitely a ground effects type undercarriage, whether it's intentional or not it still looks great…look ma no driveshaft! Everything presents well right down to the 4-wheel independent coil sprung suspension, and 4-wheel drum braking. A chrome tipped dual exhaust is noted.

Drive-Ability
This car started right up, and after a short warmup, ran great. Nice handling, a good ride, and shifting was effortless. My only frown was the intermittent lack of turn signal operation, but I remembered my Vespa days and used proper hand signals.

If you are in the market for a car that was truly groundbreaking for its time, then this beautiful bowtie version of the Corvair is the car for you. It's a sleeper and it's a Monza convertible, and it's a magnetic eye catcher in the wonderful condition it is in. Hurry in down to our Hallowed Halls as this one is going to get snapped up as there is an aficionado waiting in the wings.

VIN DECODE
105675W270904
1-Chevrolet
05-Corvair Monza
76-Convertible
5-1965
W-Willow Run, MI Assy Plant
270904-Sequential Unit Number

TRIM TAG
05D-4th Week May Build
ST 65 10567-1965 Corvair Monza Convertible
BDY WRN20165-Willow Run Body #
TR 713-Black Vinyl
PNT W2-Glacier Gray, Black Top
W-Tinted Windshield
2M-Powerglide
3C-Padded Dash
4P-RPO Z01 Convenience Group

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.