When most people think of the Corvair, it’s usually the car they remember. Some of us, especially if we were around at the time, remember the range of trucks produced in the early 1960s under the Corvair name as well, both vans and pickups. The most unique of the group was the Corvair 95 Rampside pick up, the “rampside” portion of the name referring to the drop down ramp on the passenger side of the truck bed, the 95 refers to the 95 inch wheelbase.
Since the truck had the same 6 cylinder boxer rear engine as the car, the bed of the truck had to be high enough to provide clearance. To enable easier access, Chevy incorporated a drop down side ramp in addition to the tailgate. The cab, because there was no engine up front, took on the same flat nose cabover appearance of some big semi tractors though the Corvair was actually quite compact. The seat was right over the front wheels.
The rampside never sold in big numbers and today, finding a nice one is becoming a bit difficult. This black 1961 model, currently for sale on eBay, looks like it’s in very nice condition and though it’s heavy hauling days are probably long over, there’s no reason the owner couldn’t take a spouse or close friend or two for a weekend drive and load up with picnic supplies or some other light duty cargo. Of course, heading out almost anywhere would be fun and sure to attract some envious glances from those who remember a simpler automotive era. Check it out.
I just saw one of these a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time I had ever seen one in person. Now I’ve seen all the Corvair models =)
Really Phoebe, you’ve seen all the Corvair models?
I used to own a 1960 Corvair 2 door (Turquoise Blue), 3 speed manual, quite rare as most of the 1959/60 production consisted of 4 door models, they have considerable differences between the later years 2 door models, have you seen one of those?
And I also owned a 1964 Corvair 95, Greenbrier 8 passenger “station wagon”, 4 speed, 4 rows of seats and with 8 doors! Have you seen one of those?
And I almost forgot, the Corvair 95, Loadside, a Rampside Without a Ramp! Only 150 of those were made, I’ve seen several over the years, how about you?
Of course, I may be missing an obscure model or two, or an offshoot like the Yenko Singer or Fitch Sprint, but I guess those don’t count.
Anyhow, I’ll bet you still have a ways to go before you’ve seen ALL the models of Corvair produced. ;-)