"Jazz Cat" (jazzcatdrives)
09/24/2013 at 13:23 • Filed to: Corvair
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"Jazz Cat" (jazzcatdrives)
09/24/2013 at 13:23 • Filed to: Corvair | 0
| 1 |
My grandfather was born in a poor Pennsylvania mining town in the early 40s. His family didn't have that much money, but he got some good jobs and saved up to buy his first car. And that car was the infamous Chevrolet Corvair, the car that was "unsafe at any speed". It was the bright, red sedan model. Now they didn't know about ots sometimes dangerous handling at the time, so it seemed like a nice car to have. About 6 moths after he got it, his father was coming home with a family friend. As they went around a corner, the back end got out and careened into a tree. The car was totaled, and the lady in the car with his dad succumbed to her injuries and died in the hospital. The car, then, really did live up to its reputation.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Jazz Cat
09/24/2013 at 14:16 |
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Here's something more dangerous than any Corvair, the M151 MUTT. I'm sure you can see why. These, the replacement for the original Jeep frequently nicknamed such things as the "Kennedy Jeep", quickly developed a reputation for rear end float while trail-braking and flipping to kill their occupants. There was a fix employed (with a check-strap/chain IIRC), but by then the damage was done. These were actually banned by act of Congress from sale to the US public. Which, more's the pity, because it was one of the most capable off-road vehicles ever made.
The Hillman Imp, a British rear-engine compact, derived a lot of its design elements from the Corvair, but to avoid the Corvair's issues of rear wheel tuck-and-collapse, used a trailing design.
Curiously, the front suspension somewhat resembles a Corvair rear, but is limited by shock travel.