The '50s and early '60s were a great time to be building cars in America. With an auto-loving public, automakers could sell just about anything engineers could dream up, creating some of the most memorable cars ever built. Take this 1964 Corvair for example-can you imagine any automaker offering an air-cooled, rear-engined family car in today's day and age? This is a very solid, original car, and has spent all of its life with one family. With low mileage and a single repaint in 2004, it still looks fantastic, and given this car's humble intentions, it looks like a far more expensive piece. Cars like this are special because they've gone from one loving owner to another, each of them understanding that they were merely stewards of history. That means all four doors fit right, the sheetmetal has been protected and never used in rough weather, and given the shine on that bright red paint, it's gotten a regular coat of wax fairly frequently. The four door hardtop body style looks sporty, with trim proportions that are right even for today's world, some fifty years after the fact. The grille-less front end has aged well, looking sporty and contemporary, and the shape is such that many observers don't even realize the engine is in back. Excellent chrome and stainless are more indicators of careful, conscientious ownership, most of it looking almost new. The interior, with its nearly flat floor and front buckets, matches the sporty look with a dose of practicality. Five can ride comfortably inside this Corvair, and the original seat covers and door panels have survived the intervening decades incredibly well. Of course, with so few miles, it's no surprise that wear is so slight, and the seats still feel firm and supportive. The deep dish steering wheel not only looks great, but was an early safety innovation designed to protect the driver in a crash (its efficacy remains dubious, but it was a good start) and the round instruments will probably look familiar to anyone who has owned a first-generation Camaro. The shifter for the 2-speed PowerGlide transmission is a clever affair, and the original radio block-off plate is still in place. The front trunk is extraordinarily clean, and still includes a glass bottle of washer solution! The 164 cubic inch flat-six is an over-achiever in the Corvair. Reliable and peppy, it moves the car with a great six cylinder snarl that sounds sporty. Performance is pretty good and even today you'll be pleased with its fuel economy, which is entirely the point. It starts quickly and easily without any added effort, so you can always just jump in and hit the road. As a totally original survivor, much of the original equipment is intact, with only routine service items being replaced over the years. The transmission shifts well, and the fully independent suspension soaks up bumps better than you'd expect, and all that nonsense about Ralph Nader was just that-nonsense. It carries five new 185/70/13 blackwall radials on the original wheels, and yes, those sporty hubcaps are original equipment. A neat, clean, low-mileage car that has clearly been loved all its life. Are you the next caretaker? Call today! This vehicle is located in our Charlotte showroom. For more information, please call (704) 598-2130 or toll free (866) 542-8392.
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