1963 Chevrolet Corvair Spyder

History

There are no shortage of vehicles over the years that stepped outside automotive norms to deliver something different, only to fail spectacularly. Looking at you GMC Envoy XUV. With the Corvair, Chevy did far more than add gimmickry to an existing vehicle. They took an air-cooled, horizontally opposed motor and mounted in the rear.

This was unheard of in an American vehicle 60 years ago, and today for that matter. Between the radical powertrain and styling unlike the rest of the automotive herd, the Corvair was certainly different. The fact that it sold a quarter million units in 1960, the first year of production, speaks to how successful this formula was.

Initially producing 80 horsepower, Chevy went back to the drawing board in 1962 and created one of the first factory-turbocharged engines. Displacing 145 cubes, the flat-6 was married to a TRW-sourced turbo capable of generating 10 psi of boost. To counter the added stress of forced induction, internals were beefed up from the intake and exhaust valves to the crank and camshaft. This 150-horse mill became part of a new Spyder package, only available on top-spec Monza models, like the example up for auction today.