Autoblog

Here's a fun column we came across talking about cars as metaphors. Kind of like referring to something as the "Rolls-Royce" of its industry means it's the best (or most expensive, perhaps). The writer, Miss Cellania, lists five vehicles that rightly or wrongly have come to be symbols of the worst from the automotive sector. All five of her picks are instantly recognizable for their place in motoring history. While we empathize with owners of these vehicles because they frequently have endearing qualities, we understand the reasons they have been chosen. Here's the list, but we encourage you to click over to Mental Floss to hear the explanations of how they earned their often unfair reps.

1. Edsel = Failure
2. Corvair = Unsafe
3. Pinto = Volatile
4. DeLorean = Overhyped
5. Yugo = Shoddy

While the DeLorean might be a bit of a stretch as being overhyped, the rest seem appropriate. These are a good start, but we're sure you all can come up with a whole bunch more.

Thanks for the tip, C. McFeeny!

[Source: Mental Floss]

YouTube serves up another cool video. Corvairs are hella cool, and they were tarred and feathered out of existence by zealots. They were no worse than other cars on the road at the time, but they were picked up as all that was wrong with motoring safety by Ralph Nader. Cars in in the late '50s when the Corvair was developed were all less safe than what we have now. 50 years of scientific study and applied engineering will do that for you. This video offers up some great scenes of a Corvair being herded around Lime Rock's track, as well as some off-road adventures. This is marketing propaganda, so of course the little chuffer comes off as unburstable. It also shows the infancy of the rigorous vetting processes cars must go through now. The handling test is especially hilarious, as the edit is made just as the tail of the rear-engined Corvair starts to come around. Showing a spin is not the best way to demonstrate platform stability. We get to see Corvairs rolled over, driven off slopes that are larger than would be wise, and fording streams. Hyperbolic advertising aside, it's pretty cool to see an early 'Vair abused in such a gratifying manner. Unsafe? pfft! Then as now, it's mainly the loose nut behind the wheel that causes problems.

Video after the jump

Here's a totally different flavor of Corvair that wasn't mentioned in our recent Reader Ride feature. The Ultra Van is a true Corvair, according to the Corvair Society of America (CORSA), even though it didn't roll off a GM assembly line. The Ultra Van is more akin to a cabin cruiser on the inside and a DC-10 in construction, with a happy-looking front-end, to boot. In case the picture has somehow left you scratching your head,UltraVan really is is a motorhome.

Power comes from a Corvair drivertrain and the structure is made from aluminum ribs with an aluminum outer skin, creating a rigid tube. The interior looks an awful lot like something you'd see in a Chris Craft of the same era. Without a frame underneath to get in the way, there's a ton of space in these things! The similarity to aircraft construction is no accident. UltraVan designer David Peterson was an aircraft designer frustrated that he had both a camping trailer and boat that he wanted to use during the same trip. In essence, the UltraVan grew out of the idea of just putting a drivetrain into a trailer. The Corvair had just debuted at the time, offering the perfect power unit for this application. The vehicles ended up being light enough to use regular car tires and return respectable fuel economy despite their large size (efficiency always makes you feel smarter than the next guy). We can't get over how roomy the UltraVan is, nor how lovingly the legacy has been cared for by legions of admirers.

Of course, we want one.

[Source: The UltraVan page via Hemmings Auto Blogs]

The Corvair was GM's Porsche 911, but better, at least in some ways.. Debuting in 1960, the Corvair seemed totally out of left field from GM. It featured an air-cooled, horizontally-opposed powerplant mounted in the rear and a notorious swing-axle suspension (it was no more dangerous than its contemporaries). It was almost an entire line of vehicles, sorta like a subset of GM proper. There were trucks, vans, station wagons, sedans and coupes. Flickr member corsa180 sent in a really pretty 1965 Corvair Corsa turbo convertible. That's right, a turbo from 1965. Who says the American companies weren't/aren't innovative? He's had the car since just after high school and while it looks great in pictures, corsa180 says it's awaiting restoration. He's already been through the engine, and plans to tackle body restoration soon.

More after the jump...