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Le Heap, the author's 1966 Corvair Monza Sport Coupe. Photo taken in 1999 by Joan T. Lacki. Click here for a better view.
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This Corvair Thing... by Allan V. Lacki. Looking at the picture, you would not suspect that this 1966 Corvair Monza coupe was known as Le Heap to my fellow cohorts in the New Jersey Association of Corvair Enthusiasts! In a spoof of Renault's "Le Car", the previous owner stenciled the words, "Le Heap" on the rocker panels of this very same car. And although the calligraphy was sanded off years ago, many of the folks in the club remember the name.
Le Heap has been my Corvair since 1988. Despite its funny moniker, this car has a great history. It spent a good part of its life participating in ice races, rallies, autocross events, and time trials. Several times, it won its class at the annual Northeast Corvair Council time trials at the Lime Rock race track in Connecticut.
But I didn't buy Le Heap for motor sports. My goal was to restore it and make it look like it did when it was fresh from the showroom. It was a big project. Last night, I walked into the garage and sat in Le Heap, wondering how it all came about. Then I remembered. This Corvair thing started when I was twelve years old.…
In August 1965, my brother and his girlfriend, Janice, invited me to the Giants/Eagles pre-season football game at Princeton University Stadium. To get there, they decided to take the train from Newark, New Jersey to Princeton Junction. I came along.
Before we boarded, Janice did me a simple favor: She took me to the newsstand at Penn Station and bought me two magazines to keep me occupied during the trip. I picked them out. One reflected my own years gone by: Car Model magazine. The other pointed to my future: the September issue of Car & Driver. On the front cover, there was a picture of a new Corvair surrounded by after-market performance parts. Inside was a glowing article on the Fitch Sprint, a hot-rod version of the Corvair Corsa.
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Another view of the author's rear engine 1966 Corvair. Equipped with a factory-stock air-cooled six cylinder boxer engine with twin carbs, dual exhaust and a four-speed transaxle.
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Today, Car & Driver pokes fun at the Corvair, whenever it mentions the car, which is rarely. But back in '65, Car & Driver's opinion of the Corvair was different, much different. Quote:
"...it is undoubtedly the sexiest-looking American car of the new crop and possibly one of the most handsome cars in the world." "its hidden virtue, handling, will soon become apparent to--and much appreciated by--the enthusiast driver."
"Just as it comes out of the showroom, the 180 bhp turbo-charged Corsa coupe is a very safe, secure car for the average driver, and--for the enthusiast driver--one of the most exhilarating examples of the new breed of 'sports sedans', right in there with the BMW 1800TI, the Alfa TI, the Volvo 122S, the Mini-Cooper S, the Saab GT, or the Cortina GT."
We boarded the train and pulled out of the station. As I sat in the passenger coach, thumbing through that Car & Driver, it seemed to me that the new Corvair was the best car money could buy. But while the train clacked down the railroad tracks, Ralph Nader was putting his finishing touches on a book named Unsafe at Any Speed. It wouldn't be long before people stopped buying Corvairs.
Five years later, I got my driver's license and I started looking for a set of wheels. I had read Ralph Nader's book but it didn't scare me. I remembered that old issue of Car & Driver. I knew I had to have a street-worthy 'Vair.
Buying a Corvair in 1970 was like buying a Yugo today. My neighborhood Chevy dealer shipped his entire stock of Corvair service parts back to GM because, although Corvairs had been out of production only one year, he "didn't want anything to do with Corvairs." So much for customer service. Luckily for seventeen-year-old punks such as myself, it was this kind of popular rejection that made Corvair the used car bargain of the century!
A friend of mine visited another Chevy dealer and spotted two 1965 Corvairs sitting in the wholesale lot, a block away from the showroom. One of the cars was a loaded Midnight Orchid Monza 4-door Powerglide, with air and white upholstery, but it was pretty well worn out. The other was a plain 500 coupe, with only 23,000 original miles. It had a few minor dents and it didn't run very well. The sales manager agreed to sell me one, providing that I waived my right to any warranty. I bought the 500 coupe for $300. My plates: SUE-718. Suzy Corvair was born.
It didn't take long to get Suzy Corvair running on all six cylinders. The engine maladies were limited to a couple of broker rocker arms. A set of poly locks ensured that the valves would remain adjusted. Reliability had been achieved.
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Shown above, the author's first Corvair, SUE-718, circa 1971.
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A year later, I had the dents taken out by a local body shop. After repeated applications of Turtle Wax and Lemon Pledge, the Tahitian Turquoise paint assumed its rightful shine.
Then came the after-market performance parts: trombone exhaust extractors, quick ratio steering arms, heavy duty oil cooler, bucket seats, auxiliary gauges, and belted tires. I drove Miss Suzy to the limit on every winding road I could find, apexing the turns in four-wheel drifts. Suzy Corvair stuck to the road and handled just as well as Car & Driver had promised.
Time and years went by, and I sold Suzy Corvair. But you can't forget a first love, even if it's just a car. Night after night, I dreamed about walking into the garage and finding my shiny Suzy Corvair waiting for a drive. And I'd swing open the driver's door to get in. And then I'd wake up. There was only one cure.... I needed to have a Corvair again. And that's why there's a very real Corvair - LeHeap - parked in my garage today.
Janice: I guess I'll always be a Corvair nut! Thanks for that Car & Driver magazine!