My 1966 Corvair Corsa 180hp Turbo project | |
Tens of thousands of pages have been written about the Corvair, about the fact that Ralph Nader did NOT kill it,
and about how revolutionary and innovative it was when it appeared in 1960. I will not rehash all that, but simply
point you to several other web sites if you want to read more about the car.
I first became interested in the Corvair in 1999 when I first heard it had been adapted for use in experimental aircraft. It is a nearly perfect aircraft engine, being an air-cooled, horizontally opposed 6 cylinder engine with a harmonic damper and forged crankshaft, and approximately the same weight as an equivalent power certified aircraft engine at about 1/10th the cost. There's one thing I've discovered about Corvairs. Just mention you're rebuilding a Corvair, and anybody over 40 will get a smile on their face and start telling you a story about SOMEONE in their family who had one, and what a great little car it was. Without fail. (Not one person has every told me the car had been dangerous at any speed!) The car seems to evoke great memories from everyone. So, after completely rebuilding a Corvair engine from 1999 to 2004 to put in my Dragonfly, I found myself less fearful of tackling a restoration project. Since I am used to driving fast cars, my search for a project was naturally restricted to the convertibles with the higher horsepower ratings. After looking around for a suitable project, I finally found exactly what I had been looking for, a second generation (aka "Late Model") convertible with a 180 horsepower turbo engine, which I am featuring here. The 1966 Corsa Convertible Turbo is one of the most rare models of the Corvairs. (One sold recently on eBay for over $19,000!) In model year 1966, production was 103,743 units, or less than half the previous year's total. Of those, only 3,142 were Corsa convertibles (technically Model #66-10767). And only between 527 and 643 (the exact number is not known due to a fire at GM that destroyed the records) of those had the 180hp turbo engine. As I was unloading this car from the auto transporter, a guy drove up and asked me if I wanted to buy another one for $600 that his buddy had parked in his back yard. I had always wondered why nobody seemed to own JUST ONE of these things! SpecificationsEngine: Horizontally opposed 6 cylinders, air cooled, 163.6 cubic inches, 180 horsepower turbocharger, single carburetor, 3.438 bore, 2.938 stroke, 8.25:1 compression, 180HP at 4,000RPMDrive Train: 4 speed Saginaw manual transmission, Positraction 3.55:1 final gear ratio Vehicle Dimensions: 108" wheelbase, 184" length, 69.7" width, 7.00x14 tires, 2540 lbs curb weight, 5.4" ground clearance |
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This page will chronicle... |
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 ...How the car will go from this |
 To something more like this!(This car belongs to Bill Casey) |
Here are the Photos! |
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