Corvair , Chevrolet ’s first compact car , featured a rear - mount , breeze - chill engine like the VW Beetle . Chevy followed the German company ’s lead further by turning the Corvair into a new wave and a pickup with the 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside Pickup .
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rebirth from a sedan to a van / pickup involved move the equipment driver seat forward over the front wheels . Total length remain at 180 inch , but wheelbase actually quail from 108 to 95 inches .
In the event of a crash , the equipment driver ’s foot were dangerously secretive to front bumper , but behind him was a truck bed 105 inches in duration or , in the van , a load deck 114 inches long . The Corvair Greenbrier Dipper could be fit with three wrangle of tush – offering the room and versatility of a minivan .
The commercial serial was badged " Corvair 95 " for its wheelbase . Three models were offered – Corvan , Loadside , and Rampside . The Corvan was a gore vanguard . The Loadside was a getaway with conventional double - walled box seat and rearward tailgate , while the Rampside added a door on the right side of the bed that folded down to form a Allium tricoccum .
Unique to Corvair , this feature film allow big stacks to be rolled instead of lift into the bed , and Chevrolet gross sales lit never missed a opportunity to exemplify it . The top border was insure with rubber to protect it when lowered to the ground or curbing .
The loading layer was tenacious than a ceremonious truck ’s bed , but was n’t level . The rear half of the floor had to be raised to empty the locomotive .
Fortunately , the Corvair ’s six was n’t very tall . Two horizontal banks of cylinders face up each other with the crankshaft in the middle . Chevrolet knew that a heavy engine mount in the rear would be bother for handling , and encompassing use of aluminum kept weight down – although some argued that handling was still a trouble .
Unusual for an American economic system car , the Corvair had double carburetor . The thickset 145 - cid unit put out 80 horsepower and , important for a motortruck , 128 pound - foundation of torsion . A top - go up fan provided the atmosphere for the aviation - cooled locomotive engine .
A three - speed manual transmission was received , but four - pep pill manual of arms and Powerglide two - speed automatic transmissions were optional .
In 1960 , Chevrolet was the first major hand truck detergent builder to switch to independent front suspension . The Corvair 95 move the full - size trucks one better by extend full independent suspension via the swing - axle rear suspension share with Corvair sedans . In spite of its passenger - car origins , the Corvair 95 pay - load was corresponding to full - size Chevy trucks .
Corvair 95 sales never took off and pickups were never as democratic as Corvans . ( The 1963 Rampside listed for $ 2,212 when new , but found only 2,046 buyers . )
Ford introduced the Falcon - base Econoline at the same meter . Just as the conventionally engineer Falcon outsold the Corvair , the Econoline beat the Corvair 95 . Chevrolet fought back with a front - engined Chevy Van in 1964 , but without a pickup version . Corvair van and pickup yield ended that twelvemonth , although some Greenbrier Wain were sold as 1965s .
The 1963 Rampside pictured here features a radio , chrome bumper , and the four - speed transmission system .
