Back in 1967 when I was graduating from high school my dad agreed to let me buy a car. I was going to commute to college in the Detroit area and would need transportation to do so. My dad had a friend who lived in Birmingham Michigan who had a neighbor that worked at Chevrolet. I knew him as a staff engineer but unknown to me at the time he was so much more. Due to his position he was allowed two new cars every year. He could then sell those cars to anyone he desired but the money he got went back to the company. In 1965 he choose a Corvair Monza for his wife and a Impala convertible for himself. He sold those two cars to my dad's friend and his neighbor the following year as he did almost every year. Upon hearing that I would need a car my dad's friend offered me either of the Chevy's he had. Naturally I wanted the convertible but my dad nixed that quickly. I ended up with the now two year old Corvair for $1100.00. Now I know most of you probably think I got a raw deal and I thought so too at the time, but here's where the story gets good. The Corvair was a Monza with the 4- 1 barrel carb package and 4 spd manual trans. It was fun to drive, got great gas mileage, was great in the snow but the carbs were a pain in the butt to keep synchronized. It got a reputation as a poor man's Porsche. It was a beautiful deep green metallic with a tan leather interior. Note I said leather, not naugahyde as most cars had as premium trim back then. The car also had a wood steering wheel from a corvette and full instrumentation instead of a bunch of idiot lights so common back then. On the back side of the glove box door there was a small plack that read "Made for Ed Cole". How I wish I still had that car. I bet it would be worth a few bucks now-a-days. By 1970 it was dying a slow death from significant rust which most cars died from in those days. I had to trade it in on a new car. Had I known then what I know now I should have been sent to the same graveyard the car was probably sent too.
(Ed Cole at the time my Corvair was made was the chief staff engineer and head executive of the Chevrolet division. He designed the Corvair mechanicals and coordinated the redesign in 1965 after going head to head with ralph nader. I believe but can't confirm that the 65 corvair I got was one of the very first made. He later led the design and introduction of the Chevy Vega recognizing the need for small cars in the future. He became the President of GM in 1967 but was still very much an engineer at heart.)
Post note: In 1968 my dad's friend ended up getting a 1967 Firebird convertible (one of the first made) and a 67 GTO convertible. Mr. Cole had pretty good taste when it came to picking cars for himself (and eventually his neighbors!). Wish I or my dad could have picked one of those up.
(Ed Cole at the time my Corvair was made was the chief staff engineer and head executive of the Chevrolet division. He designed the Corvair mechanicals and coordinated the redesign in 1965 after going head to head with ralph nader. I believe but can't confirm that the 65 corvair I got was one of the very first made. He later led the design and introduction of the Chevy Vega recognizing the need for small cars in the future. He became the President of GM in 1967 but was still very much an engineer at heart.)
Post note: In 1968 my dad's friend ended up getting a 1967 Firebird convertible (one of the first made) and a 67 GTO convertible. Mr. Cole had pretty good taste when it came to picking cars for himself (and eventually his neighbors!). Wish I or my dad could have picked one of those up.
