Stunning Photos of the 1954 Chevrolet Corvair, Praised as a Revolutionary Aerodynamic Design



The Corvair dream car was an experimental two-passenger fastback. It was built with a fiberglass body and was touted as a “new aerodynamic design” for the closed sports car class.

The streamlined roofline swept back into the jet exhaust-type rear opening. It was originally a ruby-red color for the New York City Motorama in January but had repainted in a lighter hue by the time of the Los Angeles show in March.

The roof of the car was interesting in a couple ways. First, it gave a glimpse of the quarter window and C-pillar treatment of the 1958 Chevrolet line, much like the Biscayne did a year later. Secondly, the addition of a fastback roof did not alter the Corvair’s interior layout.

One would have expected that it would have had a finished-off cargo area, perhaps even equipped with fitted luggage, as was a common practice with sports cars at the time. Instead, the body appeared to have the roof grafted right on to a production Corvette, as there is no storage area behind the seats.

The stock trunk area is used with a decklid contoured to the new roofline. The seats had the production fiberglass divider between them, just like a stock Corvette roadster. The area is even body-colored, which actually makes for a very attractive, albeit unusual interior layout for a closed coupe. The remainder of the interior is largely stock, with custom white seat covers and chromed interior C-pillar trim pieces.

Unfortunately for this particular machine, it was the only one of the three that did not reach production in some form. With Corvette sales becoming sluggish during the 1954 model year, it was seen by product planners as too high a gamble. The time for a Corvette fastback eventually did come, though nearly a decade later and on a new-generation machine.




















Related Posts

1965 Buick Riviera with a 730 hp LSX V8

Detroit Speed built this 1965 Buick Riviera at their company in Mooresville, North Carolina. In the engine bay sits a Mast Motorsports’ 468 ci Black Label…

1995 Jeep Wrangler Upgraded with a Powerful Coyote V8 Engine

Happy Trails 4×4 built this 1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ at their company in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Under the hood they installed a 5.0 L Coyote V8…

1970 Plymouth Cuda with a 900 hp NASCAR V8

This 1970 Plymouth Cuda called “Notorious Cuda” was built by Monro Racecars and Rides by Kam in Australia. The car is powered by a 358 ci…

Almost New Silver Corvette Sat 44 Years in a Private Collection With Only 5k Miles

So first of all, it’s the Silver Anniversary of one very stunning car that led the 1978 Indianapolis 500. Second, and maybe more interestingly, it has…

Retro Rumble: The Exciting Collision of Classic and Modern Muscle Cars on the Track

Today’s Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are all impressive cars with retro styling and powerful V8 engines capable of producing 400-500 horsepower, making them perfect for tire-smoking…

Top 10 Fastest Muscle Cars of 1969: Original Prices vs. Current Values

The muscle car era of 1964-1971 was a time of hippies, rock and roll, and the space race. Muscle cars from that period were beautifully styled,…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *