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For anyone not familiar with it: The 1960 Corvair suspension design (swing axle) is shared with many older European cars, the most popular being the VW Beetle

For anyone not familiar with it: The 1960 Corvair suspension design (swing axle) is shared with many older European cars, the most popular being the VW Beetle (with which it also shared the rear engine position). It was no more unsafe than most other cars on the road, and Nader is generally considered to be incorrect on this specific point in the book. I can't speak to the rest, as that is the point that I'm most familiar with. Also, the second generation Corvair is one of the most beautiful cars ever built IMO [0], and shares it's suspension design with the Corvette (unequal A-Arms at all four corners). Interestingly it's design study is what was used to do the first generation Camaro/Firebird as GM had nothing ready to compete with the Mustang. To get even more interesting about the Corvair (I grew up around someone who had 12+ of them...): the engine is one of only three families that spins "backwards": The Corvair, The Renault (correction from comment: Citroën!) 2CV, and the Honda D/B/H series. This was due to the transmission being a standard GM transmission thrown in a different case with the rearend attached, and a jackshaft going back to the engine, making the reverse rotation necessary. A couple of people have actually installed Honda B series engines on these [1], which surprisingly works quite well on the old transmission since they make little torque and rev very high. It's also why there were kits to put a V8 in the back seat by removing the jackshaft and mounting it to the normal GM transmission input. [0]: https://www.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2012/03/hrdp-1202-1966-chevrolet-corvair-monza-the-corvin8er-000.jpg?fit=around%7C1000:625 https://www.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2012/03/hrdp-1202-19... [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t493sSD-V80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t493sSD-V80

Svip 5y ago
> The Renault 2CV Do you mean the Citroën 2CV or the Renault 4CV? I assume the former, because I recall something about the reverse spinning of its engine.
- CobaltFire 5y ago
  Wow, you are absolutely right. I'll edit the comment if that's alright!
jaclaz 5y ago
>... the engine is one of only three families that spins "backwards" ... Yes and no, I believe there are more than three, here is a fourth one: The FIAT 100 engine[0] (in it's latest incarnation actually 903 cc that was derived from the original FIAT 600 was originally 600, then 750 and 850) was rear mounted on the 850[1] (and was spinning in one direction) the following series of cars (FIAT 127 [2], Autobianchi A112[3]) used the same engine but front mounted and it was spinning in the opposite direction). But most probably there are more examples in lesser known brands around the time they all moved from rear wheel traction to front wheel (roughly end of '60's begin of '70's). [0] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motore_FIAT_100 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motore_FIAT_100 [1] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_850 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_850 [2] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127 [3] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A112 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A112
- CobaltFire 5y ago
  I wasn’t aware of that, oddly since I am familiar (if only slightly) with the Fiat 127. Thanks!
  - jaclaz 5y ago
    You are welcome, BTW, it is the 850 only that has the engine spinning "opposite", the previous 600 and 750 were "right" (like the 127), so - in theory - you can mount a 903 cc from a 127 on a 600 but not on a 850 (unless you change the camshaft and don't know what other parts, probably the water pump ).

Svip 5y ago

> The Renault 2CV Do you mean the Citroën 2CV or the Renault 4CV? I assume the former, because I recall something about the reverse spinning of its engine.

CobaltFire 5y ago
Wow, you are absolutely right. I'll edit the comment if that's alright!

jaclaz 5y ago

>... the engine is one of only three families that spins "backwards" ... Yes and no, I believe there are more than three, here is a fourth one: The FIAT 100 engine[0] (in it's latest incarnation actually 903 cc that was derived from the original FIAT 600 was originally 600, then 750 and 850) was rear mounted on the 850[1] (and was spinning in one direction) the following series of cars (FIAT 127 [2], Autobianchi A112[3]) used the same engine but front mounted and it was spinning in the opposite direction). But most probably there are more examples in lesser known brands around the time they all moved from rear wheel traction to front wheel (roughly end of '60's begin of '70's). [0] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motore_FIAT_100 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motore_FIAT_100 [1] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_850 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_850 [2] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127 [3] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A112 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A112

CobaltFire 5y ago
I wasn’t aware of that, oddly since I am familiar (if only slightly) with the Fiat 127. Thanks!
- jaclaz 5y ago
  You are welcome, BTW, it is the 850 only that has the engine spinning "opposite", the previous 600 and 750 were "right" (like the 127), so - in theory - you can mount a 903 cc from a 127 on a 600 but not on a 850 (unless you change the camshaft and don't know what other parts, probably the water pump ).