The Last Corvair

When the Chevrolet Corvair was introduced in 1959, its fresh engineering was hailed as the forerunner of a new age of innovation in Detroit. The compact auto, designed to stop the imported car invasion, featured an air-cooled rear engine made largely of aluminum. It was the creation of Chevy General Manager Edward N. Cole, now president of General Motors. But the Corvair's plain Jane appearance did not seduce as many buyers as G.M. had expected. Restyled with bucket seats and a four-on-the-floor shift, the car gained popularity as something of an American sports car. Enthusiasts liked its jaunty look and responsive steering. Corvair owners be came Corvair lovers, and they joined more than 140 Corvair clubs.

The object of their affection turned out to be fatally fickle. Because of Corvair's heavy tail and its unique rear suspension system, critics charged that its rear wheels sometimes "tucked under" on corners, causing an alarming tendency for the car to roll over. The car was also vulnerable to side winds that caused unexpected sashays on the road. A redesign of the rear axle and other modifications fixed those failings in 1964. More than 150 lawsuits were filed for more than $25 million in damages.

G.M. won four of the suits, had many dismissed and settled 47 out of court for a total of $340,000; nearly 60 are still pending. All this attracted the attention of Ralph Nader, the one-man consumers' lobby. He devoted the first chapter of his book, Unsafe at Any Speed, to an attack on the Corvair. During a series of congressional hearings, Nader followed up by calling the Corvair "the leading candidate for the un-safest-car title." The assault was lethal; sales plummeted from 220,000 in 1965 to 14,800 last year.

G.M. did not want to drop the car while it was under attack, but Corvair's days were obviously numbered. Last week, as the 1,710,018th Corvair rolled off the line, the company halted production. Mourned by its many loyal admirers, the model has now joined Edsel, De Soto, La Salle and some 3,000 others in the great auto graveyard.