CORVAIR ~ A LIFETIME LOVE AFFAIR
As Told by Steven Schnier
My “Corvair Story” began in June of 1963. My family had been a Chevrolet family, and my Mother had just acquired a four-door, metallic blue 1962 Corvair for family use. It was then that I began to long for not just a Corvair, but a Corvair Spyder. It arrived in June of 1963, the day after High School graduation: 150 HP, turbo-charged, Palomar Red, black bucket seats, and a four-speed, complete with chrome rims.
The Spyder took me to the University of California, and was my closest inanimate friend for a number of years, seeing me through the Free Speech Movement, the arrival of The Beatles, and reality checks at the Oakland Draft Induction Center.
Some years later, I let the Corvair get away, selling her and spending the proceeds on a 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS, a Triumph motorcycle, and a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar.
This is a photo of the 1963 predecessor to my current Spyder (along with the 1963 version of the current owner).
Then, just a few years ago, it was time to undo that mistake. I sold a number of duplicate 1959 and 1060 Topps baseball cards, went looking for a Spyder Coupe, and found one for sale in Michigan.
My current Spyder is almost identical to the one that had seen me through college in the mid-1960s. It is a 1964 Palomar Red Coupe with black interior. This time, instead of chrome reversed rims it has a set of Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, but otherwise is a constant prompt for long-recessed memories.
Steven and Ana Marie have entered a car in the Orinda Classic Car show for the past 11 years.