The reason I dislike Ralph Nader...

[TheMightyFavog]

:rant:

He killed off one of the most inventive, beautiful and (for its time) fuel efficient cars made in Detroit.



The Chevrolet Corvair.

Yes, the early moidels had handling problems. But I really don't think there was a conspiracy on the part of GM. The truth of the matter is American Automobile Engineers had no experience whatsoever with the rear engine, rear wheel drive layout (aka RR). With this in mind of course there were going to be mistakes. In fact, GM had fixed most of the Corvair's handling problems by the time that shit-idiot's book came out by simply moving the motor itself an inch or two to get a better center of gravity. Throw the fact vast majority of Americans did not know how to properly handle a car with an RR layout, and it's no wonder the Corvair had the problems it did. Hell, at the time it came out, the only major mass market car to have the RR layout was the VW Beetle. (Yes I know, a number of Porsches and the Fiat 500 had the RR layout, but they weren't exactly a common sight here in the States.)

So, Ralph, Fuck you for screwing up the 2000 election, and fuck you for killing a really neat and potentially innovative automobile, and most of all fuck you for killing further development of the RR layout in the United States!

And yes, once I save up enough money, I will buy myself a Corvair in good condition with a nice powder blue paint job so I can do my part in preserving the legacy of this impressive piece of American Engineering.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Second car I ever got was a used Corvair.

Thing ran like a dream,and I had NO PROBLEMS with handling at all.

I loved that car!

[TheMightyFavog]

2. What year?

GM had the handling problems pretty well much taken care of by the '65 model year.

[SeattleGirl]

3. '66 I believe.

It was a long time ago, so I don't recall the exact year.

[Fenris]

4. This tops my list of why I hate him.

Not that the Corvair didn't have severe handling issues when it first came out. Nader flogged GM's design failure to a ridiculous degree. When he got involved it didn't matter how thoroughly GM had fixed the problem; the PR damage was done.

[TheMightyFavog]

10. Which, as I said, stemmed from the engineer's unfamiliarty with the RR layout.

Had they picked up some engineers from Porsche, VW, Fiat, or other European or Japanese makers who were familiar with the RR layout, they could have saved themselves a whole lot of grief.

You gotta admit though, the RR layout is famous for some really sweet rides!



IIRC, one of the DUers here has one of these!

[redqueen]

11. Looks like a Karman Ghia

[KG]

5. the Corvair was an impressive piece of American Engineering?

:rofl:

[TheMightyFavog]

9. It was different.

Everything else on the Market at the time was Front engine Rear wheel drive!

[KG]

14. wel, ok! different it certainly was.

but truly, not much that has come Detroit would quaify as an engineering achievment.

[TheMightyFavog]

6. kick for the lunchtime crowd

:kick:

[billyskank]

7. Ralph Nader is a hero

who has done more for Americans, including those who badmouth him, than probably anybody else in living memory.

[Deep13]

13. Hmmm.

[billyskank]

16. And this is why you guys keep losing.

[LeftyMom]

15. True.

If anybody you know has walked away from a serious accident, all the safety equipment the Big Three didn't want to add probably have a lot to do with it. And a lot of that is there because of Nader. When he started drawing attention to this mess most American cars didn't have seatbelts, and some European cars were already starting to use three point belts (standard in Volvos in the rear seats from the 60's, standard in American cars in the rear seats from '89. Ouch.)

[Midlodemocrat]

8. My dad had a 66 Corvair when I was a kid.

Blue. Nice little car.

[redqueen]

12. My dad had a couple of those...

he sold them off years ago, though.

Pretty... I miss creative designs in cars... where did all the artistry go?