The infamous Chevrolet Corvair was not one of Chevrolet's finest moments. Although the second generation remains a pretty design, and despite the car's novel rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, the original's swing axle suspension resulted in some undesirable handling characteristics that led to several lawsuits.

The Corvair couldn't shake off its image as an unsafe car after that. Now, Abimelec Design has resurrected our memory of the Corvair in an altogether more positive way. The designer calls it the Corv8, a visualization of what a 1965 Corvair would look like with the engine and transaxle of today's Corvette C8.

Not many would have made the link between these two totally different Chevrolets, but with the latest C8 being a mid-engined design, it's possibly not the craziest idea ever. In Abimelec's concept, the V8/dual-clutch transaxle rests on a custom cradle design partially based on the structure of a Porsche 550 Spyder. For the pushrod suspension, the designer drew inspiration from the Koenigsegg One:1.

Not much about the Corvair's body was changed, although wider fenders were required for the monster powertrain. There's also a lower front lip in carbon fiber, and at the back, an auto-deploying "air brake" activates under hard braking.

The sight of the V8 through the back window within the surrounds of the Corvair's classic lines is bizarre but undeniably cool. There seems to be little separation between the engine and passenger compartments, which should be wonderful for acoustics but not so wonderful when it comes to cabin heat build-up.

Overall, though, it's a thoroughly inventive and technical render that goes well beyond the usual one or two sketches of the body. To drive, it'd probably be a handful, but it doesn't hurt to imagine what the Corvair coupe could have become if its reputation wasn't so badly tarnished by the original's handling woes, not to mention the rapid rise of the Ford Mustang around about the same period.