In the long and rich history of American automotive oddities, few cars stand out as much as the Chevrolet Corvair.
This was, and remains, the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, and it was also the first to feature turbocharging.
The Corvair is one of the all-time rear-engined greats, but Chevrolet has no plans to recreate this weird and wonderful machine, which is why a French company called NewRide has taken the task upon itself, and the result is nothing short of amazing.
The tribute car named the 'Corvair 2020' (the car was meant to debut at the 2020 SEMA show), bears a striking resemblance to the original car, but unfortunately, one of the original car's most notable features, its rear-engine layout, has not been replicated.
This machine is based on a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro. There might not be an engine in the back, but at least the engine in the front is a good one: a 6.2-liter LT1 V8.
The exterior of this car is definitely the highlight; it features custom carbon fiber body panels, and even though the proportions are a bit off, it's impressive how NewRide has incorporated the Camaro's windshield and frame into the design.
The headlights have been borrowed from a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and the side mirrors from a Volkswagen Polo. There's even a bit of Ferrari in this build; the tail lights were stolen from a Ferrari 812 Superfast.
The Chevrolet Corvair was produced in 1960 and was built to compete with the more famous and wildly successful Volkswagen Beetle. The Corvair was known and loved for its kooky looks but was marred with controversy.
The Chevy Corvair was dubbed unsafe to drive, and claims were made of its unpredictable handling, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cleared its name in the 1970s.
Production of the second generation car ended in 1969, with only 6,000 cars being produced for that model year. The Corvair famously featured a turbocharged engine in 1962, which made a mighty 95 horsepower but would eventually be tuned to make 180 horsepower and offered impressive performance for its size.
The car's interior clearly resembles that of a standard Chevrolet Camaro, but NewRide has done its best to make the cabin look more unique.
There's a custom steering wheel in place, but the stock dashboard and seats remain. If this is something that tickles your fancy, we've got good news: NewRide plans on producing these cars in limited numbers in Orange County and plans to introduce convertible and Sportwagon examples too.
