<VV> rediscovered show car?

[Tony Underwood]

Today at the cruise-in I saw an odd Corvair.   It was black, shortened
about 18", had what looks like a double faring smoothly grafted onto the
rear deck area which matches the headrests on the seats, no roof, no top,
pure showcar.   Details about the car were sketchy and I'm suspicious about
it.    The owner, a guy named Bill Gessner from Dublin VA said the car was
one of two special-built Corvairs built in the early '60s for the show
circuit (the other being the Super-Spyder in the CPF).    He did insist
that GM built this car.    I've not seen it before... and it has a mixed
bag of credentials.   The engine appears to  be a 140 although the
crankcase code is RJ (95 HP) and the heads are 1965 140 heads.   The car
has a 1966-up style 140 badge on the rear decklid.   It's black w/silver
stripe down the middle not unlike the silver stripe down the middle of the
Super-Spyder in the CPF.   Indeed, this car is badged "Super Spyder" on the
sides of the rear fenders but the "Super" appears to be  the script off a
'67 Chevelle SS, and the "Sport" script is clipped off after the 'S' and
the "yder" script from a standard turbo Vair is added so that the script
reads:   

         Super 
        Spyder    

...only the letters don't match correctly.   

The car has a pair of bucket seats (obviously no back seats what with being
fairly short), Spyder dash and glovebox, with Super Spyder on the box door.
  It's sporting wire wheels, replacements for the originals which the owner
said the previous owner had replaced since they'd begun to oxidfize and
rust and they were loose etc.   The wheels appear to be standard type
wires.    The car has no battery box in back nor spare tire compartment,
left and right sides of the engine bay are paneled off w/sheet metal.
The twin farings which match the headrests on the two buckets are
supposedly all hand formed metal as done by GM and are blended into the
sheet metal of the rest of the rear section of the body.   The car has what
appears for all the world to be 1960 Buick headlight rims on it.   Rear
bumpers are split ala '63 Vette.    The steering wheel has a gold spider in
black cameo in the center of the horn button, not unlike the hubcap insert
of a '64 Spyder wheel cover.    There are 6 tail lights, 1962 style, with
backup lamps on the inside next to the license plate.   Front and rear deck
lids appear normal and unmodified.  The doors look stock although there are
no windows/glass in them and no outside door handles.  Owner said the PO
had removed door glass from them, not sure how it  was done unless it was
like the Super Spyder in the CPF.   There appears to be no provisions for
window cranks or electric window controls or anything else on the door
panels.    The windshield bow is smooth and shows no provisions for
attachment of a top of a folding top frame latch.    No  snaps or
attachment points on the car anywhere for any sort of top.   

The car bears an Arizona "constructed vehicle" VIN tag... owner says it's
like that because the car originally had no VIN.   It does have a Fisher
tag in the normal spot in the engine bay but it's covered by fuel
line/braided stainless hose and is covered by some fairly  thick paint,
hard to make anything out on it.  Supposedly the car is a '62 according to
the owner...  but I wasn't able to determine either way.   

I'm not sure what to make of this car... if it IS a GM concept showcar that
slipped by the masses and somehow managed to end up in the private sector
in the little town of Dublin VA it's sure a coincidence of grand
proportions.   According to current owner, the car wasn't always black.
Then again, I'm not quite sure what to believe about this car.   Were there
actually two different "Super Spyder" show cars built?    And if so, could
this one actually be the 2nd?   It's not as radical in styling as the one
in the CPF although it's not bad, and the work done to produce the car
looks well done.   

>From what I can tell, it looks like it might have once been some sort of
show car, maybe...  but has been modified a number of ways since it left
GM, IF it indeed is a bona fide GM built concept car.     


Anybody know anything about this car?    I have many photos.    If it does
sound like something genuine (although I'm suspicious) maybe somebody can
give me some additional data on the car providing any data exists.   The
owner feels  it's worth 65,000 bucks and has it insured for that much.    


The appearance of the car is excellent.   It does look good and doesn't
appear to be a cobbled up me-too style of cloned showcar.   If it's not a
GM production, somebody did a really good job of shortening the car and
doing the sheet metal grafting etc.   Overall, it looks the part...
EXCEPT for the later vintage lettering on the fenders in back and the 1965
style 140 engine which was evidently assembled from several different
engine parts.    The engine has a '64 style blower bearing on top, std
appearing late fan.   Alternator, no generator.   It appears to run very
well.      


The current owner says the car has been in private hands for a long time,
mostly in California and said that until he got it the car had never been
east of the Mississippi.   Makes me wonder about Willow Run...   and
elsewhere.          



Somebody tell me something about this car.    If photos are required, I'll
attach something to an e-mail.   


tony..