<VV> <late spoiler>

[Bill Elliott]

I was not aware of any changes in ride height for the 1966 Corvair with the exception of slightly larger 
tires... and I had always understood that the spoiler was added because it was an extremely cheap way to 
increase high speed stability. Having driven the same car both with and without a spoiler, there is a 
noticable "seat of the pants" difference... but two different cars (with different tires, springs, and/or shocks) 
it wouldn't be as obvious.

I am NOT an expert on CA laws by any means... but

To my understanding, the newly revised headlight standards were part of the Nader-influenced DOT rules 
put in place at the Federal level in 1968 and the Corvair met those without additional modification. (This is 
when cars with covered headlamps were outlawed...and cars like the XKE and FIAT 850 Sport Spyder 
gained uglier upright headlamps pushed forward from their previously recessed positions.) But I'm not 
aware of any cars being "raised" in this round of laws... but several were discontinued from the US market 
(Austin Healey, Mini, etc). I'll do some more research and see exactly why the Mini was pulled....

I was only aware of one "waiver" that the Corvair received... and that was the lack of a steering column lock 
that was also part of these DOT rules.

To my understanding, most low slung sports cars were not discontinued or "raised" until required by the 
next huge round of DOT specs in 1975 when impact standards were introduced (requiring cars like the 
MGB to be raised 2.5" and to add huge ungainly rubber bumpers... this was the same law that ended the 
XKE...)

Bill Elliott

On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 09:47:17 -0500, N. Joseph Potts wrote:

>This is a fascinating bit of Corvair history. I haven't noticed any
>difference in the handling (at speed) of my 66 with or without its (stock)
>spoiler. Can you point to any source for this fact (California headlight
>laws, etc.)?