<VV> Rare Corvair 1964 Monza

[Carl Briggs]

This is an e-mail from a diecast friend in Phoenix about his Corvair ownerships. I wondered if this car was known by the club or is it news. I can ask T any questions you might have.  Carl B

   Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 23:14:24 -0700 (PDT)
   From: T Man <azmvres@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: 1964 Spyder

Actually that 64 Spyder is one I bought in 94 from the
wife of a GM exec who had just passed away. Those
buckets are 64 Cadillac Eldorado issue 6-way power
frames -controls oddly under the dash, and the
upolstery, (Eldorado leather but more in the style of
a Bonneville I would say, including the fully custom
door panels and dash cover), had been custom done as
well - all original, never restored. Unfortunately the
original custom fiberglass parade boot made for it had
warped and cracked so it had been replaced with a
White custom made real leather one. I was given the
parade boot but it was too expensive to either fix or
replace, (which is why I guess he hadn't done it
either).  The 'carpeting' and trunk lining is matching
blue mouton, (lambskin), but looks gray in the pics. I
should have taken the mats out for the photos. I think
they used mouton on some Cadillacs back then as well. 
It was a 64 Auto Show circuit showcar. The paint was
ten coats of 64 Cadillac Firemist Blue hand-rubbed
according to the spec sheets I got along with photos
of every stage of its construction, (which of course
went with the car). When I got it it had power windows
but they didn't work if it was at all warm - I was
told that this was due to the small, unvented space in
Corvair doors, so I had them changed back to manuals.
It had just about anything you could imagine but AC
which was not very pretty on a 64 Corvair and I don't
know if there was actually space for it with a
turbocharger anyway. It has a real walnut steering
wheel, but manual top and 4-speed. It had a plaque
stating it was hand-built in the GM Design Center -
Chevolet Studios. When I got sick I sold it for almost
4-times what she sold it to me for, (she liked me and
'wanted me to have it'). I think if Barrett-Jackson
had better placed it - it was sold on Friday afternoon
rather than Friday night, Saturday or even Sunday, it
would have sold for much more. It was bought by an
agent so I don't know who actually bought it. I paid
$7500 for it and it had less than 2500 original miles
on it when I drove it away, but he had a full time
mechanic for his collection so it was in perfect
running condition, new rubber, new hand-made top et
cetera. The original top had matched the Firemist Blue
paint but unfortunately when he replaced it he
replaced it with a white one because he could not get
the properly matching blue fabric at that time, so I
was told. It had just under 9,000 miles on it when I
sold it. It had been kept in the garages on his estate
in Indian Wells, CA. I actually drove it home to
Phoenix without a single problem along the way altho I
had gone to pick it up with a trailer. I sold it at
Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale. My original new in fall
'62 1963 model was Laurel Green with a Black Interior
and White Top. He had a whole bunch of really
fantastic GM cars, many of them this kind of
semi-custom stand cars that were so popular at the
shows during that time. I think they did this sort to
test out customer reactions to upgrading the lines. I
remember seeing the original Monza on the stand in the
fall of 59 with special paint, trim and accessories,
many of which never made it into the stock Monza but
it sure drew a crowd. That car, a coupe, was a
metallic or pearl white with a red real leather
interior and buckets and it also had power windows and
a 4-speed. I will bet that half the original Monza
orders came sight unseen of the real Monza based on
the hand-built car at the shows.

"T"



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