<VV> MORE bad press

[kenpepke at juno.com]

 I had glanced at that article earlier and left it with the 
feeling it was poorly written and let it go at that.  Now 
that the following entries have surfaced I decided to go 
quickly through the story and see if it was accurate but 
brief.  Below is my evaluation:




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Tony,If this is what you read,http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/autos/0708/gallery.questionable_cars/7.htmlI'd say it was pretty much correct even though brief.Did I miss some other portion where they were just way off base?Later, JRCCE CORVANANTICS CORSA member'61 Rampside Standard 4/110'65 Monza Convertible 4/140'66 beater 500 Coupe "icemobile" 4/140 (50%)----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Underwood" <tonyu at roava.net>To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 9:59 AMSubject: <VV> MORE bad press>>>       Group:>> DAMNED if they're not at it AGAIN.    >:-o>> This time it's CNN.     Doesn't ANYBODY ever check their 
"sources"?

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Critique by Ken Pepke:
The rear-engined Corvair, designed to compete against sporty European models then 
gaining popularity, earned a special place in automotive history. 
TRUE






It was the subject of a chapter in Ralph Nader's book "Unsafe at Any Speed," which detailed
TRUE; AT LEAST PART OF A CHAPTER 

the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />U.S. auto industry's overall reluctance to take safety seriously.
FALSE- US MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN IMPROVING VEHICLE SAFETY SINCE THE START
The Corvair's alleged problems stemmed from its unusual rear-engined lay-out and the 
suspension that held it up. 
DI DION SUSPENSION IS USED ON TENS OF THOUSANDS EUROPEAN CARS FRONT & REAR 
ENGINE BOTH; HARDLY UNUSUAL

That design led to unstable emergency handling, 
FALSE

according to Nader. 
TRUE<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
It's hard to say whether the Corvair was much more dangerous than other cars of its time.
FALSE – PROVED TO BE AMONG THE BEST

This was the early 1960s 
TRUE

when safety was still, as Nader's book pointed out, a barely acknowledged afterthought.
 FALSELY ASSUMES MR NADER'S ALLEGATIONS WERE CORRECT                                          


 (Try to find anyone wearing a seatbelt in a 1960s car ad. For that matter, try to find a seat belt.) 
FALSE – FORD MOTOR COMPANY RAN EXTENSIVE SAFETY ADS FOR THE 1956 / 1957
MODEL YEARS – INCLUDED DEEP DISH STEERING WHEELS, PADDED DASH, PADDED
VISORS, AND SEAT BELTS – THIS CAMPAIGN WAS NOT ACCEPTED BY THE PUBLIC

You could probably name any number of cars that were, arguably, just as dangerous for a variety 
of reasons, including a few models that are remembered fondly today. 
FALSELY ASSUMES MR NADER’S ALLEGATIONS WERE CORRECT – REMEMBER THE CORVAIR
WON EVERY COURT CASE AGAINST THE CAR’S ENGINEERING

But the Corvair got top billing as a death trap and General Motors 
NEWS MEDIA  SENSATIONALISM  DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ESTABLISHMENT OF FACT

did its part to ensure a lasting impression. 
FALSE IMPRESSION

Instead of just improving the Corvair's rear suspension, which it did,
FALSE – IMPLIES THAT THE ORIGINAL SUSPENSION WAS DEFECTIVE -- THE LM SUSPENSION 
IS EVEN BETTER; THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE EM DESIGN EITHER DANGEROUS OR FAULTY



GM also hired private investigators to dig up dirt on Nader. The private eyes didn't get any 
dirt, but they did succeed in forever typecasting GM as America's favorite auto industry bad guy
TRUE

and the Corvair as a killer. 
FALSE TYPECASTING DOES NOT ESTABLISH FACT
GM and the Corvair, by being such an easy target, ultimately helped bring about the creation 
of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and things like crash tests and safety 
standards. 
AMERICAN CAR COMPANIES ESTABLISHED CRASH TESTING IN THE TEENS AND TWENTIES, 
50 YEARS BEFORE 

There can be no question that our automobiles are much safer today as a result. 
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH AS FACT THAT THE CAR COMPANIES WOULD NOT 
HAVE GOT THERE ON THEIR OWN AS THEY HAD BEEN DEVELOPING IMPROVEMENTS FROM 
THE START
Before all the bad press finally clobbered sales, 
FALSE -- CORVAIR SALES WERE ‘CLOBBERED’ BY THE MUSTANG -- YEARS BEFORE THE
 'BAD PRESS'

despite the improved rear suspension, 
ASSUMES EVIDENCE NOT ESTABLISHED -- IMPLIES THE BUYING PUBLIC STOPPED BUYING
THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE EM SUSPENSION 
the Corvair was produced in a surprising variety of body styles including a van, a station 
wagon, and a pickup truck with a side ramp. In all, about 1.8 million were made. 
TRUE

*

Apparently this author may have not done as much research as they could have.
Kind of odd how easy it is to miss something when reading :-)
KP