<VV> [SCG] "last Corvair built" and Charlie

[Mark Corbin]

I swear, somebody ought to buy the car as a mercy-purchase, then separate
it from that infamous letter and send it on its merry way. The letter
should then end up in the CPF museum archives, just for laughs.

-Mark


> [Original Message]
> Subject: Re: [SCG] "last Corvair built" and Charlie
>
> Hi,
> Yes, Bill, I know all about it. The whole story is in "1969 Fingertip
Facts", the book that Mark Ellis and I did about 1969 Vairs. The book was
published by Clark's Corvair and is available through them.
> This is a story that just won't die. The car is indeed 5214, and is the
last Corvair sold by GM, but not the last one built. It was the last of a
group of '69 Corvairs retained by GM, and was offered at auction to Chevy
dealers in 1975.
> Unfortunately a letter accompanied the car, stating that "regardless of
serial number" it was the last Corvair built. The Chevy sales department
executive who wrote the letter has admitted that the car was not the last
one, not only to me but to an internal GM auditor who made him sign another
letter to that effect. The bottom line was that he misinterpreted what was
told to him by Chevy's manufacturing manager, who also told me that the car
was just the last Vair that GM sold.
> It's interesting that RM auctions contacted Mark last month, asking about
the authenticity of the car. Mark told them the real story and thought they
believed and understood it. RM is selling the car for Art Astor, would
never accept what we had to say about 5214. I suspect that what he had paid
for the car made the truth a bitter pill to swallow and he didn't want to
devalue his investment.
> Likewise, RM probably hopes to get a lot more for the car by perpetuating
the myth. They're guilty of false advertising as far as I'm concerned.
> Dave Newell
>
> -- Wrsssatty at aol.com wrote:
> The current (June '08) issue of Hemmings includes an ad listing "the last

> Corvair built" to be auctioned at RM Auctions.  I called and was told
it's  # 
> 5214.  Does anyone know what the story is here?  If you want to call 
them, the 
> number is: (800) 211-4371.
>
> BTW, Guess who else is advertising Corvairs now in Hemmings?  Our very 
own 
> Charlie!  His ad reads:
>
> "CORVAIR, Corvair, Corvair, since 1961, send SASE with inquiry. Corvair,  
> Corvair, Corvair, "   Well, you already know the address!
>
> ~Bill Stanley
>