<VV> Styling: Camaro, Corvair & John Fitch.

[James P. Rice]

All:  The confusion people have with LM Corvair and EM Camaro is easy to
understand.  They were styled by the same people at GM Design.  When the
studio (I don't remember which one it was off the top of my head) finished
the LM Corvair, they immediately started on the EM Camaro.    Besides, if
you look at the Chevy product line in the mid sixties, there is common
styling DNA: back slanted fronts, roof line, fender creases, hump over rear
wheel and three surface back sides.  Put the entire GM product line in a
room, tell any normal inteligent personal the Chevy styling DNA, and I think
they would ID all the Chevy's.

Mark said: "And John Fitch was known for his taste in styling."  Really?
I'll gladly admit - and admire - his style as a human being, but he wasn't a
stylist as we understand the term in relationship to cars.  The roof line of
the LM Sprint was lifted off the Porsche 904 GTS and/or the Ferrari 250LM.
Both appeared in late '63.  John did not style his Phoenix either.  Colby
Whitmore did.  Whitmore was a painter of some note, and they were good
friends.  It is reported Mitchell and Jordan borrowed the Phoenix for a
couple hours when John drove it to the Tech Center.  It is very unlikely the
Phoenix contributed to the C3 Corvette roof line either.  It already was a
work in process, and GM Design lifted the C3's roof line from the before
mentioned Porsche and/or Ferrari.

If you want to see the something ungainly, go find a picture of John's
effort with the EM Firebird.  It was called the "Fitchbird."  Pontiac had
the good sense to do the TA instead.

Please understand John Fitch is one of my heroes, not for his Corvairs, but
for his service in WWII from day one till the end.  He has never talked
about it.  His autobiography is about 300 pages, only 10 of which are about
the war.  His exploits in the 50's as a race car driver and team manager
were exceptional.  He has been a first rate engineer along the way.  He is
the inventor of the yellow sand filled barrels we see along interstate.
Used his own money and drove the crash test car.

During the several times I've been the same place with him, including a hour
long interview in the late 80's, he has been modest, kind and a gentleman of
the first order.  But please, just don't get me started about how much I
admire him....but a stylist he isn't.  "Merely" one of the  greatest human
being I've ever met.

Historically Yours,
                   James Rice
                   CORSA member since mid-70's
                   Former Chairman of the Competition Committee
                   Member of original CPF Advisorary Committee
                   CORSA/CPF BoD member and CPF Liaison 1999-01
                   Occasional contributor to the Communique

***************************************

Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org]On Behalf Of
virtualvairs-request at corvair.org
Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 12:56 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Styling: Camaro, Corvair & John Fitch.

Message: 8
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 13:31:36 -0400
From: "airvair at earthlink.net" <airvair at earthlink.net>
Subject: <VV> 4doors, was:  Atn Joe R, was:  Email format,	was:  New
	Corsa member sort of.
To: "The Robbins" <therobbins82 at gmail.com>
Cc: Virtual Vairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>

Joe,

The post I was posting from didn't contain your email address. Don't know
why. Hence the list posting.

But as far as your remark on 4doors, it's YOU who don't have any taste in
styling. Dave Newell himself told me that GM designers felt that they had
done their best work on the LM 4door. So if Bill Mitchell & company didn't
have any taste in styling, then they didn't lead the 50's and 60's in
sales, either. You can walk 360: around the LM Corvair 4door and not see a
wrong angle. It's beautiful from any direction.

Whereas for the coupe (which I can only presume you feel is better
looking), I've always said that from a 3/4 angle, the car looks "slightly
pregnant", what with the rounded roof and skinny "C" pillar, rounded
backlite, and rounded body lines, not to mention the short hood/long deck
(criticized by Car & Driver) look, all adding up to that oddly bloated and
off-balanced look. The best thing you can do for the poor dear is to add a
Fitch Ventop to it. That masks the short hood/long deck look and hides the
"slightly pregnant" bulges, giving it a much more balanced look. And John
Fitch was known for his taste in styling.

But beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, and you're obviously too sauced
to make such a degrading comment against the beautiful LM Corvair 4door.

-Mark
4doors 4ever!