<VV> Corvair & Porsche

[James P. Rice]

All:  I was at a Borders in Davenport Iohway yesterday (don't ask) and
picked up issue 186 of the English magazine "911 & Porsche World"
(www.911porscheworld.com)

Acclaimed automotive historian and honorary CORSA member Karl Ludvigsen now
writes a monthly column for them about Porsche Myths.  This issue's 2 page
column deals with the myth that Porsche designed the EM Corvair.  Karl, who
is the author of the now 3 volume set "Porsche: Excellence Was Expected",
has had complete access to all Porsche project files.  He says there is
nothing in those files related to the Corvair.  Zip. Zero. Nattathingthere.
He does speculate that Dr Porsche and his son, upon learning how easy
Chevrolet R&D put a prototype Corvair engine in to the then current Porsche
356, may have had the spark for the 6 cyl engine which ended up in the
Porsche 911 a few years later.  That engine, with its 7 main bearings, has
had a life of development similar it the SB Chevy.  A ubiquitous engine.

It is interesting the myth is in both Porsche and Corvair camps.  On the
Corvair side, one of the Chevrolet Performance Handbooks which Peterson
printed 30 years or so ago (I think the 3rd one) has a section which says
something to the affect that Porsche received a Corvair each year because of
their design work on the Corvair for Chevrolet.  This reference was the
subject of letter to the editor in the Communique many years ago, and Karl
wrote in reply it was not true.

I suspect the answer to the Corvair at Porsche myth has two possible
explanations.  First, when Dan Gurney drove for Porsche's F1 car in 1962,
his personnel car was a Turbo Spyder, maybe a convertible.  In one of the
period US car magazines, (maybe then Sports Car Illustrated now C&D) I
believe Dan did a driving impression about his car.  Or something, as I
remember a picture of him standing behind his car.  I probably have the
article or the magazine in one of three locations, but I'm not about to go
looking for it.  The other possible source of the myth is found in the 1999
biography of Porsche's Director of Racing Baron Huschke von Hanstein.  On
page 208 is a picture of von Hanstein's LM Fitch high centered when he
goof(!) backing it up in his driveway.  So we know that at least during 2
separate time periods, there were one or more Corvairs around the Porsche's
complex in Stuttgart.

Historically Yours,
			James