<VV> XP-819

[James P. Rice]

All:  I have several articles on the XP-819 in my file and info in a couple
books.  But for memory...

First off, Frank Winchell and Jim Musser did defend the Corvair.  It was the
GM lawyers who sold the car out when Nadar came along.  They, the lawyers,
may have been told the Corvair was scheduled to cease product with the '66
model, and to cut the losses for the corporation.

When the car was tested at the proving grounds, it was a satisfactrory car
except for one thing.  Every time they did a lane chang at normal highway
speeds, it went backasswards (a highly technicial engineering term) when
trying to get back into the correct lane.  The car was never wrecked during
testing, but after the multiple changes in underware amoung test drivers,
Winchell decided the idea was a bad one.  He sent to to Yunck to be
destroyed, probably because he didn't trust his own people to really do it.
And he probably didn't want it around if the anti-Corvair lawyers found out
about it.  Problem was, after removing some good parts and cutting the
chassis in half, Yunck failed to sent it to the crusher.  Years later, it
was found in Yunick's out back pile, bought, repaired/recontstructed and
thus saved.

Duntov always wanted a mid-engine Corvette, so natually he objected to the
short wheelbase rear enging car.  As a former Porsche racer, he know what
worked best if the engine was not ahead of the driver.

And the weight distribution problem of two much on the back was later
rediscovered by the fine folks who build F1 cars.
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 19:30:32 -0500
From: Bruce Schug <bwschug at att.net>
Subject: <VV> Back-Motored Corvette
To: VirtualVairs <VirtualVairs at corvair.org>

http://tinyurl.com/d5pa4tq

Bruce

Bruce W. Schug
CORSA South Carolina
CORSA member since 1980
Performance Corvair Group
Stock Corvair Group
VirtualVairs
FastVairs
'67 Monza, "67AC140"
bwschug at att.net

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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 19:09:54 -0600
From: "Mel Francis" <mfrancis at wi.rr.com>
Subject: Re: <VV> Back-Motored Corvette
To: "Bruce Schug" <bwschug at att.net>
Cc: VirtualVairs at corvair.org

What this ill-fated prototype proved, was that there IS a limit to how much
weight you can put behind the rear axle, of a short-wheelbase performance
car in particular. During this period,
Porsche was going to extremes to move every bit of weight they could,
forward of the rear axle, even to moving the axle 2.5" rearward!

I'm glad they saved it, because GM has destroyed too many of their
prototypes, but this one was just an oddity, something that was out of
balance and Duntov knew it! He was first a performance enthusiast..

Duntov had practical objections to the excessive, vision-blocking height of
the proposed front fenders on the new C3 Corvette. But they trusted his
opinion and delayed the introduction of the new 1967 model until 1968, since
they had to completely retool for the entire front clip.

Mel Francis
Monza SS replica
Oconomowoc, WI

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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 20:45:52 -0800
From: "Charles Lee" <chaz at properproper.com>
Subject: <VV> Back-Motored Corvette
To: "'Bruce Schug'" <bwschug at att.net>,	"'VirtualVairs'"
	<VirtualVairs at corvair.org>

It's worth noting that the the article (http://tinyurl.com/d5pa4tq) credits
the Corvair in promoting a rear-engined Corvette:

------------------------------------------------------------
The Corvette XP-819 concept ... was created in 1964 despite a disagreement
between Duntov and Chevrolet engineering chief Frank Winchell about the
viability of a rear engine Corvette.

Experience with the Corvair project caused Winchell to believe that a
Corvette with a rear mounted aluminum V-8 engine was conceptually and
commercially sound.
------------------------------------------------------------

Too bad they didn't defend the Corvair when Nadir reared his ugly head,
instead of acting like they had a problem to cover up?!?!?

Alas~

Charlie