<VV> Jay Leno's video greeting from the Corsa convention (Now, 3 Point B...

[RoboMan91324 at aol.com]

Brent,
 
Mostly, I agree with your statement.  Yes, Leno is a  supporter of Corvairs 
as demonstrated by his comments regarding the Corsa in the  forefront.
 
I must admit that I was unaware that he had made similar  comments about 
the FCs in a public forum.  However, I am not surprised  since I have seen 
similar pro/con comments on some of his other  vehicles.
 
My mild disagreement with Mel had more to do with the nature  of humor.  
These days, much if not most humor teases someone or something  to get a 
laugh.  Some of it can be viewed as downright insulting but can  still be 
humorous to the target as long as it comes across as "meant as a  joke."  Mostly, 
this is benign teasing and the target gets a self-effacing  laugh along with 
outsiders.  To his credit, Leno seems to be universally  well intended as 
compared to Letterman who is often mean spirited.  I think  that most people 
look beyond the attempt at humor of the benign comedians and  accept it as it 
is intended.
 
I think you, Mel and I would agree that instead of the  humorous comment or 
maybe along with it, Leno should have commented on the  unique features of 
the Rampside he owns.  Since most of us already know  these positive 
features, his video release to the general public should have  contained 
informative comments.  Of course the coolest feature of the  Rampside is its ramp 
side.  It has an extremely deep bed in front of the  drive train which is great 
on the Rampside but awkward on the Loadside.   The FCs look like a 1/2 ton 
vehicle but are actually a 3/4 ton vehicle if  you check the specs. .... and 
much more.  (Before you decide to start  hauling around your baby pet 
pachyderm in the bed, keep in mind that the GVW of  a vehicle is based on its 
ability to support the weight on its tires, springs  chassis/frame/unibody 
construction.  The long term reliability of the motor  is not usually part of the 
formula.  I don't think an 80 HP (or so) air  cooled motor will hold up 
long term pushing 4600 Pounds uphill.)  As  stated, I did not see his public 
release video.  Did he comment on the  unique aspects of the Rampside?  
Demonstrating the ramp to someone who has  never seen it is eye opening.  I know 
that I was impressed the first time  ..... I still am.
 
Doc
 
1960 Corvette, 1961 Rampside, 1962 Rampside, 1964 Spyder  coupe, 1965 
Greenbrier, 1966 Canadian Corsa turbo coupe, 1967 Nova SS, 1968  Camaro ragtop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
In a message dated 8/30/2012 11:17:53 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
brent.fullard at rogers.com writes:

I  was also surprised by Leno's comments on his FC, especially since I have 
heard  him tell the same joke before in another of his videos. The key 
thing  to  remember is that Jay actually OWNS these vehicles and therefore 
hopefully  people can look beyond his attempt at humour to realize that he is 
actually a  supporter of Corvairs. Also Jay is a member of CORSA and is 
entitled to  express himself any way he wishes.

That said,  the one mistake  that Jay may have made is that he misjudged 
his audience. Jay's humourous (and  true, by the way) comment about the design 
of FC's is more appropriate as a  joke  directed to those who don't know 
the difference between a Corvair  and a Corsica (like those who were the 
intended audience of the earlier video  he posted on his site) and less 
appropriate for a group of dedicated Corvair  enthusiasts who already endure endless 
derogatory comments from "morons"  (Jay's term).

As Corvair owners we should be proud that we have the  support of such a 
die hard car collector as Jay Leno, however he may choose to  express his 
support for the  brand.