Rare 1964 Rampside Revives Chevy’s Past in Tulsa
Legendary Chevy Corvair line steals the spotlight at Tulsa Auto Show.
One of the best things about going to a car show is coming upon a rare vehicle that really piques your personal interest. That happened to us at the recent Tulsa Auto Show, which took place April 7-9.
Being the diehard Chevy enthusiasts that we are, we stood mesmerized by the stunning vision before us: a 1964 Chevy Rampside, from its legendary Corvair line. Spotting one of these relics is about as common as running across a Sasquatch. And just as cool!
Now, we have long been fans of the Rampside, but our history of the brand’s Corvair line was somewhat limited. Luckily, Tulsa has its own Green County Corvair Group (GCCG), whose members were on hand to help explain to us some of the history of the unique and limited vehicles that were part of Chevrolet’s Corvair line.
“The Corvair was Chevrolet’s idea of an economy car,” GCCG member Jeff Peterson explained. “They are rear-engine, six-cylinder and were made to compete with the Ford Falcon and the Dodge Dart. It was Chevrolet’s idea to build an air-cooled engine and put it an in an economy car.”
The Chevy Corvair vehicle line, which included trucks and cars, was produced from 1959 to 1969 and gets its name from the combination of Corvette and Bel-Air, two Chevy models.
Every Corvair ever produced had its engine built into the back of the vehicle. This included trucks, vans, and both two-door and four-door sedans.
‘The Corvair line is fun to drive, economical and
fairly inexpensive as a collector vehicle.’
Despite a strong start, by 1966, the Corvair line was already on its last leg. Chevy focused its attention on the Camaro and let the Corvair phase out by 1969. However, for a decade, Chevy had an automobile that was completely different than almost any other vehicle during that time period, which has made the Corvair a prized possession for car enthusiasts.
“I just love [the Corvair] because they are fun to drive, economical and fairly inexpensive as a collector vehicle,” said Peterson. “They are not hard to work on. So it really is an enjoyable vehicle to own and drive.”
