Corvair Research ProjectHaven Gonzales

Jordan MitchellPoojan PatelMiles Maze

Why was the Corvair invented?

Idea Needed

The Chevrolet company needed to invent a new car so sales would increase.

Affordable prices

The Corvair was widely popular around the country because of the affordable prices

Design Needs

People wanted a futuristic car with an engine in the back.

Why was the Corvair a bad vehicle?

Dangerous?

In its time the Corvair was considered an extremely dangerous vehicle

Fatal Design

The Corvair’s design led to unstable emergency handling and only about 1.8 million were invented.

The car’s original purpose

The car was originally made for racing but because the engine was in the back of the car it made the vehicle dangerous.

Why was the Corvair discontinued?

General Manager idea

One theory is that the General Manager was going to shut down the Corvair production in 1969.

“Unsafe at any Speed”

Ernie Kovacs, a famous comedian, was killed in a crash whilst driving a corvair leading to the publishing of Ralph Nader’s famous book “Unsafe at any Speed” which brought bad business to the company.

Sales Drop

The Corvair went into a steep sales decline when Nader’s book hit stores in 1965. Then in 1969 the Corvair was completely discontinued.

Who was Ralph Nader and why did he write the book “Unsafe at any Speed”?

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader was born February 27, 1934 and is a political activist and corporate critic

Charges made against Corvair production

Ralph Nader made a charge saying that the Chevrolet Corvair had a defective rear suspension causing it to roll over

The reasons behind the Book

In 1965, Nader wrote the book, “Unsafe at any Speed” legalizing the charges, but after a series of tests, they proved false and Nader wrote the book for publicity and profit.

Bibliography

"This Day in History." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 May 2013. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

Bibliography

"The 1969 Corvair Group." The 1969 Corvair Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013. http://www.corvair.org/chapters/69corvair/

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