Chevrolet Corvair Speciale

Vehicle Overview

The Chevrolet Corvair Speciale: In 1960, GM Styling Vice President Bill Mitchell shipped this Corvair to PininFarina, requesting a design proposal. The Torino firm delivered a striking two-door coupe that was exhibited at the Paris and Torino Motor Shows, and was pictured on display in Paris on the March 1961 cover of Road & Track. The car was later restyled and modernized by Tom Tjaarda into a 2+2 configuration with a more angular rear-end design, expanded side windows, and ellipsoidal headlamp nacelles. This second version was finished in dark green and again appeared on the cover of Road & Track in February 1963. For the third and final version, Tjaarda had the by-then outdated, dogleg A-pillars removed, completing the form that the car displays today – that of a smart, mid-century compact with an international design sense. Though the Chevrolet Corvair Speciale by PininFarina was not put into production, its influence on Chevrolet’s redesign for the 1965 Corvair is immediately apparent. The rear deck, the angular, high-visibility greenhouse, and even a hint of Tjaarda’s inspired headlight treatment were echoed in the new Corvair. Other manufacturers were influenced by the third iteration’s design language on their own cars, and it can be regarded as a notable moment in automotive design, with the impetus tracing directly back to this car and Tom Tjaarda’s forward-forging talent. After its years on the world stage, the one-off Corvair was held in Pinin Farina’s archive collection until 1996, when it was privately sold to enthusiast Pascal Saint-Maux and, following a succession of stateside owners, was purchased by Weston and Elona Hook of La Jolla, in about 2001.