Digital Artist Renders a Classic Corvair with the C8 Corvette’s LT2 V8 in the Back

By
Mitch Talley
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Digital Artist Renders a Classic Corvair with the C8 Corvette's LT2 V8 in the Back


What would Ralph Nader say about this Corvair?

With the 2020 Corvette making the switch to a mid-engine layout, automotive artist Abimelec Design (@abimelecdesign) decided to go retro and do a rendering of what a 1965 Corvair would look like with the Stingray’s 495-horsepower LT2 engine and dual-clutch transmission stuffed behind the passengers.

You’d think it was a real vehicle based on the multiple drawings of this vehicle that the designer cleverly calls the “Corv8.”

Of course, the original Corvair wasn’t known for its performance, with horsepower ranging from just 80 to a turbocharged 180 horsepower during its run from 1960 to 1969.

Naturally, with the new Corvette’s powertrain, this Corvair would have to be upgraded in other ways, and Abimelec took care of those details in several cutaways that show a custom cradle similar to a Porsche 550 Spyder, a custom exhaust system, and custom pushrod suspension a la Koenigsegg One:1.

Taking a cue from Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” book, the artist added a set of big brakes to make sure his creation was actually “Safe at Any Speed.”

The new body naturally was widened and also features extra carbon fiber aero parts, a carbon fiber intake fed through an air inlet in the rear quarter windows, and an air brake flap for those hard turns into corners.

View this post on Instagram

Here’s something I’ve been working on that I am really excited to show off: The Corv8. A 1965 Chevrolet Corvair with the engine and transaxle of a Corvette C8, a custom pushrod suspension, and a custom carbon-fiber intake. Not too long ago the amazing team over at @overkillracingandchassis reached out to me to do some concepts, and after seeing the incredible work they do, I was really itching to try and do something more “technical” than usual. Everything starts off with the Corvette’s LT2 paired to the dual-clutch transaxle, it sits on a custom cradle loosely based on a Porsche 550 Spyder structure. The pushrod suspension borrows geometry from a Koenigsegg One to One, and there’s big brakes on the end of it to keep it all “safe at any speed” ?. The exhaust loops around the cradle in between the suspension and all the way to the end. Under that, there’s a carbon-fiber diffuser, and on top of the engine, a custom designed air intake is connected to the rear quarter windows in Singer 911 fashion (which to be honest, I’m not sure it would work 100%, but I like how it looks ?). All that is wrapped around a relatively stock looking ‘65 Corvair body, slightly wider fenders were needed to accommodate the new guts and some carbon fiber bits up front as well. To keep things controlled, part of the deck lid is now an air brake which in my mind deploys under heavy braking, although the shape of the panel might disturb the air a little too much. Color was hard to choose, but this blue won my heart. What do you think? Would you like to see more stuff like this with detailed internals? Let me know what you think! . . . . . . . . #chevrolet #corvair #corvette #corveight #corv8 #custom #midengine #hotrod #air #intake #cradle #blue #dualclutch #supercar #fast #3d #render

A post shared by Abimelec Arellano (@abimelecdesign) on


We’ve come to appreciate Corvairs more and more as we’ve grown older, coming a long way from the days when I was probably six or seven years old and told my parents my favorite car was a “Corvair Sting Ray.” Of course, there was no such vehicle back then, so Abimelec’s brainstorm in 2020 is actually a vindication of my youthful days!


Source:
Abimelec Design / Instagram via GM Authority

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2 COMMENTS

  2. That C8 Corvair reminds me of how I wanted to put the 69 Old Tornado drive train on the back of a Corvair as a side wonder. Could have run the radiator in the front trunk and tires the engine compartment into a rear trunk. I sold the Olds before orders to Germany with the Army and the guy I sold it to never registered it and it got towed from a bar in Lawton Ok and the Police wrote and asked if I wanted to come and pickup my Car in impound! In the 1970s the answer had to be no but, what if?

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