Owning a Unique Car.

I wrote a thing. I imagine most people who own a particular marque or orphaned brand can relate.

http://carburetorcounty.blogspot.com/2017/03/owning-unique-car

Great article. I get it. I own an Opel GT. I don't get the negative remarks that you get with the Corvair. I get comments like I knew someone that had one back in the day and we had lots of fun with it. Those are fun to get. The ones that get a bit tiresome is the comments like "ya aught to drop a V8 in thar" or I knew someone that dropped a V8 in one. When I ask if they ever got it running the answer is no or yeah but drove like crap. The other one is people that say they pegged the speedometer in a stock one. Speedo goes to 160, all the specs and tests say it will go 112 barely, maybe on a good day. I've never tried to find out.

Always seem to get someone looking and talking whenever I take it someplace. It's fun to get kids in the car and have them rotate the headlights open.

My car is the only running Opel GT in the area, that I know of. I know of one other drivable one a couple counties over and a bunch around here rotting in a field.

I understand this completely. All of the "fix it again tony" clowns, all of the "can you still get parts for that", Counter guy: "who makes it?" - me: "Alfa Romeo, they are their own company", - counter guy: "So, Ford then?" Me, "sigh"..... Or...that must be a lot of maintenance?...Me, 'um, No, not really.

TR7 owners are familiar with:

Son: "Wow Dad, that's neat!"

Dad: "Yeah, that's the car that killed Triumph."

At one time we owned at least 5 and in total 13, even had one for D- prod. in 71. I feel you, and would have another Corvair in a heart beat. we terrorized 911's in atlanta throughout the north side, If you Know the back roads from Emory to Paces Ferry up to Northside drive, Large Fun.

Owning a pair of Triumphs (GT6 and a Spitfire) along with a classic Volvo ("1800ES? What's that?), I totally get it. Hell, even my '03 TDI wagon is a bit out of the ordinary and a car most people don't get.

As a guy who owns a Tornado Typhoon, I don't know what you guys are talking about.

Even the FX16 is an orphan. They only made them in the US for two years. Parts are getting harder to make fit.

For cryin' out loud, it's a Corolla!

Nice piece.

I think if I was looking for a classic American car, Corvair would be first on the list - mainly because most of the local Corvair people I've met were easy to get along with.

That was great.

I get that with my project even though it's still in the planning stages at the moment. Pretty much anytime someone sees it it becomes a "You bought what?" Or "Rotary's are super unreliable."

Taking the time to explain why has become tiresome, which is why GRM is my favorite place on the internet. It's amazing how a little encouragement and a heap of actually helpful knowledge actually makes me want to work on my cars rather than not be associated with people who also claim to also like those cars.

Anyway, best of luck with the Corvair.

My orphan car was a 77 Capri. It was such an orphan they were sold without a 'make' on the outside of the car.

trucke wrote: Even the FX16 is an orphan. They only made them in the US for two years. Parts are getting harder to make fit. For cryin' out loud, it's a Corolla!

Been through the same thing with my Nova Twin Cam. Also A Corolla of sorts.

My favorite is "hey, unsafe at any speed!"

My reply is "That's why I only drive it at ten tenths. If I'm gonna be in danger, I might as well have some fun!"

Anyone with a steady paycheck can drive around in a new car, but to drive a unique old car, you have to love it.

So what's it going to take to get it on the road?

I get it. I daily an old el Camino. All the stories are fun. Then i break out the hot rod Mopar and get nothing but hate from mopar guys, or negativity from the rest.

Its why I am here. This place gets it.

I get at least 2 "Hurr durr Lucas electrics" comments at every C&C.

Another time I was telling a co-worker that I was into British cars, and he scrunched up his face like he smelled a dirty diaper and said, "Why?".

I think I would fit right in with Corvair owners.

xflowgolf wrote: So what's it going to take to get it on the road?

Well running properly for one, but brake lines, fuel lines, gas tank, and wheels and tires. It also needs a little electrical work, but it's nothing that won't keep it from running.

I've owned a lot of odd cars and can relate to pretty much everything he said. Fiats in general always generated negative comments, mainly from people that have no direct knowledge. I always had good luck with Fiats, in fact my old 600D was very reliable and easy to work on.

Nice article, although I hated to see yet another misuse of the word 'unique' when 'rare' would have been appropriate.

In reply to maseratiguy:

TR7 owners are familiar with:

Dad: "Yeah, that's the car that killed Triumph."

Or how about "somebody should try dropping a V8 into one of those".

wspohn wrote: Nice article, although I hated to see yet another misuse of the word 'unique' when 'rare' would have been appropriate.

I disagree. Unique by definition is: "being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else".

I believe the Corvair falls into that definition. They were the only mass-produced, American made, air-cooled, rear engined car/truck/van.

Rare? Not by any means. As I wrote in the article, there were a million made and today there are probably upwards of 1000 still known to be around in driving condition and various states of repair.

Rare to me, would be a Duesenberg or a Tucker.

When my neighbor first saw my '69 Giulia, he thought it was some Russian car. (I guess I don't blame him though, hahaha).

I find it funny that I have owned two orphans. I still own them, but they switched places. The Fiat has been "unorphaned" now that fiat is back, and my 900 is now a complete orphan as Saab is dead and buried

As a new owner of an odd bird, I totally expect to have conversations like this once I get her street legal.