It was the title of Ralph Nader's book which had a chapter on the 'Vair. My first car was a '61 (sand beige with 2 speed powerglide transmission) and yes, I rolled it. Well not completely. What saved us was the rear engine. Kept the driver and passenger from being smushed.
It actually was a catalyst for Nationwide seat belt laws.
A $5.00 part basically made this car have understeer if the tires were incorrectly inflated. The problem was solved on the 1964 models. 1965 to 1969 models had different setup and were superior in handling. Pretty advanced design for American domestic market at the time. Handled well if the tires were per spec. A poor man's Porsche in it's day. Still love Corvairs.
My Dad had a Corvair when I was a kid. There's very little chance of it being 'A Poor Man's Corvette'...more like a poor man's Pinto. The back seat folded flat, so usually, it was in the down position and we four kids just piled in the back any time we went somewhere. The engine-in the rear of the car- had a single serpentine belt that ran everything-until it broke, then nothing ran. We suffered a broken belt once and managed to tie a piece of clothesline in place of it which allowed us to get to a garage. A different kind of car to be sure. The 'Unsafe at Any Speed' program convinced my parents it was time for a new car, so the Corvair was traded for a much sweeter Impala SS with a big block V8. Waaaaay cooler ride...
Sometimes the thoughts in my head get so bored, they go for a stroll through my mouth. This is rarely a good thing.
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