1962 Chevrolet Corvair Super Spyder (XP-785): two-seat experimental sports roadster. Unwrapped in 1962, the Super Spyder concept car was a more radical version of 1961’s Corvair-based Sebring Spyder concept car. This experimental two-seater, shorter than a standard Corvair in both wheelbase and overall length, is powered by a turbocharged flat-six, air-cooled engine. The Super Spyder received Automobile Quarterly’s 1962 “Award for Design Excellence” recognition for its sporty styling motif and appealing lines.
The XP-785 was based on a 1962 convertible body shell. Its overall length of 171 inches and its 93-inch wheelbase are both shorter than the stock 180 and 108-inch dimensions. The differences stem from the increased front and rear body overhang and removing a 15-inch section of the body between the doors and rear wheel arches.
Many styling elements set the Super Spyder apart: a racing-style windscreen, low-drag sport mirrors, and the aerodynamic driver’s headrest built into the extended fiberglass rear deck cover. Then there are the exotic exhaust pipes, Stingray taillights, split bumpers, triple louvers in the quarter panels ahead of the rear wheels, alloy wheels with knock-off centers, Spyder instrumentation, wood-rimmed steering wheel, and the bold racing stripe! I’m drooling again.
Source: www.corvaircorsa.com
Images: Detroit Free Press, www.corvaircorsa.com
