1964 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside Pickup Model 1254
Original price: $2,136.00 (In 1964: average car cost $3,500; average household income, $6,000; average home cost $13,050; gallon of gas, 30 cents)
On loan from: Sherry Morrow, Kearney, NE
Previous owner(s): Unknown
Number made: 851
Engine, etc.: “Flat six” 6-cylinder, horizontally opposed; two single-barrel carburetors; 145 cu. in., 80 h.p.; 4-speed manual transmission; 105″ truck bed; 2,665 lbs.
This Rampside was made at the St. Louis, MO plant in December, 1964.
Chevrolet turned the Corvair into a pickup which involved moving the driver’s seat forward over the front wheels. The wheelbase shrank from 108″ to 95″. The driver’s feet wound up dangerously close to the front bumper in the event of a crash. Three models were offered in the commercial series: the Corvan (panel van), Loadside (conventional pickup), and the Rampside.
The Corvair Rampside pickup was unique because of its side panel that opened to form a ramp for loading cargo. The ramp had the same rigid double-walled construction as the side walls. It surpassed competition with its superior construction and full 3/4 ton payload – it could hold 1,000 lbs. The Rampside was a versatile and utilitarian vehicle used by fleet delivery companies, farmers, construction companies, and people who needed to deliver appliances, newspapers, etc. It allowed heavy loads to be rolled into the bed rather than lifted.
The rear engine has six horizontally-opposed cylinders and was air cooled by a top-mounted fan. Chevrolet used aluminum extensively in the engine to keep weight down to reduce handling problems though some thought handling was still a problem. The cargo bed was longer than a conventional truck but wasn’t level – the “flat six” wasn’t flat enough. The rear half had an elevated floor to accommodate the engine.
Chevrolet switched to independent front suspension on its trucks in 1960. The Corvair 95 was even better – it had full independent suspension via the swing-axle rear suspension that was in Corvair sedans.
Corvair 95 sales never took off and they were never as popular as the Corvans. It began production in 1961 and ceased in 1964 because of slow sales. It was the third-least-produced of all Corvair models. Ford introduced the Falcon-based Econoline at the same time and it outsold the Corvair 95’s. Chevrolet tried a front-engine van without a pickup version but it didn’t catch on. An unfamiliar pickup design and bad publicity about Corvair cars, especially from consumer advocate Ralph Nader, hurt Rampside and overall Corvair sales.
Sources:
https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12106/chevrolet-corvair-rampside.aspx
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1963-chevrolet-corvair-95-rampside-pickup.htm (1963 Rampside)
https://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/files/documents/techGuides/64prRPO_12-15-63_pg1.pdf
http://www.corvairkid.com/64fchome.htm
http://www.corvairkid.com/64rampreg.htm
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/GM%20Trucks%20and%20Vans/1964_Trucks_and_Vans/1964%20Chevrolet%20Corvair%2095%20Brochure/index1.html (Original dealer brochure)