The Chevrolet Corvair was sold as a rear-engine compact car from 1960 to 1969.
Chevrolet designed the Corvair for the growing compact-car market. Unlike most American cars of its era, it used an air-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine mounted at the rear. This layout allowed a flat floor and gave the car a distinctive mechanical character, while its independent suspension differed from the swing-axle arrangements used by some competitors.
The Corvair was offered in several body styles, including a sedan, coupe, convertible, station wagon, and pickup-derived variants. The Corvair Monza added sporty trim and helped create demand for compact performance cars. Ralph Nader’s 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed criticized the Corvair’s handling, especially early versions, and the controversy became part of the model’s public history. Chevrolet continued production through 1969, after which the company’s compact range moved toward front-engine, front-wheel-drive designs.