Rare Rear-Engined Derelicts: 1965 Chevy Corvair vs 1969 Siata Spring

Good morning! On today’s Shitbox Showdown, we’re looking at two uncommon cars with their engines behind the rear axle. Neither one has run in years, so don’t go expecting something you can drive home in – unless you’ve got some really strong friends who are willing to push.

Hey, I gave you two runners yesterday; what more do you want? One of them was even a bright red Porsche! In running condition! In our price range! Do I need to tell you it won? I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with a big-ass Chrysler coupe. Well, there’s a lot wrong with that big-ass Chrysler coupe, which I imagine is part of the reason it lost.

But honestly, anything you put up against an affordable, running Porsche 928 with a lot of spare parts is going to lose. Hell, if I had $4,500 and a place to put it, I’d be tempted to head down to New Mexico and road trip it back up here myself. It must be said, however, that no matter how well the seller says it runs, long drives in an old German car are always – I can’t resist saying it – risky business.

For today’s choices, we have the most collectible version of an up-and-coming classic, and a car so obscure it has never been mentioned before on this site. Nope, not even by Jason. I checked. (Maybe he talked about them on that other site, but who goes there anymore?) Here they are.

1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Turbo – $4,950

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.7 liter overhead valve flat 6, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Boulder Creek, CA

Odometer reading: 93,000 miles

Operational status: Has not run since 2005

In the film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity, the protagonist Rob makes a list of his top five dream jobs of any time, things like a record producer in the 1960’s. It’s a fun thought exercise, even if it’s impossible. I think if I were to make such a list, it would have to include powertrain engineer at General Motors, from let’s say 1959 to 1967. GM was wealthy back then, and brimming with fantastical ideas come to life – the Pontiac Tempest’s rear transaxle and “rope drive,” the aluminum V8s of Oldsmobile and Buick, the front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Toronado, and of course the Chevy Corvair.

The Corvair received a turbocharged engine option in 1962, a full thirteen years before that other company got around to selling a turbocharged flat six. In 1965, when the vastly-improved second generation Corvair was introduced, the turbo engine was all the way up to 180 horsepower, sixteen more than needed to break the one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch barrier. It’s a carbureted “draw through” turbo setup, with four carburetors, one primary and one secondary per cylinder bank.

A three-speed manual was standard, but this car is equipped with the optional four-speed. That makes this the highest-performance Corvair ever offered from the factory. Or at least it was, once upon a time. Sadly, it hasn’t been started in the better part of twenty years, and probably hasn’t moved from that concrete pad in all that time either.

Waking it up again, if it’s even possible, would be a monumental challenge, but considering the car’s rarity it might be worth it – if not for all the rust. The seller says the floors are solid, but the floors aren’t what concerns me. The base of the windshield and rear window have holes, and it looks like there was already some rust repair done; one or two photos show cracking Bondo. Anyone looking to restore this car has got their work cut out for them.

1969 Siata Spring – $4,000

Engine/drivetrain: 843 cc overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Odometer reading: 69,000 miles

Operational status: Not running, and probably hasn’t in a very long time

If you’re looking at this car and thinking, “A what now?”, you could be forgiven. Siata started out making high-performance parts for Fiat cars before World War II, founded by a guy with one of those fabulous Italian names: Giorgio Ambrosini. After the war, Siata began making its own cars, Fiat-based, of course. Its last, and most successful, model was the Spring, a tiny two-seat roadster based on a rear-engined Fiat 850 chassis.

It’s a funny-looking little thing, sort of like a cross between a VW-based kit car and one of those amusement park rides where the car runs on a track and the kids pretend to drive. The proportions necessary to adapt a traditional-style body on the rear-engine 850 chassis are pretty awkward, with the front too short and the rear too long. But it also looks like two tons of fun in a one-ton (or less) package, like all 850s do. It’s powered by a tiny Fiat inline four, with a four-speed gearbox.

Although this looks like a fiberglass kit car, I think it’s actually steel. I think I see a dent on one rear fender. What I don’t see is any evidence of rust, which is encouraging. This car appears to have been sitting nearly as long as the Corviar has, if that 2007 date on some of the photos is to be believed. It also makes me wonder if they have been trying to sell it off and on since then.

At this point, I think you’re looking at a full teardown and rebuild. At least the Fiat mechanical bits will be easy to find, the Siata trim pieces are pretty much all there, and as for anything else that you have to improvise, well, it’s not like anyone who sees it will have seen one of these before anyway.

Obviously, either one of these is going to be a massive undertaking. Is either of them worth it, especially considering the somewhat steep asking prices? And if so, which one? You tell me.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)