Detailed Documentation: 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 57K Survivor – NOW $11,000

November 4, 2022, Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

October 24, 2022 Update – We just confirmed the seller lowered their asking price by $750 to land at the current request of $11,000.

Sons often have their fathers to thank for liking certain things. In my case, my father handed down an appreciation for cars having matching interior and exterior colors. That’s one reason this Autumn Gold over Fawn 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 900 coupe, originally listed in September 2022 on Craigslist in Tillson, New York (Hudson Valley), made today’s feature list.  That, combined with the fact it’s a very well-preserved survivor example with only 57K original miles spread across four owners to date.

Once offered for $11,000 (the original ask was $11,750), Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for first-generation Corvairs of all body styles produced between 1960 and 1963.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Corvair featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $8,800 and its #2 “Very Good” appraisal of $12,100.

Chevrolet’s design leadership was on full display in the early 1960s. While it’s true Chevrolet’s engineers we’re making advances extracting more power from the division’s overhead-valve V8, The air-cooled Corvair stands out for all of the design advances needed to make an air-cooled import fighter capable of keeping up on America’s growing highway network.  By 1963 Chevrolet Marketing realized its Corvair was viewed more as a specialty import fighter. Driving that insight was the success of the two-door Monza coupe and convertible, one of the few bright spots in Corvair’s extensive model range.  The most desirable of all Corvairs is the 150-horsepower turbocharged Monza Spyder.

In the spring of 1962, Chevrolet committed itself to the sporty image they had created for the Corvair by introducing a convertible version, then offering a high-performance 150 hp turbocharged “Spyder” option for Monza coupes and convertibles, making the Corvair the second production automobile supplied with a turbocharger as a factory option, with the Oldsmobile F-85 Turbo Jetfire having been released earlier in 1962. Corvair station wagons were discontinued at that point in favor of the new Corvair Convertible and Chevy II (built at the same assembly plant).  Optional equipment on all passenger cars (except wagons) included metallic brake linings and a heavy-duty suspension consisting of a front anti-roll bar, rear-axle limit straps, revised spring rates, and recalibrated shock absorbers. These provided a major handling improvement by reducing the potentially violent camber change of the rear wheels when making sharp turns at high speeds. The Turbocharged Spyder equipment group featured a multi-gauge instrument cluster which included a tachometer, cylinder head temperature, intake manifold pressure gauges, Spyder fender script, and Turbo logo deck emblems, in addition to the high-performance engine.

The Macs Motor City Garage YouTube Channel features this 1963 Chevrolet brand commercial:

Cars are original only once, and with only 57K miles, this 1963 Corvair Monza 900 coupe is extremely well preserved right down to the 1964 Worlds Fair bumper sticker.  If you are in the market for a potential Antique Automobile Club of America (“AACA”) Preservation class contender, this Corvair is worthy of a look.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 900 Coupe?  Please comment below and let us know!