Pro Puzzle - Open to All - Solved! Aluminum V8 Corvair Test Mule

Otto Puzzell · January 10, 2009, 02:24:47 AM

With the increasing membership, rookie and expert puzzles are being promoted to Pro status with less frequency, which has the unfortunate effect of making the site less enjoyable for those pros that built it up.

Having a Pros and Feature Writers section lets them participate in puzzles other than the mind benders the 100+ non-pros haven't solved.

Otto Puzzell · February 06, 2009, 05:09:47 AM

Quote from: D-type on January 09, 2009, 06:15:54 PM
Can I ask why you feel the need for such a sub-board?

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=6746.0

Allemano · February 25, 2009, 10:54:49 AM

A Crown Manufacturing Co. Inc. conversion?

Allemano · February 27, 2009, 06:36:42 AM

lookielookie!

Otto Puzzell · February 27, 2009, 12:32:33 PM

As far as I know, this was done in-house at GM.

Otto Puzzell · April 17, 2009, 05:42:55 AM

Otto Puzzell · July 10, 2009, 06:50:47 AM

This picture was taken at the GM Heritage Collection. I don't know if it was sold during the recent sell-off by GM of many of these cars.

Otto Puzzell · September 11, 2009, 05:10:09 AM

Off to the black hole with you, little Corvair!

Otto Puzzell · February 08, 2010, 05:37:13 AM

Another look, should anyone have an interest.

guido66 · February 08, 2010, 02:59:35 PM

I found this:

Ultra · February 09, 2010, 01:52:25 PM

He may have found it!

Otto Puzzell · February 09, 2010, 03:45:57 PM

Wow - I missed this reply. I believe the second car mentioned is our mystery car. I've never seen the descriptive text with a picture, or vice versa., but that's as close as we're likely to get.

We can put a fork in this one - it's done!

sixtee5cuda · July 08, 2014, 10:40:35 AM

Time to pull that fork out.

The puzzle car is in fact, the Calvair. Special Interest Autos #168 from November/December 1998, has a full writeup by Michael Lamm. The Hemmings blog posted a copy of the article in December of 2013.

sixtee5cuda · September 05, 2015, 11:39:59 AM

Another view of the non-V8-powered Calvair:

sixtee5cuda · February 13, 2016, 11:15:47 AM

Is there a book or web site, indicating this is a Corvair with an aluminum V8?

Otto Puzzell · February 14, 2016, 05:45:03 AM

Yes

sixtee5cuda · February 14, 2016, 12:45:39 PM

So, did they make two hump-backed Corvair prototypes with completely different drivetrains, or was one car both the V8 mule and the Calvair at different times?

Otto Puzzell · February 15, 2016, 04:11:36 AM

I don't know

sixtee5cuda · February 12, 2022, 11:56:59 AM

The attached image from Guido66 indicates:

... "small iron V8 mounted backwards in a body that was stock except for louvers in the rear fenders and a bulged-up fiberglass deck lid."

This is not the Calvair as shown in the original puzzle image. Guido66's attached image says the second prototype V8 Corvair only had a grill and oversize tires to distinguish it from a normal Corvair.

Presenting, the first Corvair V8 prototype described in the attached image from Guido66:

sixtee5cuda · February 12, 2022, 11:58:50 AM

View of the engine:

News:

Pro Puzzle - Open to All - Solved! Aluminum V8 Corvair Test Mule