Released in 1960, the Chevrolet Corvair is one of the marque’s most under-appreciated models of America’s golden automotive age, trumped in popularity by Chevy’s more iconic Camaro, Impala, and Chevelle models. Wanting to highlight the unique nature of the Corvair — which was the first-ever (and supposedly only) American-made mass-produced passenger car to be powered by an air-cooled rear-mounted engine – Sonora, Mexico-based vehicle designer and concept artist, Abimelec Arellano of Abimelec Design has rendered a beautifully-detailed Corvair restomod that highlights the model’s more idiosyncratic traits.
The design’s been dubbed the “Corv8,” due to the Corvair’s flat-six being replaced with the 6.2L V8 from the Corvette C8, plus its transaxle. Mounted in back, the engine also gets custom Singer-style carbon fiber air intakes that run along the rear pillars before exiting out of the car’s rear quarter windows. The Corv8 boasts a suspension setup comprised of a custom pushrod arrangement based on the Koenigsegg One:1 (or “One to One”) supercar. On top of various carbon fiber bits, there’s also flared fenders to accommodate the build’s wide tire-wrapped vintage-inspired wheels, as well as a modern disc and caliper setup supplemented by an air-brake that’s been integrated into part of the deck lid.
