Good Find Friday features interesting vehicles we’ve found for sale while conducting market analysis or appraisal research. They are not for sale by Wolf and Mare and we have no business relationship with the sellers. We just think they’re worth learning about and sharing with our readers!

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The number of brands that have successfully sold cars powered by air-cooled flat-6 cylinder engines can be counted on one hand — less than one hand, actually. Due entirely to my affection for Porsche, I have an appreciation for the Chevrolet Corvair, the only other production automobile to feature an air-cooled engine with its cylinders laid out horizontally. Today’s Good Find Friday car is an exceptionally rare variant: a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Station Wagon.

Designed during an era when compact, efficient cars were gaining popularity, the Chevrolet Corvair was produced from 1960 to 1969 and stood apart from Detroit’s typical front-engine, rear-drive layouts. The Corvair’s unibody construction, rear swing-axle suspension, and aluminum engine made it mechanically unconventional, earning both praise for its innovation and infamous criticism for its handling characteristics.

Over its ten-year production run, the Corvair was offered in a wide range of body styles, including coupes, sedans, convertibles, station wagons, and even vans and pickups. Later models, especially the second-generation cars introduced in 1965, featured significant suspension improvements and more refined styling. While Ralph Nader’s book had some impact on public reputation and sales, popularity was already declining and Chevrolet’s debut of the Nova and Chevelle in the early 60’s stole the model’s market share. Today, the Corvair is remembered as a bold experiment by Chevrolet, reflecting a rare moment when an American automaker embraced engineering ideas more common in European cars.

October is picnic and camping month for my family, and I frequently think about which classic cars could be suitable for a trip to a winery or an orchard for a quick one-day getaway. This 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Station Wagon for sale on Facebook Marketplace would be a great cheap classic for such excursions.

Painted in red (likely Roman Red) with a red interior, this Corvair Station Wagon was built in the higher-end Monza 900 trim and is currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Ohio for $10,000.

The exterior condition of the car appears to be good overall, with some patina visible on the exterior brightwork and flaws here and there. The seller notes some rust bubbles in the door bottoms that are not visible in the included images. I prefer the look of the car without the rear wheel spats, though they were available. Exterior features include chrome trim on the front fenders, doors, and rocker panels, and a roof rack painted to match the body color.

Moving to the interior, you can see that this already rare Chevrolet Corvair Monza station wagon was optioned with bucket seats instead of the standard front bench. These were an extra-cost option only available on the Monza trim level. The interior condition appears to be very good overall, with no obvious splits or tears in the seats. The steering wheel is missing one of the decorative silver rings between the segmented rim. Cardboard is lining the floorboards, and hopefully is there only for protection and not covering missing or damaged carpeting.

The engine compartment is filled with the Turbo-Air 6 engine developed in-house by GM. Inspired by his work on combat vehicles, Ed Cole is the engineer most credited with the engine’s development for passenger car work. Each engine was assembled at GM’s Tonawanda engine plant and in this trim likely put out 102hp. Determining the specific engine option would require a build sheet or examining the engine number. A turbo-charged variant was available and would be a scream in this car. Additionally, racing variants built by Yenko or Fitch could put out up to 250hp!

Mechanically, the car is described as a good runner, but has some sort of transmission issue causing difficulty in getting the car into 1st and 2nd gear. It could be a linkage issue, as described, or there could be an internal issue with the synchronizers. Potential buyers should be aware that a transmission rebuild could be needed.

No photos of the rear cargo compartment are included, but it’s certainly spacious enough to hold a couple cases of wine, a few bushels of freshly picked apples or camping gear. This car would look pretty great with a canoe and a cooler on the roof!

Chevrolet only made 2,362 Corvair Monza Station Wagons in 1962, after which the variant was discontinued in favor of the new, more sporting convertible body style. In total, 31,120 Corvair station wagons were built from 1961-1962.

Thanks to their rarity on the market, recent comparables for the station wagon variant of the Corvair are not easy to find. I could locate only 4 comparable sales on the public market over the last few years. The average price across these examples is $16,500 while the average price for the entire first-gen Corvair market is $13,000.

Corvairs are some of the most affordable, yet interesting, classic cars on the market right now. I’d be hard pressed to choose between something like a base model Porsche 914 and a Corvair, especially in Spyder trim. There’s something about European-inspired styling and engineering applied to an American car that makes them much more appealing.

I could definitely see myself throwing a canoe on the roof and gear in the back to drive this little beauty up to the mountains for some camping fun. I’d just have to fix the transmission issue first.

What do you think? Is this a cool manual wagon? Let me know in the comments.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!