In 1960 GM introduced the world to the Chevrolet Corvair, a major from American cars at the time for the sole reason that the engine was located in the rear, rather than the front, of the car. To this day the Corvair remains the only mass-produced American car with the engine set up in the rear. Their light weight and sleek shape made them popular with sports car enthusiasts, and it wasn’t long before hot rodders were moving the rear-mounted engine amid-ships for a mid-engine setup.
Hemmings came across what could be the first of these mid-engine Corvairs, the famous “Tangerine Dream” which packs a 327 V8 engine. This car is for sale, giving you the chance to own one of the most unique cars ever conceived.
It’s hard to believe that this custom Corvair was dreamed up and built way back in 1967 by the original owner. Every part had to be custom fabricated for this wacky build, and the owner/builder went through many transaxles before finding one that could hold up to the torque of the 327 V8 engine.
Though it was built in 1967, the car was restored in 1989, again by the original owner, who did all the engine work, interior, welding, and custom fabrication. He is finally parting with this one-of-a-kind car, which has been all over the country and has won all sorts of awards. It’s too bad GM never thought to build such a car itself; we think it would have been a big hit, and may have even taken the muscle car movement in a different direction. Imagine your favorite muscle car with a mid-engine setup. Pretty wild, right?