Corvair FC Facts
The Chevrolet Motor Company built and marketed the Corvair Forward Control line of trucks and vans between 1961 and 1965. The Corvair 95 line consisted of two vans, the nine passenger people-moving Greenbrier and the windowless Corvan for cargo, and two pickup trucks, one with a side loading ramp called a Rampside and one without a ramp called a Loadside. Features such as a rear engine and low load floor made the Corvair FC trucks unique to all other light delivery and work trucks built during the 1960s. Unfortunately, it was this uniqueness that turned many people away from them in search of a more conventional van or pickup truck.
GREENBRIER (Model R-1206) These windowed vans were produced from 1961-1965 outlasting all other models of Chevrolet’s Forward Control light duty truck offerings. Greenbriers could be ordered with standard interior and body trim or with a "Deluxe" package which included such things as a sun visor for the passenger, chrome bumpers, hubcaps, and windshield trim, windshield washing equipment, padded interior panels, and special reflector panels situated beside the taillight housings. Deluxe features for Greenbriers and the other FCs have become highly sought after and seldom well reproduced. If buying a Deluxe Greenbrier, you should be sure that the truck is as complete as possible as replacing missing deluxe accessories may be difficult and expensive. Optional extras included driver side intermediate cargo doors (designating a Greenbrier so equipped as an "Eight Door"), a third bench seat, making it a nine passenger model, as well as several offerings from the dealer to fully or partially equip the van as a camper able to serve a family of four for weekends or long vacations. Window screens were included with the camper kits and were used in conjunction with one of the Greenbrier’s most ingenious features, four roll down rear windows in addition to the two front door windows that offered full ventilation on a hot day.
Model Number: R-1206
Production: 1961 - 18489 units
1962 - 18007 units
1963 - 13761 units
1964 - 6201 units
1965 - 1528 units
Total - 57986 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 175 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 3005 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1595 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
Model Number: R-1206
Production: 1961 - 18489 units
1962 - 18007 units
1963 - 13761 units
1964 - 6201 units
1965 - 1528 units
Total - 57986 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 175 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 3005 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1595 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
CORVAN (Model R-1205) These vans were basically Greenbriers without side windows and were produced from 1961-1964. Large corporations such as Bell Atlantic and others bought Corvans in fleets for light delivery and service purposes. Almost always bought in standard trim, Corvans had few frills unless requested by the customer. In fact, from the factory, these vans had only a driver’s side sun visor and a single seat for the driver. An optional passenger "bucket" seat was available at extra cost as was a full width bench seat. As most customers opted for the bench seat, Corvan split bench (bucket) seats are rare nowadays. Almost all of the deluxe trim options available for the Greenbrier were also available for the Corvan. At one point in the Corvan’s production, even the glovebox door and the rear cargo door windows were deleted to save costs. These rear windows became an optional accessory.
Model Number: R-1205
Production: 1961 - 15806 units
1962 - 13491 units
1963 - 11161 units
1964 - 8147 units
Total - 48605 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 191 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2805 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1795 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
Model Number: R-1205
Production: 1961 - 15806 units
1962 - 13491 units
1963 - 11161 units
1964 - 8147 units
Total - 48605 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 191 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2805 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1795 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
RAMPSIDE (Model R-1254) Among the most unique vehicles ever to hit the American Roadways, Rampside pickup trucks were produced from 1961-1964. Offered as a light duty truck with a ¾ ton payload, these trucks were built to work. The passenger side of the bed lowered to the ground to provide a ramp for easy loading of bulky or heavy items such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, and lawn mowers. A rubber strip was positioned on the top of the ramp to keep it from becoming damaged by the surface it was lowered upon. Used hard by businesses and individuals, very few nice unrestored examples exist today. A level load floor option was available from the dealer to take away the "stepped" bed necessitated by the rear engine location, but it almost completely negated the ramp idea when in use. Rampsides also included a tailgate for rear loading.
Model Number: R-1254
Production: 1961 - 10787 units
1962 - 4102 units
1963 - 2046 units
1964 - 851 units
Total - 17768 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 80 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2715 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1885 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
Model Number: R-1254
Production: 1961 - 10787 units
1962 - 4102 units
1963 - 2046 units
1964 - 851 units
Total - 17768 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 80 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2715 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1885 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
LOADSIDE (Model R-1244) Considered by some Corvair enthusiasts as the most useless of the Forward Control truck line, the Loadside pickup truck was only produced from 1961-1962. It was similar to the Rampside in all aspects except for the lack of a side ramp. This made loading items into the deep bed of the pickup truck nearly impossible. The addition of a level load floor option made the truck easier to use, however it made about a third of the total loadable space completely unusable. This light duty Forward Control never caught the consumer’s attention. Only 369 Loadsides were produced in 1962 making it the rarest Corvair produced in America.
Model Number: R-1244
Production: 1961 - 2475 units
1962 - 369 units
Total - 2849 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 175 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2705 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1895 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds
Model Number: R-1244
Production: 1961 - 2475 units
1962 - 369 units
Total - 2849 units
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Cubic Capacity: 175 cu. ft.
Curb Weight: 2705 pounds
Payload Capacity: 1895 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 4600 pounds