To Corvair or not to Corvair, that is the question

by Steve Alexander

We parody William Shakespeare’s famous line from Hamlet: “To Corvair or not to Corvair, this is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to drive a Corvair, or to walk”. There have been many failed products that left the entire world saying, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” On this list we will find Ben-Gay Aspirin– great for external pain relief, not so much for internal consumption. Bic Underwear– they make a disposable ink pen, but disposable underwear? Bottled water for your pet “Thirsty Dog” and “Thirsty Cat” gave us such wonderful flavors as Crispy Beef and Tangy Fish, but really? Then we have the Chevrolet Corvair– a wonderful attempt at a compact economy car. It even provided some muscle, but this was the muscle car era, it was no time for an air-cooled engine, or the possibility of exploding gas tanks.