UNDER RESTORATION: THE ONE-OFF 1964 CORVAIR BUILT FOR FORMER CHEVROLET GENERAL MANAGER "BUNKIE" KNUDSEN

A number of factory customs were built for or at the behest of Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen during his tenure as Chevrolet’s general manager, from 1961-65. They included a couple of well-known Corvette styling cars, but also a unique, turbocharged 1964 Corvair Monza Spyder that was recently acquired by Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance founder Bill Warner. It’s undergoing restoration at Werner Meier’s facility Masterworks Automotive Services, just north of Detroit.

Originally Ember Red, Chevrolet Engineering repainted the car Firefrost Blue, which featured most more silver metallic flakes to give the paint a more luminescent and frost-like shine in sunlight. The fluorescent lights of the restoration shop simply don’t do it justice. Photo: Barry Kluczyk

The car was one of five special builds commissioned under Knudsen and was pulled off the Willow Run assembly line and sent to the Chevrolet Engineering Center to receive a number of custom touches, including a repaint in Firefrost Blue. The Firefrost and later Firemist colors were unique metallic blends with brighter flake pigments and were mostly available on Cadillac models.

A special tag in the engine compartment calls out the unique build and its distinctive color.Photo: Barry Kluczyk

In addition to the paintwork, the car’s trunk was re-trimmed and the interior was updated. It also received a set of knock-off-style Kelsey Hayes wire wheels. Upon completion, the Corvair was used for company displays, including the 1963 Christmas display in the Chevy Engineering lobby. It then was used as a Chevy Engineering fleet car for much of 1964, before it was sold in October that year to Chevy employee Jim Spaulding, who held on to it until Warner’s purchase in 2023.

The original top was still on the car when it entered the shop. It will be replaced. Photo: Barry Kluczyk

“I’d known about the car since the Eighties and was always interested in it, because I collect low-production cars,” says Warner. “It’s such a special car and I was thrilled when Jim finally agreed to sell it to me, nearly 40 years later.”

The white interior was updated during the build by Chevrolet Engineering, while the previous owner, who purchased the car in 1964, added the Grant wood steering wheel in 1965. Photo: Barry Kluczyk

Spaulding didn’t exactly hide the Corvair, but it also didn’t lead a high-profile life. After purchasing the car he made a few of his own changes and showed it occasionally over the years, including the popular Orphans Car Show for discontinued makes and models, which is held only a lug nut’s throw from the old Willow Run production facility, near Ypsilanti, Mich.

Resto shops aren’t immune from the refrain of our time: “We’re waiting on parts.” Once they show up, the turbo flat-six will be rebuilt. When knew, the engine was rated at 150 gross horsepower. Photo: Barry Kluczyk

When we caught up with the car recently at Masterworks Automotive, the Firefrost Blue color had been resprayed, but it still needed a new top, a revamp of the interior and a rebuild of the air-cooled flat-six turbo engine. With luck, it should be completed later this spring or early summer — and we’ll follow up to view this one-off custom Covair when the sunlight once again hits that unique Firefrost Blue color.

2024-04-15T15:07:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd