May 14, 1969 – The last Chevrolet Corvair is built, then vanishes
The idiosyncratic Chevrolet Corvair hit the market for 1960, marking a major departure from common automobile production practices in the United States. The air-cooled rear-engined compact more closely resembled a Volkswagen than the land yachts rolling off most US assembly lines at the times. While its unique design attracted curious consumers, the car also attracted unwanted attention. Ralph Nader famously targeted the Corvair in his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which called out automakers for failing to implement known safety equipment. Eventually lawsuits rose surrounding the Corvair's alleged flaws. While General Motors intended to scrap the Corvair in 1967 before the book ever went to press, the little car's life earned an extension to make it appear that Nader didn't bully GM into...