Corvair Power for Your German Car

I have been an advocate of CORVAIR power for many years, especially when slipped into small and lightweight GERMAN cars like Karmann Ghia and PORSCHE.  Through the years I have been fortunate to have installed CORVAIR engines into 356 PORSCHE, 911-912-914, Ghia and type 3 and many dune buggies. Today the CORVAIR has slipped in popularity but still makes lots of sense due to air cooling and flat design.

I bought a 1966 PORSCHE 912 with no engine (or very little else for that matter) in 1988. I installed a reverse turning 180hp turbo CORVAIR using a CROWN adapter to the 901 5 speed. Since then the car has had a progression of induction systems. I found the turbo system unhappy with the short gears of the 5 speed; I then built a blow through system and gave up on it for the same reason. Presently the engine is sitting under a ROCHESTER 4bbl and runs pretty well. I fabricated the sheet metal pieces from the engine to the body seal and the engine appears to belong in the car. I have patterns for the 911-912 and the 356. The 914 patterns were lost when I moved the shop to Golden.

Chuck Riblett owns this DESERTER GS mid-engined dune buggy. It utilizes a tube frame and VW gearbox and a Karmann Ghia front suspension with disc brakes plus a reverse turning 140hp CORVAIR engine. In the 1970s and 1980s Chuck was a constant FTD winner at the local autocross events with this car. Rear Engine Specialists, Inc helped maintain the engine while it was racing and built the present engine in 2003. Chuck is an accomplished engineer and one of his vocations is making metering rods for YH carbs. You can find him at: http://www.blackhawkengr.com

Here is my 1968 manx clone. The body was a direct splash from a real MEYERS MANX by a fiberglass firm here in Denver. I tried a variety of engines starting with a 40hp VW, then a 1600 PORSCHE and finally a turbocharged CORVAIR. Through the years I drove it to work, in the mountains, autocross and hill climb events. I sold it in the late 70s but found it in 1996 beat up and broken. I pulled the body from the pan and redid the brakes, fixed over 100 holes in the body plus a new windshield and frame, new seats, fuel tank and the list continued. The turbo engine was gone when I found the car but a 110hp sends the 1200lb car down the road easily. I finished the car for the second time in 2000.