In the automotive lexicon, the word “rare” is a peculiar thing.
Often times it’s used to describe a bespoke luxury car or exotic racer. Other times it denotes a fancy options package or paint scheme. Still, in other instances, it’s applied to a special feature or unusual addition.
But in the case of this 1962 Corvair 95 pickup, it’s rarity is attributed to what it doesn’t have.
The Loadside? Not so much. (Image/Chevrolet)
That’s because, instead of the innovative “Rampside” bed, it’s one of the rare trucks equipped with the ill-fated “Loadside” bed. And to understand the significance, we turn to this particular truck’s owner, Steve Smith.
“The issue was, they were supposed to put drawers in here” he says, gesturing to the space below the bed between the wheels. “The bed floor was going to be flat, and you could slide your tools underneath.”
Sounds like genius idea, right? Safely secure your gear in the slide-out drawers beneath the bed without compromising your usable space up top. There was only one problem…
“The guy that made the drawer sides went bankrupt,” Steve laughs.
“And he never told General Motors!”
If that wasn’t surprising enough, apparently GM didn’t get the memo about its subcontractor for over a year.
“So they ran 1961 models waiting for [the drawers] and started to run the ’62s,” Steve explains. “Then finally somebody told General Motors he was bankrupt…”
Steve pauses, takes a breath, smiles, and starts waving his hands.
“…Stop the Line, Stop the Line!” he exclaims with a boisterous laugh.
Chevy had no choice but to ship the trucks without the drawers installed, which meant the bed had an uneven floor, complete with a deep recess behind the cab. To complicate things even more, since Chevy’s marketing literature was already out, the now-confusing “Loadside” name stuck too.
The end result was a very poor-selling truck.
“In 1962, they only made about 300,” Steve tells us. “There’s only five of ’em running, left in the country.”
As for Steve Smith, he’s a bona fide Corvair fan and purchased this truck decades ago in Flint, Michigan—and he summarily drove it down to Ohio that same evening. “That’s when I discovered it had no headlights,” he jokes.
During his ownership, the truck accumulated plenty of hard-earned miles travelling to national Corvair events across the northeast and midwest. But when Steve moved back to New York years ago, he was forced to sell the Loadside.
Upon his recent relocation back to Ohio though, Steve lamented selling the truck—and his family knew it.
“Well, the kids found out who I sold it to,” he smiles. “And for my 70th birthday, they bought it back and gave it to me.”
Now back in his stable, Steve continues to care for his Loadside, and he’s not shy about telling folks about its historical significance.
…Though he takes a good-natured approach to its rarity. “It doesn’t mean anything,” he smiles. “Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s valuable.”
That may be so, but it does make for a cool story.
How do you account for the ramp that exists on them all…or the 1960’d add movie on line that compares the Rampside with the Ford Econoline.
I’m confused with your statement. The point of this article is that the ramp doesn’t exist on them all–that’s why this one is so rare. Did I misinterpret your question?