Chuck Armer, writing in the June, 1997 edition of the Corvair Society of America publication, Corsa Communique, said, "Never in my wildest dreams did I envision myself driving a Corvair." But, as fate would have it, his love affair with cars eventually developed into an appreciation for the "long and low lines of the Corsa coupe." He now owns two '65 Corvairs, both excellent examples of extremely well done restorations.

The force

The first, and the object of the extensive article in the above mentioned Communique, was dubbed Darth Vair.

Darth, of course, is black, with blacked out "grill" bar and headlight bezels. Some of the stock trim has been eliminated, giving the car a very clean, contemporary look.

The chin spoiler is from the '66 and later Corvair.

Darth's suspension features heavy duty springs and shocks and is shod with 245/50R-14 tires on the front and 265/50R-14 on the rear. Rims are steel Camaro Rally wheels. No modifications were necessary to make the combination fit, but you should note that the car uses a front disc brake kit from Wall's Corvair Underground and standard, as opposed to quick steering arms.

Chuck's epic restoration project began when he attended an auction and bought a straight bodied '66 Corsa coupe for $30, and a built 140 engine for $230. He found a Crosley car engine in the trunk of the Corsa, and sold it to a collector in New York for $150, effectively reducing his initial investment to $110!

Then, discovering the floor pan was in terrible shape, he sold the Corsa body to another enthusiast who wanted to build a mid-engine Corvair and was going to cut the floor out anyway, and bought an engineless '65 and worked from there.

In the fall of 1995, Chuck started several months of disassembling, parts gathering, media blasting, chemical dipping, grinding, sanding and powder coating. The body work and paint job were done by Ted Fahrenthold of Ted's Auto Body in Tucker, Georgia, before final reassembly was completed. Chuck also credits his friend Tony Kruzich for doing some engine work on Darth.

In June of 1996, when Darth was rolled out at the Super Chevy Show in Commerce, Georgia, he took a First Place trophy in his class. Since then, the 140 Corsa has done a lot of cruising and showing and has taken a number of awards including First in Class at both the Eastern NOPI Nationals Motorsports Car Show and the Peach State Bow Tie Show. In February, 1999, Darth won the Best of Show award at the Corvair Lover's Holiday, sponsored by the West Florida Corvair Club.

For Chuck Armer of Chamblee, Georgia, Darth is "a dream realized!" And there's more...