Marcel, Manuela, and a Corvair named Angelita
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As you may have noted on the previous page, Angelita is equipped with an OEM radio. It is still useful for listening to the AM band (MW, or medium wave in Switzerland). However, its original speaker has been replaced by 2 small, full range, 80-watt units and a special mounting plate from Clark's Corvair Parts. This allowed Marcel to improve the sound without cutting the upholstery to install door mounted speakers. It also raised the systems power handling capacity, enabling him to add a 250 watt (5 x 50 watt) Blaupunkt Biarritz radio and CD player. The unit is equipped with a remote control so it can be operated without opening the glove box, where it is hidden. A separate switch allows for toggling between the 2 radios. Marcel reports that the upgraded front speakers sound full and clean, but are somewhat lacking in stereo separation because of their location. To build out the stereo image, and to provide some solid bass thump, he constructed and mounted a custom sound board behind the rear seat, as seen below. |
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A cardboard template was made and used to guide the shaping of a fir board in which Marcel fitted a pair of Infinity 3-way speakers. To control resonance, the soundboard is padded on its top, bottom, and rear edge, and is rigidly mounted to the car using 6 easy-to-remove brackets. In the finished installation, the speakers are tastefully invisible under a covering of thin, acoustically transparent material. The resulting sound, says Marcel, is "nice, clear sound, with good, stamping bass—a little magic for people that don't know what's in the glove box. They can't believe that old in-dash radio can produce such power!" |
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Marcel and Manuela drive the Corsa mostly on weekends, and only in fair weather. In the first 18 months after restoration, they added more than 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) to the odometer. Their preferred route is around scenic Lake Zürich, which is 39 kilometers (24 miles) long, and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) at its widest point. They also take Angelita to young-and-old-timer meetings, where her star shines brightly. "Wow, wonderful car," people say, "But what kind is it? Whaaat? Corvette? Ooooh...Corvair. Never heard of it, but—wow—great car! Cor-whaaat?" Others fondly remember the Corvair and report that their dad had one, or they owned one when they were students. Overall, the emotional responses to beautiful Angelita reinforce that she is well worth every hour of hard work and every Swiss Frank invested in her. |
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Marcel remembers that when he first brought home Angelita "almost junked as she was," he expected to hear Manuela say something like, "You're crazy!" Before Angelita, he reports, Manuela was not at all a car enthusiast, but when she saw Angelita, she walked around the Corvair 2, maybe 3 times and said, "Well, this is a really nice car. It's, or it was once a beauty. Yes, that's a nice one." "After the 1800 hours of work and the first ride we took together," he adds, "she was completely in love with Angelita." It certainly looks like things are good in Switzerland! Well done, Marcel. Way to go, Manuela. Viva Angelita! |
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Photos by Marcel & Manuela |
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