For those who are either Corvair fans, or fans of open road racing (or both), I just got my annual Christmas card from Charlie Friend. This past year he got his top speed certification up to 213 mph. Over the winter he's fabricating the mounts for a 5-speed transaxle to replace the current 4-speed, which I believe is a Porsche G50 box. So we may see even faster speeds at next year's events.
For those not familiar with Charlie's 'Vair, he's been racing it in one form or another for at least 30 years with a mid-engine Chevy V8 for power. Bodywork is nearly stock, except for a mild top chop and front air dam. Check out photos at any of the open road racing sites.
Ralph Nader says that isn't very safe.
Uh, wouldn't this be his second 'vair? I thought he wadded it up in Nevada a few years ago...or was there enough left to rebuild it?
Definately wadded up the car - tire failure at 165 mph. Honestly, I don't remember whether he used a new shell, or rebuilt the car using the center section - that was around 3 or 4 years ago, IIRC. I know he reused the gearbox and a bunch of other pieces. Whichever, it shows the need for a very well constructed cage, and that this form of racing is every bit as dangerous as any other - probably moreso, considering the high impact speeds if you go off. On track, a good bit of speed is usually scrubbed off before impact. I did an article on open road racing for GRM several years ago, and on the event I visited, a driver was killed when his Mercedes went off at about 145. It's a great form of competition, but must be approached seriously. As always, personal safety preparation comes first.
Another 17 mph, and you'll be up with our 2.0l Alfa Spider. 
Well, "our" being a stretch- I'm just part of the team.
And you remind me that I need to get back out to the salt someday.
old_gregg wrote:
Ralph Nader says that isn't very safe.
He is probably right. Shouldda used a pinto. Doh.
Wish I had a picture of the front. Charlie has been around a while and might already be a legend.
Imagine, I don't even like chebbies . . .
Where did he obtain this "certification"????
thanks,
As much as I like Corvairs, I don't get the appeal of the middie configuration. What's the point of taking a sedan and increasing the NVH exponentially? I don't mean to dis this guy. It's an awesome build. It's just that I like my engines outside of the drivers compartment. For the same amount of work, he could have built a tube-framed race car that would have been a good deal faster without the comprimises of a sedan body.
But that's assuming that this hobby makes sense, which is similar to saying that love makes sense.
In reply to DavidinDurango:
The was a commercially available kit for the mid-engine,Chevy v-8 conversion in the early '70s. Local MD had one. Never rode in it. It was loud from outside & seemed quite fast.
alfadriver, remember this was on a public highway closed for the event, not at the salt, and these events typically require running at speed for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour at a time. David in Durango (I'm in Ridgway), "certification" was my word to keep the post shorter - officially radared by event officials during one of the open road races in 2013, Charlie's wife didn't indicate which one. In 2011 he was radared at 207, I think at the Big Bend event near Sanderson, Texas. Kreb, he starteed with a Crown Corv-8 setup back in the 70s and went from there incrementally. Originally it was an autocrosser that he drove to events. Although it's still street licensed, it's definately NOT a real "street" car and NVH is not a concern. These days it's just built for sanctioned open road races.
