Great things can happen when motivated employees come up with a great idea, put it into practice, and then take it to the bosses. That’s pretty much how Gmail was invented, and that’s how we ended up with one amphibious Chevrolet Corvair.
Unlike the Chevelles, Camaros and Corvettes of the 1960s, Chevy’s Corvair doesn’t get a huge amount of love even today. It lacked the power of these more iconic nameplates, but it played an important role at the time, offering an all-American alternative to imports like the Volkswagen Beetle. The German compact clearly inspired GM, as the Corvair was also rear-engined and used an air-cooled engine. A flat-6, to be precise, which in its first guise produced a largely inadequate 80 hp. Subsequent releases grew in capacity and output, and a final turbocharged model arrived on the scene several years later, with a much improved 180 horses under the hood. The engines were connected either to a four-speed manual transmission or to a two-speed automatic transmission.
What the Corvair certainly impressed, however, was its versatility. Unlike the Beetle, Chevy’s model could be available as a sedan, coupe, wagon, van or even pickup. However, two Pontiac engineers, Richard E. Hulten and Roger D. Holm, thought something was missing from this lineup: a Corvair based on an amphibious pickup, which they called the Corphibian. They formed their own company, Hulten-Holm Co., and developed a fully functional prototype on their own time, intending to present and sell the idea to Chevrolet.
Here’s how it was made
While the case for producing an amphibious Corvair can certainly be questioned (and was), it is difficult to question the engineers’ approach and execution. They’ve nailed the name and the design is well thought out. It had an extended bed and a fiberglass hull, fiberglass being light, rust resistant and extensively proven in shipping. Most controls are in the bed, including drive engagement, steering, and forward and reverse settings. However, the accelerator pedal could be operated from both the bed and the cabin. Conveniently, the Corphibian sits high enough in the water that the doors can be opened, allowing occupants to move from the cabin to bed while on the water.
Many other amphibious creations, like the performance-oriented TVR Scamander, look bizarre, while the Corphibian could easily pass for just a pickup truck. Beneath the largely stock-looking bodywork is familiar Corvair territory, with the standard flat-6 and Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission motivating the Corphibian on land. In the water, two propellers take over the propulsion.
Images from that time show Hulten and Holm testing the Corphibian on a lake in Michigan in 1961. Remarkably, it drives straight into the water as easily as you would merge onto a highway. The driver then opens the door, climbs onto the bed and grabs the bed-mounted ship’s controls. The two planned to open up the truck cab slightly, for a more nautical look and to make moving from the cab to the bed easier. But the Corphibian ultimately became a one-off, without further modifications.
Hulten and Holm’s Corphibian has survived the test of time
After turning their bold vision into a daring reality and actually putting it to the test, Hulten and Holm decided it was time to take their creation to GM executives. Ideally, the big bosses would see that it was a great alternative to the German-built Amphicar, which was from the same era.
But GM bosses thought the market for such a vehicle would be quite limited, and decided to put the Corphibian into production. Perhaps they were short-sighted, as 3,878 Amphicars were ultimately made, of which 3,046 were imported into the US. Clearly there was some sort of market for wet-dry transportation in America, including the Amphicar, which was launched in 1961. Had the Corphibian been rushed into production, it probably would have had a good chance of stealing many of those 3,046 sales. After all, it would have been American made and from a well-known, trusted brand.
Nevertheless, the mass-produced Corphibian would not be. But the only example ever produced still exists, painted red and white and fitted with the all-important twin propellers and marine equipment mounted in the cargo bed. Although it never became the commercial success that Hulten and Holm would have loved, it is a beloved and fascinating piece of automotive history, well preserved and on public display at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
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