How Much Did the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Cost?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The Chevrolet Corvair price was $2,038 for the 500 Series sedan when it launched on October 2, 1959. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $23,357 in September 2026 money, roughly 11.5 times the original price.
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Chevrolet Corvair (1960) at a glance
- US launch price
- $2,038
- In today’s money
- ≈ $23,357October 1959 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- October 2, 1959
- Where the company was based
- Detroit, United StatesDeveloped by Chevrolet, the General Motors division then based in Detroit.
- Category
- Cars & transport
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
What did $2,038 get you?
Chevrolet sold the Corvair as an economy compact for under $2,000 at its planned price. The 500 Series four-door sedan had few extras, to keep the price competitive.
Options added to the cost. The two-speed Powerglide automatic gearbox, for example, was an extra $146.
The Chevrolet Corvair price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1959. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original Chevrolet Corvair price of $2,038 works out at about $23,357 in September 2026 money, around 11.5 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Chevrolet Corvair sells for second-hand.
Why Chevrolet built the Corvair
In the late 1950s, more Americans were buying small, economical cars. Imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle were selling well, along with American compacts like the Rambler and the Studebaker Lark.
Chevrolet’s chief engineer, Ed Cole, pushed for a very different answer: an air-cooled engine in the back, like the Beetle, with independent suspension on all four wheels. That was rare for a mass-produced American car.
When was the Corvair released?
- Production started: July 1959, at Willow Run, Michigan
- Official launch: October 2, 1959
- Second generation: 1965 model year
- Last model year: 1969
How the Corvair was received
Time magazine put Ed Cole and the Corvair on its cover, and Motor Trend named it the 1960 “Car of the Year”. Chevrolet sold 26,000 Corvairs in its first two days on the market.
Later, consumer advocate Ralph Nader criticised the early models’ handling in his 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed. A 1972 study for the US road safety agency found the 1960–1963 Corvair was no more likely to lose control than other compact cars of the time.
Chevrolet Corvair facts you might not know
- About 1.8 million Corvairs were built from 1960 to 1969.
- Chevrolet had tried an air-cooled engine once before, in 1923, and that car was a failure.
- Its rear engine gave it a flat floor inside, with no hump in the middle.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the Chevrolet Corvair cost?
The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 500 Series sedan cost $2,038 when it launched on October 2, 1959.
How much is $2,038 from 1959 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Corvair’s $2,038 price is about $23,357 in September 2026 money.
Why was the Corvair controversial?
Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed criticised how early models handled. A later government-funded study found they were no less safe than other compacts of the time.
How many Corvairs were made?
About 1.8 million were built between 1960 and 1969.
Want to compare the Chevrolet Corvair price with other launch prices? See what the Apple Watch cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.