Molly Asbury x 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 500
Currently a student at the Royal School of Needlework, Ms Asbury is a vintage clothing collector and practitioner in fine hand embroidery. In these photographs she evokes the East Coast vibe of the early 1960s and assumes the persona of an Ivy college under graduate before political activism (and marijuana) hit campuses across the USA towards the end of that decade. The Corvair was packed with innovations, but nevertheless controversial. Production run from 1960 to 1969 and over 1.7m cars were sold. Powered by a rear mounted 140 cubic inch (2.3L) flat six, the car had considerable power (for a small family car) but was alleged to have poor handling. This example is from the collection of The Automobile magazine and out accelerated our Prius easily on the open road (and this was the basic model at 80hp). For the later Monza the maker increased engine size and achieved a peak of 140hp. Ironically the Corvair was meant to be economical and was certainly unconventional, with a new layout and air-cooling. It also sold well. Dare I say it…. a bit like Toyota’s wonder car? Our driver-for-the-day, Molly Asbury, got her look so right for these shots. This is acting, re-enacting, recreating, reviving, (call it what you will), at its best.
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Issue 18
