Corvair Forum

Nader stops in at Clark’s Corvair
Ralph Nader, who once famously called the Chevrolet Corvair "Unsafe at any speed" meets and talks with Clark Corvair owners Calvin and Joan Clark, who make their living by selling parts for Corvairs in Shelburne on Friday. Recorder/Paul Franz

SHELBURNE FALLS — Ralph Nader, the consumer rights advocate whose first claim to fame was his fight against the “Unsafe at Any Speed” 1960-1964 Corvair, made a pit stop Friday into the heart of “Corvair country” — Clark’s Corvair Auto Parts — the largest supplier of Corvair auto parts in the world.

Although Nader arrived after most employees had already gone home for the weekend, Joan and Calvin Clark Jr. welcomed him like a friend, shook hands and visited briefly.

Nader is spending the weekend at the Rowe Camp and Conference Center, where he is leading discussions on restoring democracy in a time of bitter partisanship. His visit and first face-to-face meeting with the Clarks comes at a time when the highly successful car parts business has celebrated its 40th anniversary of selling car parts that General Motors stopped making in 1969. Their meeting comes just as Nader’s first best-seller, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” is approaching its 50th anniversary.

“We got a phone call” saying Ralph Nader would like to set up a visit, “some of the girls thought it was a joke,” said Joan Clark, while waiting for Nader’s arrival.

But it wasn’t a joke, and Nader stopped in, en route to Rowe, to meet the Clarks, and to see if they knew where he could get a 1962 Corvair, in reasonably good shape.

The car isn’t for Nader to drive, but to be put on display in the future American Museum of Tort Law that Nader is helping to establish in his hometown, near Hartford, Conn. Nader said the car would be put on display, as a symbol of tort law that led to safer car-making. He told the Clarks that the Pinto, asbestos, cigarettes, and other products of class-action lawsuits would be included in the museum.

The Clarks politely bantered with Nader about what they seem to feel was an undeservedly bad rap for the Corvair. Calvin Clark said the Corvair’s engineering faults of its earliest years were corrected in the later models, but people wrongly believe the car was flawed throughout its nine years in production.

Nader said he always said the flaws were corrected by the 1964 models. Before the 1966 Recall Law, he said, design flaws weren’t publicized and there was no procedure for recalling defective vehicles. He pointed out how the law is still safeguarding people against faulty ignition systems and faulty “exploding” air bags.

The Clarks suggested Nader contact the Corvair Society of America, to find someone who might be willing to donate a Corvair to his museum. Also, the Clarks offered to post a notice that Nader is looking for a Corvair in their next mailing to customers, in January.

Earlier in the day, the Clarks had been looking for their copy of “Unsafe at Any Speed,” for Nader to autograph, but they couldn’t find it. Nader offered to send them a 40th anniversary commemorative edition of his book.

Meanwhile, he autographed a Clarks Corvair Parts Catalog. After learning that the Clarks mostly sell new custom-made Corvair parts that are stronger than some of the original components, Nader signed their catalog: “To Calvin and Joan Clark for safer Corvairs.”

You can reach Diane Broncaccio at: dbroncaccio@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 277

Source URL: http://www.recorder.com/home/14260113-9 ... ks-corvair

... Posted by Jonathan Rintels on the CORVAIR Facebook Page.

Awesome!

Now that was cool reading

Thanks for posting that for us Brad.

I even translate it for in our club magazine

Another Harvard educated Communist traitor. He is alive and a strange man who has destroyed the US economy through needless government regulation. Another one of his ilk was Rachel Carson of 'Silent Spring'. It resulted in the ban on DDT....in the USA. 100% of imported food has DDT on it since Bill Clinton signed Communist NAFTA . Look up Alibaba.com run by communist Jack Ma. He can get you as much DDT ,Freon, Bomb Precursors, and detonators into the USA as you can buy! Tragic. You wonder why young people aren't comming into the hobby.

Whenever I go to a car show it never fails someone brings up the Ralph Nader story or you hear someone approach your car and say isn't that the car Ralph Nader says is unsafe.