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1965-67 U.S. Corvair Regular Production Option (RPO) Statistics

By Kent Sullivan

Source material provided courtesy of Dave Newell

This article was published in the March, 2005 CORSA Communique.

Introduction

Judging by topics on the Virtual Vairs email discussion list and conversations at CORSA events over the years, owners of 1965-67 Corvairs often wonder how rare a given option on their cars is. Chevrolet published (internally) year-end totals of factory-installed options. Some factory-installed options could also be dealer-installed as accessories, and no record was kept of those installations, or for dealer-installed accessories of any kind.

Factory-installed options fall into two categories:

Almost all Corvair factory-installed options for 1965-67 are RPOs. The 140 HP engine for 1967 was a COPO. Dave Newell, Historian for the Corvair Preservation Foundation, obtained copies of the year-end U.S. RPO reports and dug in the Chevrolet records for the Tonawanda engine plant production totals in 1967. CORSA members are the lucky beneficiaries of his eagle eye for copying irreplaceable information! Note that the actual number of 1967 cars sold with the 140 HP engine may be a small amount less than the number Dave retrieved from the engine production report, since it was common practice to make a few extras for replacement or engineering purposes.

Information from the equivalent reports for "cousins" of the Corvair is also available:

Dave previously provided the equivalent information for 1966 Canadian Corvair production, which was featured in the June, 2000 CORSA Communique and is described elsewhere on my site. Corvairs were not produced in Canada after 1966.

The three original reports list the quantity of each RPO produced and the percentage of cars on which it was installed, rounded to the nearest whole number. This information is of enormous value on its own but is further enhanced by:

The result of that work is shown in Table 1. Note that, like the original Chevrolet reports, the RPOs for 1965 Greenbriers are not included. Corvair forward control vehicles used a completely different set of RPOs than Corvair cars.

Table 2 gives the yearly production totals for each model year, along with a by-model breakdown. To minimize confusion, Table 1 uses the total yearly Corvair production figures to calculate all of the percentages, even when a RPO was available only on a subset of the total production. (Website exclusive: an addendum which explores the production subset question.)

The original RPO reports also contain production numbers for sedans built with two-tone paint, RPO 950. This information is listed at the end of the Body section of Table 1. Dave Newell explained: "Apparently RPO 950 was used after 1964 to account for total two-tone paint production. Prior to 1965 (when Chevy went to letter codes for paint) each two-tone combination had its own code in the 950 range. RPO 950 was last used on Corvairs to indicate a single combination in 1963 when it indicated Ermine White over Tuxedo Black."

Interestingly, in Canada, the molding on the "C" pillar that accompanied the two-tone paint was assigned a RPO (D99), which indicates that, at least theoretically, the molding could have been ordered without the two-tone paint from the Oshawa plant.

What the original RPO reports do not provide is any data on combinations of options installed beyond the "Z" option groups, as documented in the Special Items section of Table 1. The only way to get that information would be to calculate all of the combinations from the factory records for each car. Unfortunately, these production records are not available. (Canadian Corvair owners can obtain this info from Vintage Vehicle Services.)

However, Dave Newell located some very interesting combinatorial info from a different source, namely the year-end powertrain production reports for 1965 and 1966. They list how many of each engine type were equipped with PowerGlide automatic transmissions. That info is presented in Table 3. This report does not break down the 3- or 4-speed transmission combinations similarly. The reason given in the report is that the manual transmissions were the same across all engine types; meaning that the engine production part numbers were the same regardless of whether the transmission was 3- or 4-speed. A review of engine block code suffixes confirms this.

(updated March 2016): Paul from Winvoices.com provided totals for the "non-default" convertible top colors. For each year, I added those two numbers together and subtracted the result from the total number of convertibles produced that year to yield the number of tops with the "default" color (white). The results are in Table 4.

Table 1: 1965-1967 Corvair Regular Production Option Statistics, grouped by Uniform Parts Classification (UPC)

RPO

Option Description

1965

1966

1967

Count

Percentage

Count

Percentage

Count

Percentage
 

Body - UPC 1 (A01 - E99)

A01

Tinted Glass—Windshield and Side Windows

22479

9.54%

8739

8.42%

2047

7.51%

A02

Tinted Glass—Windshield Only

94759

40.23%

40910

39.43%

9444

34.65%

A39

Custom Deluxe Front & Rear Seat Belts with Front Retractors (see A47 + A49 for 1965)

n/a

24811

23.92%

5273

19.35%

A47

Custom Deluxe Rear Seat Belts (see note 1)

260

0.11%

n/a

A48

Seat Belt Delete (see A62 for 1965)

n/a

see note 2

A49

Custom Deluxe Front Seat Belts with Retractors

77951

33.10%

n/a

A62

Seat Belt Delete (see A48 for 1966-67)

17462

7.41%

n/a

A64

Custom Rear Seat Belts (see note 3)

174

0.07%

standard

A67

Folding Rear Seat (500s only—standard on Monzas and Corsas)

4417

1.88%

2322

2.24%

976

3.58%

A68

Custom Center Rear Seat Belt (sedans only until 10/66)

n/a

750

2.75%

A82

1966: Bucket or Bench Seat Headrests; 1967: Bench Seat Headrests (500s only)

n/a

1188

1.15%

35

0.13%

A85

Custom Deluxe Front Shoulder Belts (see note 4) (requires A39)

n/a

29

0.03%

140

0.51%

AL5

Custom Deluxe Center Rear Seat Belt (sedans only until 10/66; requires A39)

n/a

198

0.73%

AS1

Custom Front Shoulder Belts

n/a

72

0.26%

AS2

Strato-Ease Bucket Seat Headrests (Monzas only)

n/a

204

0.75%

B37

Floor Mats (color keyed)

n/a

2033

7.46%

B70

Padded Dash

114143

48.46%

standard

B93

Door Edge Guards (part of Z19 in 1966)

n/a

n/a

3554

13.04%

C06

Power Convertible Top

9956

4.23%

4350

4.19%

743

2.73%

C48

Heater Delete

1867

0.79%

1050

1.01%

147

0.54%

C64

Air Conditioning

9418

4.00%

4780

4.61%

1396

5.12%

D10

Rear Door Armrests (500 sedans only—standard on Monza sedans)

225

0.10%

189

0.18%

n/a

D33

Outside Remote Control Rearview Mirror (part of Z13 in 1965 and Z19 in 1966)

n/a

n/a

569

2.09%

950

Two-Tone Paint (sedans only)

1832

0.78%

717

0.69%

178

0.65%

 

Front Suspension - UPC 3 (F40 - F99)

F41

Special Performance Front & Rear Suspension (part of Z17 in 1965)

  

3227

3.11%

905

3.32%

 

Rear Suspension - UPC 4 (G50 - H99)

G81

Positraction Rear Axle (all ratios)

14463

6.14%

7097

6.84%

1318

4.84%

G93

3.27:1 Rear Axle

493

0.21%

296

0.29%

standard

G95

3.55:1 Rear Axle

1988

0.84%

818

0.79%

237

0.87%

 

Engine - UPC 6 (K01 - L99)

K19

Air Injection Reactor

n/a

5627

5.42%

1316

4.83%

K46

Heavy Duty Air Pre-cleaner

600

0.25%

128

0.12%

n/a

K47

Oil Bath Air Cleaner

13842

5.88%

4929

4.75%

659

2.42%

K84

Heavy Duty Alternator (47 amp)

419

0.18%

193

0.19%

65

0.24%

L62

110 HP Engine (500s and Monzas only)

140702

59.74%

63178

60.90%

19118

70.15%

L63

140 HP Engine (see note 5) (500s and Monzas only—standard on Corsas)

18273

7.76%

7500

7.23%

279

1.02%

L87

180 HP Engine (Corsas only)

7206

3.06%

1951

1.88%

n/a

 

Transmission - UPC 7 (M01 - M99)

M20

4 Speed Manual Transmission

79028

33.55%

27659

26.66%

4031

14.79%

M35

PowerGlide Automatic Transmission

125046

53.09%

59369

57.23%

18517

67.94%
 

Steering - UPC 9 (N30 - N49)

N30

Deluxe Steering Wheel

n/a

756

2.77%

N34

Wood Grained Plastic Steering Wheel

2647

1.12%

2169

2.09%

341

1.25%

N36

Telescoping Steering Column

12569

5.34%

2248

2.17%

299

1.10%

N44

Quick Steering (part of Z17 in 1965)

n/a

2100

2.02%

415

1.52%
 

Wheels & Tires - UPC 10 (N50 - T49)

N96

Magnesium Wheel Covers

n/a

768

0.74%

196

0.72%

P01

Wheel Covers (500s only—standard on Monzas and Corsas)

8718

3.70%

5350

5.16%

2425

8.90%

P02

Simulated Wire Wheel Cover

12900

5.48%

3364

3.24%

377

1.38%

P19

Spare Tire Lock

83729

35.55%

33778

32.56%

6853

25.15%

P38

Tire Delete

see note 2

P53

6.50x13 White Wall Rayon Tires

173578

73.70%

n/a

P54

7.00x13 White Wall Rayon Tires

n/a

70161

67.63%

16470

60.43%

 

Electrical & Instrument - UPC 12 (T60 - U99)

T60

Heavy Duty Battery

7327

3.11%

4592

4.43%

1227

4.50%

T64

Battery Delete

see note 2

U15

Speed Warning Indicator

n/a

274

1.01%

U25

Luggage Compartment Light (part of Z19 in 1966)

n/a

n/a

1910

7.01%

U26

Underhood Light (part of Z19 in 1966)

n/a

n/a

1786

6.55%

U27

Glove Compartment Light (500s only—standard on Monzas and Corsas) (part of Z01 and Z13 in 1965; part of Z19 in 1966)

n/a

n/a

611

2.24%

U28

Ashtray Light

n/a

1875

6.88%

U29

Courtesy Lights

n/a

1873

6.87%

U35

Electric Clock

n/a

1885

6.92%

U57

Stereo Tape System

n/a

125

0.46%

U60

AM Manual Radio

26306

11.17%

n/a

U63

AM Pushbutton Radio

119222

50.62%

62412

60.16%

17342

63.63%

U69

AM/FM Push Button Radio

2714

1.15%

1303

1.26%

345

1.27%

U73

Rear Antenna

55094

23.39%

13484

13.00%

1629

5.98%

U75

Power Rear Antenna

n/a

416

0.40%

n/a

U80

Rear Speaker

12212

5.18%

4274

4.12%

954

3.50%

 

Bumpers & Misc. - UPC 14 (V30 - V99)

V31

Front Bumper Guards

14736

6.26%

6390

6.16%

1907

7.00%

V32

Rear Bumper Guards

14621

6.21%

6278

6.05%

1885

6.92%

V74

Hazard Switch and Flashers

n/a

10984

10.59%

standard

 

Special Items (Z01 - Z99)

Z01

Comfort and Convenience Group Type "A" (outside rear view mirror, 2-speed wipers, washers, day/night inside mirror, backup lights [500s only], glove compartment light [500s only])

156305

66.36%

see note 6

Z13

Comfort and Convenience Group Type "B" (remote outside rear view mirror, 2-speed wipers, washers, day/night inside mirror, backup lights [500s only], glove compartment light [500s only])

6406

2.72%

see note 7

Z17

Suspension and Steering (see note 8) (see F41 + N44 for 1966-67)

110

0.05%

n/a

Z19

Convenience Group (inside day/night mirror, remote outside mirror, underhood light, luggage compartment light, door edge guards, glove compartment light [500s only])

n/a

5111

4.93%

see note 9

Z83

Highway Emergency Kit (see note 10)

n/a

68

0.07%

n/a
Notes on Table 1

  1. A47 entered production March, 1965.

  2. The reports did not include information on every option, specifically three RPOs which were available only on exported cars: A48, P38, and T64.

  3. A64 entered production March, 1965.

  4. A85 entered production March, 1966.

  5. The 140 HP engine was not an RPO in 1967, but instead was COPO 9551. These COPO engine figures are included with RPO L63 for ease of comparison.

  6. Option not available: all standard except U27.

  7. Option not available: all standard except D33 and U27.

  8. Z17 entered production June, 1965.

  9. Option not available: inside day/night mirror standard, other items available separately as D33, U26, U25, B93, and U27.

  10. Z83 discontinued December, 1965.

Table 2: U.S. Corvair Production Totals

Year

1965

1966

1967

500 Coupe

36747

24045

9257

500 Sedan

17560

8779

2959

Monza Coupe

88954

37605

9771

Monza Sedan

37157

12497

3157

Monza Convertible

26466

10345

2109

Corsa Coupe

20291

7330

n/a

Corsa Convertible

8353

3142

n/a

Total

235528

103743

27253
Table 3: U.S. PowerGlide Automatic Transmission (RPO M35) Production Totals by Engine Type

Engine
Type

Year

1965

1966

95 HP

27151

11922

110 HP

90121

43499

140 HP

7775

3948

Total

125046

59369
Table 4: U.S. Convertible Top Color Distribution

Color

1965

1966

1967

Count

Percentage

Count

Percentage

Count

Percentage

White

16188

46.49%

5477

40.61%

657

31.15%

Black

16213

46.56%

6933

51.41%

1326

62.87%

Beige

2418

6.94%

1077

7.99%

N/A

Med. Blue

N/A

126

5.97%

Analysis and Discussion

The most striking facts are how few options were installed in large numbers and how many options were installed on barely any cars at all:

Of interest is that this breakdown appears similar to the Corvair's close cousin, the Chevy II. A quick comparison to the Chevy II data shows that many of the same options appear similarly large or small in number. Similar trends were seen when comparing 1967 Corvairs with 1967 Camaros.

From a collector's point of view, this means there are a large number of rare options; it is fun to track down cars so equipped. It might also translate into increased value in some situations. From a historian's point of view, it isn't clear why Chevrolet offered so many options that didn't sell well, given the cost of designing and producing each option.

Another interesting point is how consistent the percentages are across the three years for many of the options, even though production totals differed dramatically. 1966 production was less than half that of 1965 while 1967 was about 25% of 1966 or just 10% of 1965.

Speaking of production totals, it's odd that the number of RPOs offered was increasing even as Corvair production fell. 44 RPOs were offered in 1965, 46 in 1966, and 54 in 1967 (including export-only options). This may seem a bit odd given the declining production numbers but can explained by two factors:

Table 5: Options that were installed on more than 10% of cars

RPO

Option Description

Avg. %

P53

6.50x13 White Wall Rayon Tires

73.70%

Z01

Convenience Group Type "A"

66.36%

P54

7.00x13 White Wall Rayon Tires

64.03%

L62

110 HP Engine

63.60%

M35

PowerGlide Automatic Transmission

59.42%

U63

AM Pushbutton Radio

58.14%

B70

Padded Dash

48.46%

A02

Tinted Glass—Windshield Only

38.11%

A49

Custom Deluxe Front Seat Belts with Retractors

33.10%

P19

Spare Tire Lock

31.08%

M20

4 Speed Manual Transmission

25.00%

A39

Custom Deluxe Front & Rear Seat Belts with Front Retractors

21.63%

U73

Rear Antenna

14.12%

B93

Door Edge Guards

13.04%

U60

AM Manual Radio

11.17%

V74

Hazard Switch and Flashers

10.59%

Interestingly, three of the highest-volume options (Z01, B70, and V74) became standard or required equipment in 1966 or 1967 and one (U60) was dropped entirely. In all four cases, the profit associated with them was essentially lost.

Table 6: Options that were installed on fewer than 1% of cars

RPO

Option Description

Avg. %

Z17

Suspension and Steering

0.05%

A64

Custom Rear Seat Belts

0.07%

Z83

Highway Emergency Kit

0.07%

A47

Custom Deluxe Rear Seat Belts

0.11%

D10

Rear Door Armrests

0.14%

K46

Heavy Duty Air Pre-cleaner

0.19%

K84

Heavy Duty Alternator (47 amp)

0.20%

G93

3.27:1 Rear Axle

0.25%

AS1

Custom Front Shoulder Belts

0.26%

A85

Custom Deluxe Front Shoulder Belts

0.27%

U75

Power Rear Antenna

0.40%

U57

Stereo Tape System

0.46%

A82

1966: Bucket or Bench Seat Headrests; 1967: Bench Seat Headrests

0.64%

950

Two-Tone Paint

0.71%

AL5

Custom Deluxe Center Rear Seat Belt

0.73%

N96

Magnesium Wheel Covers

0.73%

AS2

Strato-Ease Bucket Seat Headrests

0.75%

C48

Heater Delete

0.78%

G95

3.55:1 Rear Axle

0.83%

When interpreting these data, keep in mind that some of the options were installed on few cars partially because they were not applicable to the whole Corvair line-up. In some cases the item was standard equipment on certain models (e.g. G93), not applicable except to certain models (e.g. AL5), or both (e.g. D10).

Quite surprising was the Highway Emergency Kit (Z83); few have ever heard of this option but that's not surprising since it was only offered for the first three months of 1966 production. Four other options (Z17, A64, A47, and A85) were introduced during the production year.

It was also quite surprising to see how few cars were equipped with magnesium wheel covers (N96). These covers were offered as dealer-installed accessories during the 1965 model year (introduced roughly in February) but were not offered as a RPO until 1966, as Table 1 shows. A relatively large number are seen on Corvairs today. Apparently dealer installations and later installations by owners resulted in more Corvairs having these wheel covers.

Part 2—1965-67 U.S. Corvair RPO Decoding

The companion article provides information on how to decode the system of codes that Fisher Body used on the tag in the engine compartment.

Addendum—1965-67 U.S. Corvair RPO Statistics in More Detail

This article made the simplifying assumption that every RPO was theoretically available for all cars produced. This addendum dives more deeply into the topic by exploring the significantly more-complicated reality.

 

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