When it comes to classic American automobiles, the Chevrolet Corvair – as the United States’ only mass-produced, rear-engined car – is in a class of its own.

As awkward as it is for me to admit, before this Corvair Monza 900 piqued my interest at the 2024 Elmia Custom Motor Show, I had never seen, let alone heard of the model. Its owner and creator, David Gunnars, however, knew exactly what he was looking at when he found the Chevy at a Swedish mink farm a couple of years ago.

David has been playing around with cars since he was 16 (he is now 36), with American classics becoming a bit of a speciality. With an asking price equivalent to US$750, there was no way he could pass up the Corvair. Over the next two years, he well and truly made it his own with many unique modifications.

There is so much to take in with this build, so let’s just start at the front, where David can now forget about storing the family luggage in the Corvair’s frunk.

That’s because it is now home to a 40-litre Nuke Performance fuel cel with surge tank, three Walbro 450 fuel pumps and a Speeding fuel pressure regulator. You’ll see why in a moment.

The front end is also home to a Hurricane Motorsport radiator that’s fed cool air through ducts that replace two of the Corvair’s four original headlights. The two remaining headlights were replaced with Harley-Davidson equivalents.

One of the Corvair’s defining features is its sleek exterior styling, which David has enhanced with some subtle fender widening at the front for extra clearance, and lip rolling at the rear.

What really sets it apart from other Corvairs is the custom carbon fibre work. The front and rear bumpers, rear diffuser and rear spoiler are all in the composite material.

As a final bodywork detail, the Corvair’s original taillights were refreshed with new glass and custom-painted frames.

For wheels and tyres, David has gone with a modern setup. The Kansei Roku wheels were narrowed from 18×9.5-inch to 18×8-inch up front, but are used in their original 18×10.5-inch size out back. Federal 595 RS-Rs, 215/40R18 front and 275/35R18 rear, are the tyres of choice.

You’d expect some big brakes on a build of this nature, but I don’t think anyone could have guessed what David had in store for the Corvair – Aston Martin DB11 6-pot and 4-pot callipers paired with Chevrolet C6 Corvette discs, 355mm and 340mm.

The bright red callipers tie right into one of the car’s defining features – its interior remake. While the cabin might seem a little in your face at first, everything from the custom cup holders to the custom starter button has its place.

Changing gears through the Audi 01E 6-speed transaxle transmission using a Porsche 996 shifter is done in total comfort from the Braum Alpha-X driver’s seat. The passenger gets one of those too.

Blasting music while driving at a walking pace through urban streets is a big part of the American custom car scene in Sweden, and David is covered in this respect with a thumping system that features Cerwin Vega speakers.

However, the real soundtrack comes from the engine.

This Corvair came factory-fitted with a 2.4-litre air-cooled flat-six that made 110hp. Many more ponies are produced from the engine room these days thanks to the Audi 4.2-litre Biturbo V8 conversion. Yep, this Corvair has the heart of a 2003 Audi RS 6 – with a twist.

The Audi engine made 444hp and 580Nm in stock form, but David’s engine is far from that now. It’s also missing its turbochargers.

At its heart, the V8 has been built up with Mahle forged pistons, DBR H-profile forged rods, and a modified crankshaft. In place of the twin turbos is an HPS supercharger, with supporting modifications including a pair of custom-adapted Ferrari F430 headers, Bosch Motorsport fuel injectors, and twin Bosch 82mm electric throttle bodies that draw air through the rear window.

The engine setup hasn’t been dyno-tested yet, but I don’t think it will have any trouble turning the Corvair’s rear tyres to smoke. And you just know it will sound superb.

Sitting under the custom exhaust system with cutout valves is the Audi 01E transaxle. Hidden away is a DLI Teknik billet flywheel, Tenaci Motorsport twin-plate clutch, and a Quaife ATB limited-slip differential. Sellholm Tuning supplied the custom axles.

Finally, the suspension setup, which you already had a peek at in the frunk. Any shortcomings in the Corvair’s original suspension design have been rectified and greatly improved with a custom-designed setup featuring Öhlins Racing TTX coilovers borrowed from a RallyX Supercar Lites car.

I spent a lot of time poring over David’s Corvair; it’s an incredible build from every angle. The judges at Elmia thought so too, awarding the car no less than six accolades, including the coveted ‘Best in Show’ in the hotly-contested Custom category.

Not one to sit idle, though, David is already onto his next project – which has only been revealed a station wagon so far. Whatever the make and model, if the new build is half as good as his Corvair, I know we will all be in for a treat when David is done with it.

Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa