Corvair - Daring The Darien in HD

vintage corvair jungle driving

[@user-dbh]

So excited that I found this video! My father was on this trip he was one of the drivers in mechanics. Thank you so much for sharing! I have a DVD of it but the quality is not as good.

[@rhoneycu2]

That music cracks me up

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

Having driven in the jungle in panama, I can not begin imagine how difficult this was.

[@dlphil24]

Awesome video. Cars these days could never, lol.

[@ChrisStumer]

Some of the roads in remote parts of Australia were nearly as bad. The seven kilometre track from the road to an uncle's house on his grazing property in the 1970's and some of the 1980's was an adventure in an ordinary sedan. My family's 1964 Chrysler Valiant got severe punishment one trip and survived, just.

[@joenewmark1513]

Forget Jeep, I want a Corvair!

[@gotham61]

These days there's a smooth paved road with full services up to Yavisa @ 9.00. From there it's pretty much the same as back then.

[@BradHouser]

Take that Ralph Nader!

[@HORACIO0251]

Desde muy lejos (Rep. Argentina ) veo este y otros videos del Corvair. Muy bonito auto, con novedosa tecnología para su época. Gracias.

[@joshpeterson619]

Does anyone know for sure how many cars made it? I’ve read that all the Corvairs made it and that only two made it. Same with the trucks, I’ve read conflicting accounts. Anyone have reliable info?

[@crazybobdj]

only two corvairs made it.

[@0xsergy]

there's at least one corvair they've found in the jungle so not all of em made it.

[@SwPiotrek]

Great video! Thanks!

[@jays8747]

Under the loose advertising standards of 1961, I'd bet these cars were far from stock. Beefed up suspensions and electrics, extra seals and gaskets, maybe even 4WD. The ones that made it are probably being used as taxis in Havana today.

[@cpufreak101]

based on what I read up though, the one thing confirmed is they at least remained RWD, which still marks it as an impressive feat in terms of darien gap crossings

[@impala24ss]

My dad was part of this expedition. The cars were completely stock!

[@0xsergy]

engine over the rear tires makes these very effective RWD cars compared to ones with no weight on the driven wheels.

[@gordonshumway6825]

so fake, they driveand theire is a trail so wide that 2 cars can pass by. ofc that is not possible, it is a JUNGLE !! they filmed in another location and pretend it is a darien gap. especially back i the days would be NOT possible at all to cross it in any vehicle, what commercials can do to people

[@playerpage]

They did it, and one car didn't make it. Two did.

[@AHHolt]

No, it's real, but you're correct about the "jungle track". A massive amount of manpower was used to clear a path through the jungle (local labour = pennies a day), and I'm sure there's a lot of winching edited out, but two did make it through. The third was painfully close to the finish when something important broke. They left it and continued on, to come back and recover it later. They returned soon after, to find it completely stripped by thieves, so they left it. It was like that old Mad Magazine cartoon of the astronauts on the moon with their Lunar Rover, getting out to collect samples and coming back to find it up on blocks with the wheels stolen.

[@user-dbh]

I know for a fact that this actually happened because my father was on that trip. He was one of the drivers and mechanics.

[@user-dbh]

My mother is still alive and tells me the stories from it