FROM HERE TO THERE

[Music] this is the inter-american highway much of the route is completed but there are still sections suitable for automobile traffic only in dry weather yet to be conquered our trails marshes mountains and jungles here was a challenge to really put a car through the mill so despite more than a billion miles of successful proving ground and older testing the Chevrolet Corvair accepted the challenge so it was decided to send a Corvair caravan of three cars and to supply trucks from here to there the opportunity to prove Corvairs superiority lies ahead now see the proof from the first mile of the journey Corvairs specific design aluminum engine transaxle four-wheel independent suspension mono strut body weight balance all are tested again and again over the broad smooth highways of the middle west through Illinois Missouri Oklahoma Texas to the Mexican border a brief stop for custom formalities and the Corvair Caravan pushes on over winding twisting hard-surfaced roads in dry hot desert air with temperatures over 110 degrees yet Corvairs air-cooled engine needs no water there are sleepy villages [Music] then broad highways that lead to the capital Mexico City on through the city traffic to the open road of Oaxaca and the Guatemalan border from dawn until dark day after day over the highest mountain ranges in Mexico the Corvair never falters the way it hugs the road the way it handles in every driving situation the way it eats up the miles smoothly and comfortably proves out Chevrolet's traditional qualities dirtiness and Road ability [Applause] [Music] yesterday time out to purchase a local product and time to for the villagers to look and wonder at the first Corvairs they've ever seen but the Guatemalan border lies ahead the cars push on smooth roads winding roads rough roads on all of them Corvairs short wheelbase makes the handling easy and the low-profile tires with extra wide rims keep the cars stable and stuck to the road on tight turns so the Corvairs put mile after mile behind them with superlative ease another border guatemala land of slumbering volcanoes and beautiful lakes again passports and vehicle permits are checked and the corvair caravan is on the way into l2 pole canyon l2 foam the dreaded rockslide area early rains of loosened rock which can crash down without warning so even though the road is rocky and rough the advice is to get through here fast the caravan does just that and corvair engineering plays an important part the fuel tank protected by the body and front suspension crossmembers stays safe from damage by road irregularities the caravan lugs its way through this hazardous stretch in record time to Guatemala City time is the real governing factor now the Corvairs are pressed to the utmost and the sturdy cars meet the test on to el salvador another stop another international border to cross and beautiful as this nation is there's no time for sightseeing all eyes stay glued straight ahead and on these unfamiliar roads the Corvairs low hood and good visibility are real safety factors again the Corvairs drive relentlessly on past villages banana plantations over the cou Scotland bridge and through the rain to the border of Honduras here there's dust and heat but it doesn't bother the Corvairs the rough dusty road has no effect on the Corvair and the reusable cleaner traps the dust and keeps it out of the engine assuring longer engine life the Corvairs keep right on going [Music] Nicaragua land of tropical jungles dormant volcanoes and vast lakes the ever threatening rain pushes the caravan on on by lake nicaragua - costa rica the border station cleared the cars skirt mountains over steep twisting curves curves that seemed to defy any but the slowest speeds but the Corvairs demonstrate their ability to stay glued to the road here the lightly loaded front tires really pay off in precise easy steering and here Corvairs breaks pass a rugged test weight distribution which tends to put equal weight on all four wheels during braking means more effective braking and less skidding especially when you have to stop in a hurry San Jose the capital of Costa Rica is the last large city before entering the Costa Rican frontier area on the way to San Ysidro at the present time the last frontier of the inter-american highway more challenging road conditions test the stamina of the cars here are the highest mountain ranges in Central America where the road runs for more than 40 miles at 12,000 feet or over here are turns so sharp so steep no ordinary car would even attempt to take them at any but the slowest speeds gathering storm rain in the making fog a forewarning of what to expect when the cars reach the frontier area of Costa Rica this area consists of the most forbidding and treacherous sections along the international road system and is closed to regular automobile traffic during the rainy season rain and rain means washouts landslides swollen riverbeds deep mud on the bypasses and the road itself now there's a time for sleep a campsite in the jungle plus a swarm of insects gives the drivers an opportunity to study the route ahead time to move out and here's another Corvair feature that's welcome ample storage space in the front luggage compartment and there's a lot more with a full down rear seat rain and more rain as the caravan pushes on to the frontier south of San Ysidro Deyanira mud and more mud as the power of the rear engine transmission and axle working together in the rear mounted power unit pushes the cars ahead and here it is the end of the road no cars are allowed past this point without special permission from the inter-american highway Authority with the understanding that from here on you're on your own the caravan gets permission and plunges into the frontier area where only Pioneer trails make up the highway to Panama [Music] here is where the road crews stopped work during the rains here is where rains washed down the hillsides to cover the roads here is where there are no bridges over even the smallest streams with beds strewn with boulders washed down by the power of falling water and the Corvairs do it again into the water across and over up the muddy hillside with power to spare dear Corvairs independent suspension and swing type rear-axle literally walk the cars over the bumps and good road clearance along with short front and rear overhang keeps the Corvairs from hanging up on the jagged rocks roads surfaced with crushed stone the size of coconuts wrench pull and twist on every part of the car but with virtually no transfer of shock from the wheels to the body no body nuts and bolts to work loose the Corvairs take the beating in stride ruff as the going has been on the Pioneer type roads greater obstacles lie ahead water water in rivers hundreds of feet wide and up to 12 feet deep in this case we're in luck there's a raft on hand first across is one of the rugged Chevy supply trucks which have also performed remarkably well throughout the trip the swiftly moving water threatens to bring disaster but skillful maneuvering by the river men brings the vehicles safely to shore and then in succession each Corvair plows through the water to the raft completes the river fording and again through the water to reach the far bank and continue on its way here's performance plus under circumstances never encountered in the everyday life of a car any place anywhere and this is only the beginning from here to where the inter-american highway again begins in Panama more than 40 streams have to be crossed rock loosened by early rains looms as an additional hazard a delaying hazard working with the rains which begin earlier each day water and more water up and down hills in and out of streams because of the high location of the Corvairs fan and electrical system it's possible for the core fare to drive in water and moisture conditions as no other car can now there's more mud sticky gooey greasy mud that a man can hardly walk through but the Corvairs amazing traction capability again proves this cars ability to go nearly anywhere any driver might ask it to go these three core bears coming near the end of the frontier area in Costa Rica have been through a more grueling test than the average car would be exposed to in two lifetimes yet the car has been trouble-free every mile of the way the oil has been changed only once surely a resounding tribute to the greatest thrift car on the American scene the Chevrolet Corvair but for all the punishing travel the toughest obstacles ahead the Cherokee River swollen by tropical rains the Cherokee presents a crossing problem for any type of waterborne amphibious craft and here is the only possible place to cross the inter-american Road commission loans a huge bulldozer to clear away king sized boulders under the swift surging water what you are witnessing now is one of the most dramatic examples of a car's ability to take it and come out fighting across 150 feet of swirling churning raging water more than 12 feet deep that literally submerges the Corvairs for minutes here is a condition many times worse than an average driver will ever meet but even this doesn't stop the Corvairs performance durability ruggedness call it what you will the Corvairs have it and then some it's hardly conceivable that any car in Corvairs class could have survived this supreme test without mechanical failure of some kind without any change in carburation at extreme altitudes without a single brake adjustment in more than 6,000 miles of rough going ranging from sea level to more than 12,000 feet and with the astounding gas mileage for the complete trip of over 22 miles per gallon from here to there from chicago to panama the completion of a mission by three Corvairs designed by chevrolet to deliver the best in performance ruggedness durability along with pleasure and economy once again Corvair proves its the prestige car in the thrift class Corvair by Chevrolet from here to there from anywhere to anywhere [Music]