John Fitch and His Cool Corvairs... [PIC]

John Fitch (1917-2012) was an American racing driver and inventor. He was a pioneer of racing Corvettes. He was the first SCCA national champion as well as the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring. He won the 1955 Mille Miglia and the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy. He retired in 1964 after 18 years. He had the gift of invention and innovation in his genes being the descendent of steam boat inventor, John Fitch. A strong proponent for road and track safety, he design safety capsule systems and even race tracks. By the early 60s he was impressed with the rear engine Corvair and hoped to design an American rear engine grand touring car. By 1966, he created the Fitch Sprint from the turbo flat six Corsa. He modified the 164 cid 6 to go from the stock 140 HP to 155. For drivability, he installed special coil springs with Koni shocks with wider wheels and radial tires. He tightened the steering ratio to 15:1. Appearance-wise, its signature look came from a fiberglass 'Ventop" that covered the rear of the coupe. Other options included a wood rimmed steering wheel and special shift knobs. He either sold them direct or through Chevy dealerships. Production of the Sprints began in 1961 with the 1st gen Corvair up to 1968 was between 150-300 cars and thousands of parts sold to DIYers. For his ultimate vision of a GT car, he helped design along with Colby Whitmore  the Fitch Phoenix and had Italian coachbuilder Intermecannica. The bulges in the front fenders housed two spares - one for the front and one for the larger rear tire. His grand plan was to produce 500 of the Phoenix and hopefully see a profit. He was already accumulated orders for production cars when his plans were dashed by the Ralph Nader driven new government regulations that killed the Corvair. This Phoenix prototype with its distinctive removable top still exists and recently sold for $250,000.

Models by Automodello:

Here's the Phoenix: