This 1960 "700" sedan was owned by a little old lady who, unfortunately, didn't drive it anywhere any more, but instead left it in her back yard.

Town officials, believing that it didn't do anything to beautify the terrain, planned to tow it away. This was about 25 years ago. Fortunately for the little red car, Russ Kiggins found out about it and rescued it.

He brought it home, and drove it for a few years, then left it in his garage until the oil leaks got out of hand; Russ then moved it outside again! (His town officials were not so intolerant about antiques!) Note the factory optional "grille" that helped the concave front end appear more "friendly". It was available only on the 1960 model.

Along came the winter of '98; Russ was inspired to bring the little red Corvair back to life. He started by removing the engine and dismantling it down to the very last bolt!

He cleaned, refurbished and/or replaced every single engine part, replaced every seal, shim and gasket, and rebuilt the distributor, generator and starter.

By summer the car was back on the road and the garage floor was no longer covered with oil. Now it became apparent that the undercarriage needed attention, and Russ overhauled the suspension and replaced the shocks and springs.

The millennium saw the beginning of the body restoration and every bit of trim, glass, molding, paneling and interior components were removed from the Corvair.

Every piece of rusted metal, including the floor, was replaced. All of the doors and the trunk and hood lids were removed, and along with the body, were stripped and rebuilt where necessary.

Finally the car was repainted in the original red, and the interior was completely redone. The original newly painted red wheels and baby moon hub caps were later reinstalled, but are not shown in these earlier photos.

The reborn sedan has triumphantly returned to the road! Russ is sure to bring home trophies and ribbons with his rescued 1960 Corvair!