Here's why Jay Leno considers the 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa an underrated classic.

Today, the Chevrolet Corvair is best known for being spotlighted by consumer advocate Ralph Nader in his 1965 book Unsafe At Any Speed, but Jay Leno feels there is more to the Corvair than that. In the latest episode of "Jay Leno's Garage," he shows off a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa and unravels some myths about the car's history.

The Corvair was introduced in 1960 by General Motors in an attempt to meet the growing demand for smaller, more affordable cars. Like the Volkswagen Beetle, the most popular economy car of the time, the Corvair featured a rear engine, air-cooled, swing-axle rear suspension.

It was the suspension that caught Nader's attention. In his book, Nader stated that this suspension made it easier for the Corvair to roll over and cited GM's failure to address the alleged safety issues as an example of automakers prioritizing cost savings over safety. From this book and Nader's congressional testimony, the foundation for today's automotive safety regulations was laid. Ironically, according to Leno, Nader may have kept Corvair alive.

Chevrolet considered discontinuing the Corvair after 1966 because they felt it could not compete with the Ford Mustang, but left it in the lineup because they did not want to be perceived as kowtowing to Nader, according to Leno. An improved version with a redesigned suspension was introduced for the 1966 model year and remained in production until 1969. Chevrolet sold 1.8 million units throughout its entire production run.

The car shown here is one of the later models, also a Corsa version with a turbocharged aluminum flat-six engine; GM released the Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire just months after the Corsa, the first turbocharged Leno says it was the first production car with a turbocharger. The engine displaced 164 cubic inches and produced 180 horsepower. This figure would be right at home on the spec sheet of a modern turbo family sedan or crossover.

Watch the full video to see Leno drive this turbo Corvair on the streets of California. In addition to the coupe shown here, Chevrolet offered the Corvair in convertible, sedan, wagon, pickup truck, and van body styles. Yenco even built a performance version called the Stinger. Reno also had a collection of Corvair pickups and Stingers, which are featured in an earlier video that is worth checking out as well.