Let's try that again: when you went around a corner _too fast_ it
crashed. The only special part is that when it let go it did so
suddenly, and it went into the tulle brush backwards, not forwards (i.e.
"oversteer"). American cars at the time started making noises and
refusing to steer at about 2/3 the speed that a Corvair would crash, and
went into the tulle brush forwards (i.e. "understeer").
But it did make Nader's career for him.
Actually, I think Nader tested a very early Corvair (1st year). In the
early ones, the rear end skid caused something funny to happen in the rear
end geometery making it near imposible to recover from the skid. I think
later ones could be taken in and out of skids by expert drivers.
American cars of that same era would over steer or under steer depending
on whether your foot was on the gas or the brake. Driven correctly the
Corvair would corner faster than the other American cars. Driven
incorrectly they could get into trouble faster.
Today's cars tend to all understeer badly. They are designed with the
idea that the driver is an idiot and can't be trusted to do the right
thing. It is better to hit an object with the front of a modern car than
than the side.
SUVs on the other hand often have a funny sort of oversteer. The roof is
sliprier at the back and the running lights near the front tend to dig in.
