Fitch Phoenix, the first American rear-engined sports car
09/04/2011
In August 1966, John Fitch presented the Fitch Phoenix, the first American rear-wheel drive sports car according to press reports at the time, at the Abercrombie & Fitch department store in New York (Madison Avenue/45th Street). The plan was to build 500 vehicles and sell them to enthusiasts for USD 8,700. The first car went to the well-known racing driver and yachtsman John Timken. However, it remained the first car, as John Fitch decided against series production in view of the safety regulations introduced in 1966 and GM's decision to discontinue the Chevrolet Corvair.
Technically, the Fitch Phoenix was based on components from this very Chevrolet Corvair, but was an independent vehicle with a "wickedly beautiful" design, which was created in collaboration with industrial designer Coby Whitmore.
The vehicle had a removable roof section, a roll bar, an electrically retractable window behind the seats, retractable headlights and, as a special feature, two humps behind the front fenders, which served to accommodate two spare wheels (different dimensions at the front and rear). However, it was planned to deliver the car without these humps if the customer so wished. The body of the first car was made of sheet steel at Intermeccanica in Turin.
The Phoenix was powered by an air-cooled Chevrolet Corvair engine, which had been tuned to 170 hp with various tuning measures such as Weber carburetors - John Fitch had plenty of experience. With adjustable Koni shock absorbers, disc brakes, stabilizers, etc., the Phoenix guaranteed sports car-like handling. A top speed of over 200 km/h was promised and the possibility of having the car serviced at any Chevrolet dealer.
John Fitch himself had been born in Indianapolis in 1917 and had built up a good reputation as a racing driver. Among other things, he drove MGs and competed for Briggs Cunningham at Le Mans. As a car builder, he had made a name for himself with various combinations of Fiat, Ford and Jaguar conversions and was later successful with a tuning kit for the Chevrolet Corvair.
In retrospect, the interesting-looking Fitch Phoenix sports car would have had a good chance of success, as there were already 100 orders in 1966 and various interested parties had already paid a deposit. The only example still seems to exist and regularly takes part in events and Concours d'Elegance.
