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CC Follow-Up: The Elusive Corsica Hatchback

By
Dave Skinner
– Posted on July 24, 2013

Overview

The CC effect strikes again! A Curbside Classic article Brendan Saur posted last week showed a brochure photo of the five-door Corsica hatchback that was offered from 1989-1991. Sure enough, the day after reading his post I spotted this Corsica Hatchback near my wife’s favorite Starbucks.

How elusive is this car? Chevy built more than 1.67 million Corsicas, and only 42,104 were hatchbacks. That’s just a teensy bit more than 2.5 % of total production, which is why we call it the CC effect!

Close-up-1

This angle shows the rear backlight and sheetmetal changes. The doors appear to be identical between the hatchback and sedan; if the roof panel dimensions are different, it would be by a couple of of centimeters and not inches.

Close-up-2

This closeup shows the awkward joint between the quarter panel and the fill panel at the rear of the hatch. It looks like the hatch is ajar, but no–that’s how Chevy built them. Since they took the effort to create a new fender, you’d expect the panels to match up better; then again, and as I stated, the hatchback wasn’t a big seller–and this half-baked design may have helped hasten its demise.

← Cohort Sighting: 1976 Buick Skyhawk – Wouldn’t You Really Rather Have A Chevy Monza-Clone Baby Buick?
Auto-xing a Big Blue Benz–and a Diesel to Boot! →

40 Comments

  1. Reply
    avatar MoparMatt
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 8:28 AM

    This is no Lancer or LeBaron GTS. That’s what a hatchback should look like!

    • Reply
      avatar Midway1095
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 9:00 AM

      Yes! Those were sharp-looking hatches. Perhaps the best of the lot in the 1980s.

    • Reply
      avatar geozinger
      Posted July 25, 2013 at 8:33 AM

      Agreed. These came out after I had my Lancer turbo, but they really weren’t on the radar for me. Nor were the Camry or the 626 hatchbacks. The Lancer gave me 11 years of good service, one of the few I’d like to have back.

  2. Reply
    avatar Neil
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 8:28 AM

    Not a bad looker, from a distance anyway. Its rear treatment somehow reminds me of a Renault, maybe the Fuego?

    • Reply
      avatar Stéphane Dumas
      Posted July 25, 2013 at 4:30 AM

      There was also the Renault Encore an hatchback derived from the Alliance who was available as a hatchback.

  3. Reply
    avatar txfiat
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 8:29 AM

    the Corsica was a huge turd every time I drove one……..but I have to admit the hatch makes it look waaaaaay better than the sedan. gives it an almost Peugeot or citroen bx style.

    • Reply
      avatar econobiker
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

      Yup, the 5dr hatch always looked better than the standard 4dr sedan.

      I also saw one recently here in the Southeast US

    • Reply
      avatar rudiger
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 4:14 PM

      If you had to drive a Corsica (for god knows what reason), this would be the one. Definitely has a 4-door Renault Fuego vibe going, just with a lot better quality (which is really saying something considering how truly bad the Fuego really was).

      • Reply
        avatar txfiat
        Posted July 25, 2013 at 8:10 AM

        rental…..thankfully….I could hear the car falling apart as it drove…..do Renault and quality belong in the same sentence.

  4. Reply
    avatar CraigInNC
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 8:40 AM

    While the FWD X cars were originally conceived as five door hatches, interest in hatches waned in the domestic market by the mid 1980s. Hatchback buyer needs were satisfied by the Nova/Corolla car and the Sprint/Metro models. Notchbacks have always been the main focus of buyers, that is why few hatchbacks exist today in the US market, at least outside of smaller coupe type cars. The 5 door Citation was originally conceived to appeal to hatchback buyers (who were much more numerous in the late 1970s) as well as bridge the gap somewhat with station wagon buyers who looked for the increased cargo space especially with fold down seats. I can’t remember if the Corsica hatch seats folded or not, but nevertheless, by the late 1980s, with the introduction of the minivan, family hauling duties were quickly taken up by those new car-like vehicles. Toyota had a Camry five door hatch for a couple of years as well as Mazda a five door 626, neither of which I have seen in the wild ever.

    • Reply
      avatar Aristo
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 10:21 AM

      I was lucky enough to own a ’85 Camry 5 dr hatch LE. Very useful car for a young adult who moved frequently! It was a North Dakota car, rust free and well maintained. I picked it up for $900 in 2001. That was one of my better under $1000 car purchases 😉

      I don’t recall seeing a 626 hatch “in the wild” either. But I think the first gen Mazda6 was a 5 door? Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

      • Reply
        avatar NZ Skyliner
        Posted July 24, 2013 at 6:36 PM

        Yes, the gen 1 and 2 Mazda6 were both available as a hatch in many markets. These are the NZ model:

      • Reply
        avatar fintail jim
        Posted July 24, 2013 at 8:14 PM

        I once owned a 1979 Toyota Corona Liftback. It was a very versatile car and quite handsome I thought. Unfortunately, it was cursed with a 3-speed automatic transmission (dependable but sluggish).

  5. Reply
    avatar PMC
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 9:14 AM

    I’m sure they thought it looked like a 4 door Camaro when they designed it.

  6. Reply
    avatar Jim Grey
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    Excellent find! Jealous you found one first.

  7. Reply
    avatar 73ImpCapn
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 9:44 AM

    “They don’t make ’em like they used to,” and good riddance!

    Did I get up on the wrong side of the bed, or are today’s feature cars all depressing?

    • Reply
      avatar jpcavanaugh
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:19 AM

      Every day with all GM cars is depressing. 🙂

      • Reply
        avatar Philhawk
        Posted July 24, 2013 at 12:04 PM

        😛

  8. Reply
    avatar BigOldChryslers
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 10:32 AM

    I didn’t know the Chevy Malibu Maxx had such a recent and direct ancestor.

    • Reply
      avatar Jim Grey
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 12:54 PM

      I noticed the similarity too!

  9. Reply
    avatar imie
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 10:49 AM

    What’s more amazing than finding this car is the fact that the fuel door is still intact.

  10. Reply
    avatar econobiker
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:25 AM

    2001 to 2006ish Hyundai Elantra line had a 5 door hatch as the “sport edition” most equipped with 5speed and alloy wheels…

    • Reply
      avatar Sean Cornelis
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 4:37 PM

      If I’m remembering correctly, the hatchback model was called the Elantra GT and it borrowed quite a few styling cues from the GM Saab 900/9-3. I was in high school when those came out and thought they were pretty cool – stylishly unorigional, like many Hyundais. I don’t know if they were any good to drive or own, but I still see lots of them running around (sedans, mostly).

      That’s hardly the only other 5-door (a term I don’t understand at all) hatchback we got in the US, though… even right now they seem fairly popular; Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus/Fiesta, Mazda 3, etc.

      • Reply
        avatar NSU1000TTS
        Posted July 24, 2013 at 10:36 PM

        Looks more like my old SAAB 9000. A lot like it, in fact. There’s more awkwardness, though. The tall greenhouse looks out of scale, but so what? It gives a good view.

        • Reply
          avatar splateagle
          Posted July 25, 2013 at 7:23 AM

          Thank you! I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who saw the crude 9000 knock-off here.

          The resemblence is truly striking, in a cheaply made copy kind of a way

  11. Reply
    avatar Brendan Saur
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:48 AM

    Can’t believe found one! You just made my day!

    • Reply
      avatar Dave Skinner
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 1:07 PM

      Happy to help, Brendan!

  12. Reply
    avatar Junqueboi
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 3:51 PM

    I cannot seem to find a pic of the charcoal/red interior one I purchased for $50 at my favorite ‘bama impound auction some 10 years ago. It’s still sitting in the field with the rest of the pile. If I’m able to get it back it’s coming up to NC as it has the neat 2.8 5-speed setup and a lot of options. it had a bad clutch then but was super clean otherwise.

    A lot of times at auctions, I’ll put the car in gear & try to push…if it moves, it more than likely has CV-joint or clutch issue and the engine will usually still be okay. USUALLY.

  13. Reply
    avatar Tom Klockau
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 5:47 PM

    Cool find. I’ve seen one of these in town in that ubiquitous metallic red, but never got a picture. I do think these are neater than the notchback. Obviously, 1990s buyers disagreed.

  14. Reply
    avatar Sean Cornelis
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 6:49 PM

    I used to play hockey with a guy who had a Corisca hatchback, a decked out two-tone silver and maroon one with factory alloy wheels, the 2.8l V6 and power everything; essentially the hatch equivalent of a Corsica LTZ sedan. I always thought it was pretty cool and didn’t even know they existed prior to that. Much better look than the sedan, IMO – even with those strange creases and gaps out back (which I never noticed before!)

  15. Reply
    avatar toffee
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 7:07 PM

    bad bad bad old days, let’s all pray to thy good Lord that GM will never produce anything like that ever again.

    amen.

  16. Reply
    avatar Jayflm
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 7:33 PM

    Used to have one of these. A blue LT. Was eventually repainted by GM due to peeling paint problem. Loved the burbling v6 exhaust note of the 2.8. We traded a Plymouth Reliant to get it, so the Corsica felt like a fine sports car in comparison.

  17. Reply
    avatar LAx
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:18 PM

    This makes me wonder which 80s Small Production models are almost extinct. My Trofeo Obsession is what I think of when I hear Those Production numbers. From 1986-1992 the Entire Toronado/Trofeo Production was under 100,000 including Both Editions of Both Styles.
    If there were under 25,000 Trofeo’s 87-89 Total… They Are almost gone in my opinion.

  18. Reply
    avatar marjanmm
    Posted July 25, 2013 at 4:44 AM

    I don’t get it. More practical and better looking version sold 2.5% of the total production. Why? Was it much more expensive than the notchback?

  19. Reply
    avatar grandprix
    Posted July 25, 2013 at 8:31 AM

    I had a dark blue “89 Corsica hatchback and I loved it. Very versatile and reliable. Biggest problem was the peeling paint. Loved the hatchback styling too.

  20. Reply
    avatar thunderjet
    Posted July 25, 2013 at 9:18 AM

    I think the tin worm got these long ago around here (Chicagoland). I don’t remember seeing them when I was younger but then again I wasn’t relly looking for a Corisca as a kid. I was always looking for Cadillacs.

  21. Reply
    avatar mark hobbs
    Posted July 27, 2013 at 6:52 AM

    WHY?.
    Drove a rental 3.1 v6 Corsica in 93. All most euro handling.

  22. Reply
    avatar Nathan
    Posted January 18, 2015 at 7:40 PM

    I’ve always wanted a Corsica hatchback after a trip across the upper Midwest/west in my aunt’s 93 Corsica. After seeing and not being able to attain one for the last ten years, I now have 2 in my possession. Yikes!

  23. Reply
    avatar Marky Mark
    Posted May 25, 2017 at 11:12 AM

    I have always held a fondness for “5-door” hatchback sedans, ever since my Father bought my Mom a very plain 1981 Pontiac Phoenix hatch (the dreaded X-body). It was beige inside and out, with a 1 piece front bench. Mind you, Dad did splurge on the V-6, auto and a/c. I always liked this car, but felt that it was a bit too long for me. I ended up buying myself the 1989 Plymouth Sundance 5 door, with the “large” 2.5 L 4-cyl. Engine, with the “Highline” trim package. It was aqua-blue/green metallic, with a sunroof, chrome trunk rack, and white walls (I always had older-man tastes for a young guy). Yes, these Corsica hatches were even more rare in Canada; I think they only sold them for the first 2 years of production.

  24. Reply
    avatar Marky Mark
    Posted May 7, 2020 at 5:04 AM

    I actually was very fond of these rare Corsica hatchbacks. My guess why they did not sell is that G.M. kept them a secret. They did not advertise this at all, on T.V., magazine ads, and they were barely mentioned in our brochures, at least in Canada. Many years later, as mentioned earlier here, in 2004 Chevrolet tried a mid-sized hatchback again in 2004; the Malibu MAXX. I thought its execution was very fine, a bit blocky, but intriguing. The marketing mavens insisted in calling this an “Extended Sedan”. Oh, get over it, it’s a HATCHBACK!”. Remember when G.M.’s RWD X-body of the mid-’70’s had “hatchback” in chrome as a nameplate, being so bold and proud on the car?! Here is a pic of the 2006 Malibu MAXX SS sport model for comparison.

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