While there are plenty of “heroic” cars that are remembered with great fondness from the 1960s, there were also more than a few “villains” as well. Few cars were as slandered or maligned as the Chevrolet Corvair, which helped launch perennial politician Ralph Nader into the limelight. His book, “Unsafe At Any Speed,” made the Corvair the scapegoat for Detroit’s lack of safety innovations at the time. Today, Corvair fans are few and far between, and the name has never been revived.

Even so, a 1965 Chevy Corvair is serving as the chariot of choice for two men driving from California to Michigan on a bid to raise money for charity. Hemmings Auto Blog reports that two brother-in-laws are driving Route 66 in this Corvair, with the goal to raise over $13,000 for the Brain Injury Association of America.

Mark Palmer and Steve Schlott are driving to California in this ‘65 Corvair with their wives support, hoping to raise a substantial sum of money to the BIAA. Their webpage, the Road to Hope, uses one of Route 66’s many names to sum up their travels. Back in the day, people would follow Route 66 out to California in search of a better life.

Now this pair is hoping to raise money for a noble cause. Steve, a retired banker, and Mark, a businessman from Santa Barbara, California, have personal experience with brain injuries. Mark suffered serious head trauma over 50 years ago, but it did not stop him from living a fulfilling life, and he hopes to spread that hope to families similarly afflicted.

Knowing this, the choice of a Corvair as their cross-country ride seems just right.