Convertible versions came with an optional gasoline fueled external passenger space heater in the engine compartment. I have never seen one myself and would not opt for it. It would give Ralph Nader a very good extra bad boy" point.

Yes! I believe you could get the gasoline heater on all bodystyles (including pickup and van). I've never seen one in person, but I did send somebody to check out a work van with one. The van was REALLY beat, but I still regret not jumping on it, as I could have saved it.

Here's a cool article on the gas heater:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automoti ... gine-heat/

I don't really see as much issue with the gas heater as most people. It's really no different than the furnace in your house: Burn gas to heat air moving through a manifold, which heats an exchanger that heats air going into the cabin. Gasoline exhaust dumps below the cabin, so unless you have a nasty leak RIGHT at the exhaust manifold for the burner itself, you shouldn't have any fume problems. Honestly, the stock heater seems just as risky: using the heads and exhaust manifolds to heat air that heats the heat exchanger that heats incoming cabin air. In fact, my car got pretty bad before it stopped running due to the failed headgaskets and bad valve adjustment. I was basically pumping unburned gasoline into the engine shroud, which then got sucked right into the cabin any time the under-body fresh air door was closed.

But, I know VW had similar heaters that have a bad reputation, so there's certainly a reason for the concern most people have with them.

Most significantly for me, though, is the fact that the base heater is more than capable of heating even in harsh winter weather. In fact, it heats up far faster than any water-cooled car's heater I've seen (though of course not as fast as direct gasoline heat of the upgrade option) and tends to get TOO hot after the car is up to temp. In winter, I usually open footwell fresh air vents and the heater fresh/cold air mix door to suck in cold air from under the car to temper the hot coming in from the heat exhanger. I think the vent locations (which are the same regardless of which heater you have--they just get fed from a different direction with one vs the other) are a little better on the Corvair than most cars, which was probably more a result of the car's layout than intentional design.

Agree that the standard Corvair heater works well. Mine worked in minus 40 degrees in Montana.

I remember my 'vair heaters were strong too, but I always kept a window cracked due to the carbon monoxide risk.