Corvair Powerglide

The selector quadrant is arranged R-N-D-L,[1] or Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low, with no "Park" (except in Pontiac's 1963 version, redesigned to handle the increased torque of a new V8 engine in Tempest and LeMans, added by means of a separate lever).

The differential driven rear pump permitted push-starting the Powerglide-equipped Corvair (the last American automatic to do so), at speeds over 18 mph (29 km/h) by creating adequate pressure to engage low band and turn over the engine via the torque converter.

The rear pump pressures were modified by a throttle valve, and governor, both of which could delay the upshift, or even trigger a forced downshift at driver command.

The multiple plate reverse clutch and double wrap low band design offered a slight buffer to engagement to prevent harshness even under high apply pressures.

A quite sophisticated valve body timed shifts and apply pressures carefully in Drive range to ensure smoothness and prevent 'hunting' between gears, which is a common complaint of small cars with automatic transmission.

The Powerglide shifter on the Early Model (EM) Corvairs, including all Forward Control vehicles (FCs - Vans and trucks) had a "tab" type lever mounted under the instrument panel to the right of the steering column.

The Corvair was originally intended to be only available with Powerglide, but late in its development, a manual transmission was also designed to help lower the base sticker price for its 1960 introduction.