The engine of the Corvair was made completely of aluminum making it very lightweight and durable. Road and Track hailed the car as a very well-designed car but another man, Ralph Nader, disagreed. The 'Big Three' (Chrysler, Ford, GM) primarily focused on intermediate and full-size vehicles during the 1950s, but the recession of 1957 sent consumers seeking less-expensive and more economical options. American Motors was one of the few automakers to witness an increase in sales during these lean years, prompting other automakers to explore this niche market. By the close of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s, the Big Three automakers had introduced 'compact' cars of their own, with most wearing scaled-down designs of the larger products. Instead of hefty V-8s, they were powered by four- or six-cylinder power, with bodies approximately 20-percent smaller than their standard cars. Led by General Manager, Ed Cole, Chevrolet designed a revolutionary new car named the Corvair. It was powered by an air-cooled, horizontal, six-cylinder engine mounted in the rear of the car, driving the rear wheels through a compact automatic transaxle. It had no conventional frame and was the first unibody built by Fisher. The suspension was independent all round, and the tires were an entirely new wide, low-profile design using GM's Z-body platform. Bucking the trend, the styling was rather unconventional and restrained for Detroit, devoid of tailfins or chrome grille, with elegant and subtle features throughout. They had a low silhouette with flat passenger compartment flooring, and offered improvements in ride quality, traction, and braking. Engineering was awarded numerous patents, and Time magazine placed Ed Cole and the Corvair on its cover. Motor Trend magazine named the 1960 Corvair its 'Car of the Year.'