he made his name beating on GM over the Corvair, and hasn't done anything particularly commanding of respect since.

Since? That episode (Corvair bashing) certainly didn't command any of MY respect.

Car & Driver magazine printed frame-by-frame pictures from the movie that Nader used when he demonstrated how unsafe the Corvair was. In those frames, blown up for easy visibility, it was possible to see the position of the driver's hands. What was supposed to be a constant turn on a skidpad resulting in the car overturning, was actually a very concerted effort on the part of the driver, turning rapidly left/right/left to build up enough lateral instability and momentum to cause the car to roll.

Nader used this as a springboard to national recognition and power, and there are few people I respect less.

tanstaafl.