1975–76 Chevrolet Cosworth-Vega

It’s not hard to find a well-maintained, low-mileage car, as they were something of an “instant collectible” in their day, with a small but ardent following

by B. Mitchell Carlson

When Chevrolet’s new compact, the Vega, came to the market for 1971, it was intended to compete with imports landing on both U.S. coasts.

Shortly before the car’s introduction, then Chevrolet General Manager John Z. DeLorean directed his staff to develop a high-performance “halo car” variant. One of the leads he suggested was Keith Duckworth of England’s Cosworth Engineering, to see if they could develop a hot version of the Vega’s newly developed aluminum four-cylinder motor. John Z thought the motor would form a good basis for a full race version, and in 1970, both Chevrolet and Cosworth started development work.

THE VEGA LAID AN EGG

Meanwhile, the production Vega was turned loose on the marketplace and laid an egg. Economy cars weren’t trendy, let alone one with an all-aluminum engine (GM should’ve figured that one out from the Corvair).

On top of that, the “sporty” Vega GT was tanking, since it was nothing more than...