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54k Mile: 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega

This 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega is located in Round Rock, Texas just north of Austin on I-35. The Cosworth Vega is listed for sale here on Facebook Marketplace for the last two weeks. The seller has the car listed at $12,345 in the ad but states that he is looking for offers. In my experience, that is a good way to attract some low ballers and tire kickers. The Facebook Marketplace ad states that the car is blue but obviously, it is black with gold decals. The Cosworth Vega was produced in 1975 and 1976.

The interior looks exceptional. The engine turned dash bezel is similar to what Pontiac engineers installed in the Firebird Trans Am  starting in 1970. The bucket seats look new and are the similar to the standard interior in a Chevrolet Camaro. I am surprised that there is not sun damage to the interior. My brother, Barry, bought a Cosworth Vega a number of years ago. I imagine that these cars have appreciated some since then. The seller states that this car has been stored for 26 years.

Chevrolet produced 3,508 examples of the Cosworth Vega over two years and it cost almost twice the cost of a base Vega and was almost as much as a new Corvette in 1976. The car came with a special 2.0 liter (122 cubic inches) aluminum, dual overhead cam inline four cylinder engine.  In 1975, all 2,061 Cosworth Vegas were produced in black with gold pin striping. In 1976, Chevrolet changed things up and offered eight additional colors including Antique White, Dark Blue Metallic, Firethorn Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, Dark Green Metallic, Buckskin, Medium Saddle Metallic, and Medium Orange. In addition to black interiors, a red and tan vinyl interior colors were added in 1976. Chevrolet built 1,447 of the 3,508 production run in 1976.

Chevrolet introduced an early prototype of the Cosworth Vega and it was said to produce 170 horsepower and was fed through dual Weber carburetors. Unfortunately, by the time the car made it to the market, the fuel-injected Cosworth was rated at 110 horsepower from the factory. The power to weight ratio (170 hp for a 2,800 lb) would be excellent but the production car was a disappointment after all the hype. Please comment below if you have ever driven one of these special cars.

Comments

  1. Avatar Cadmanls Member

    Been on that plastic tarp a while, wonder if any rodent has found a home? Little pricey for a car stored outside, looks to be some time. Might be a wish at that price.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Mike

      I concur. If you’re selling a car, why let possible buyers see how it was stored outside with a tattered cover? people was maximum $$ for the least effort.

      Like 2
  2. bobhess bobhess Member

    That’s a car cover on the ground. Pouch for the mirror sticking up. One could hope that with the plug wires off the plugs are still in the holes. Agree the price is way past what it’s worth.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Dave

    There is no listed price, it’s just 12345 because (I think) Facebook won’t let you sell without a price. The ad says make an offer.

    The interior is apparently in amazing condition, so I think it was pretty well stored, no acorns on top of the motor, lol

    Like 7
  4. Avatar rustylink

    Ladies and Gentleman – the award for “rare” but not worth much goes tooo…These old Coz’s drift out of storage from time to time from owners who feel “someday” they will be worth a ton of money…granted it’s in good overall condition – but they will never be worth a whole lot like a Vette

    Like 0
    • Avatar John S Dressler

      Unless like a couple of others I’ve seen at car shows where the owner dropped a built 327 or 350. They run fast with a setup similar to one posted on BF recently. I got the owner of a 327 four-speed to give me a performance ride at a car show one year recently. Ran like a scalded dog!

      Like 2
  5. Avatar Steve Weiman

    I have driven one of these but I can’t say it was anything particularly impressive. Yes it did run slightly better than a typical Vega GT, But not what I could call snappy or fun. I would love to see one of these Cosworth engines with modern fuel injection and engine management. A cherry on top would be a properly sized turbo charger and inner cooler as well. A project I might seriously take on if this car would sell at a couple grand……..

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Christopher Gush

    Interesting cars unfortunately degraded by GM engineers and the “pencil pushers”. Astonished to see people store their vehicles outside, ignorant to the inherent damage that can be sustained from the elements and of course those living creatures looking for a nice and secure home. Any seller representing their vehicle needs to learn about “staging” and creative photography to garner the most attention and price before they jump into the fray. This seller would do well to heed this advice. Another faux pas I frequently see is the cars photographed still on a trailer. Hello….. McFly??.

    Like 0
    • Avatar CCFisher

      If you believe GM’s engineers wanted to detune this car from 170 hp to 110 hp, you don’t understand engineers.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Steve Weiman

    The downfall of the Cosworth Vega was all about timing. Can you imagine if this engine was available for the models first year in 1971, pre-EPA strangulation?! It would’ve completely transformed the opinion of the car from day one. And that little car is worth would’ve ripped with some horsepower and RPM and minus about 300 pounds of safety and emissions garbage……..

    Like 2
  8. Avatar Richard Haner

    looked at one about a year ago for $1000….motor was out of it…and it had some rust in the trunk floor…but it was a Ca. car and mostly all there…after I did my homework and discovered the dismal hp figures,I passed…hard to believe a 16 valve motor could be so anemic…a BMW 2002 with a single barrel carb and 8 valves made 108 hp stock…well….at least there intent was a good one in concept…

    Like 0

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