BF Auction: 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega

Sold for $7,000View Result

  • Seller: Deborah C order
  • Location: Elkins, West Virginia
  • Mileage: 48,462 Shown
  • Chassis #: 1V77ESU212833
  • Title Status: Clean

UPDATE – After successfully selling their three other vehicles here as Barn Finds Auctions, the seller of this Cosworth Vega has decided to relist it, and this time as a no-reserve auction! Be sure to take another look and cast your high bid.

When Chevrolet introduced the Vega in 1971, it wasn’t exactly a performance machine, but its small size and lightweight nature meant it had the potential to be seriously fun. Early into the car’s development, John DeLorean called upon the tuning experts at Cosworth to help develop a high-performance version of the Vega’s 2.0-liter engine. The final production car wouldn’t be introduced until 1975 and just 3,508 of these special cars were built and sold. Between how few were built and the survival rate of Vegas in general, it’s getting harder and harder to find original Cosworths. The example seen here has been parked for the past 15 years, but it’s time for it to be extracted from the barn and put back on the road where it belongs. If you’d love to be its next owner, you can bid on this BF Auction below and it’s located in Elkins, West Virginia!

The Cosworth Vega went through a fair amount of development, with the first test mule making its debut in 1971 and a number of revisions being made up until production started. The first test car featured dual Webers and its heavily reworked 2.0 liter 4-cylinder produced a healthy 170 horsepower. Unfortunately, emission requirements meant that the engine would eventually be detuned to 140 horsepower. That might be a bummer, but this engine’s twin-cam aluminum cylinder head and fuel injection system make for a smooth-revving engine that likes to spin! The official redline is 6,500 rpm, but engines were tested up to 9,400. The addition of a stainless steel exhaust header and a reworked cam profile in 1974 helped move peak power delivery to 5,200 rpm. These tweaks made for an engine that was fun to drive on regular streets or at the track.

While it’s easy to get fixated on the Cosworth’s engine, it isn’t the only reason that these cars are so special. To make them competitive with Europe’s best sports cars meant also reworking the handling and driving feel. Every Cosworth Vega was equipped with the GT’s shocks, springs, and front sway bar. Reviews of the car when new praised the car for its balance and ability to “steer” the car with the throttle. This balance came from the extra large rear sway bar that was only found on the Cosworth. Add the optional limited-slip differential and the quick ratio steering and you have a serious autocrosser!

The seller of this Vega doesn’t know a ton about the car’s history, but they do know that it’s been parked for the past 15 years. It’s covered in a decent layer of dust, but from what we can see, it looks to be straight and in solid shape. These cars tend to rust, so the absence of visible exterior rust is hopeful, although it’s hard to say if there’s anything hiding underneath.

A look under the hood reveals a complete engine that appears to still be sporting its factory fuel injection system. More than a few of these cars have lost their original engine or at the very least been swapped to carburetors. While installing Webers can help with performance, the fuel injection works quite well when in good order. Getting it into top condition can be a challenge if you’ve never worked with this era of fuel injection, but these are well documented on the internet these days, so there’s plenty of information out there on how to get them running their best. Given the rarity, I hope this one is kept original.

The interior is dirty but looks like it would clean up well. While there are a few hard-to-find bits, most of the interior is directly from the standard Vega parts bin, so bringing it back up to top condition shouldn’t be all that difficult. The steering wheel and carpet both look to be in the worst shape here, but hopefully, they are just dusty and will clean up.

It’s hard to express just how special these cars are. Sure, there are faster and more powerful cars out there, but if you are into sports cars and want something different than a BMW 2002tii or Alfa GTV, this might be the car for you! It comes with a clean title and is ready for a new home.

Bid On This Auction

Sold for: $7,000
Register To Bid
Ended: Feb 1, 2024 11:00am MDT
Winner: jburroughs
  • jburroughs bid $7,000.00  2024-02-01 10:56:25
  • Robert Anstey
    bid $6,900.00  2024-01-31 15:07:11
  • Lou Kranen bid $6,400.00  2024-01-31 12:10:30
  • pickin bid $5,900.00  2024-01-30 15:33:12
  • jburroughs
    bid $5,400.00  2024-01-30 09:26:01
  • COACHTP93 bid $4,700.00  2024-01-30 05:08:04
  • Cmarv bid $4,200.00  2024-01-26 16:36:11
  • j.alderson
    bid $3,700.00  2024-01-26 14:32:50
  • jburroughs bid $3,200.00  2024-01-25 14:21:04
  • Zach bid $2,650.00  2024-01-25 13:22:22
  • Darrel
    bid $2,100.00  2024-01-25 12:41:55
  • Zach bid $1,600.00  2024-01-25 11:51:43
  • jctoys bid $1,000.00  2024-01-25 11:04:35

Comments

  1. jrhmobile

    One interesting tidbit of information about these specialized twin-cam engines:

    GM’s Power Manual catalog of that era had a full slate of performance parts for these lightweight powerplants in Midget racecars. The highly-stessed HiPo package could get up to 350 hp out of these tiny twincams on pure alcohol fuel.

    Like 24
  2. Melton Mooney

    Where is the a/c compressor hiding?

    Like 4
    • bone

      The car has no A/C , just a standard heating system

      Like 12
    • Stephen Coe

      No A/C ever, I had a 🤣Firethorne 1976 with 5 speed & posi rear in NC, I bought the power manual and did a few mods, had a great time making my brother look bad in his 914. Swoped out belt for timing chain & twin 45 DCOE CARBS , we had a MGA COUPE & baby daughter came so sold the A & got the Cosworth. Liked both, I’m loaded with 2 MGAs & a corvette, so I have to pass, great fun if done right.

      Like 8
      • Karl

        Bet this would get more attention than the Vette at cars & coffee’s!!!

        Like 6
      • stillrunners stillrunners Member

        914 /4 or 914 / 6 ?

        Like 0
    • Robert Spinello

      what a/c. Its a Cosworth not a Cadillac.

      Like 11
    • Stephen Coe

      No A/C available on either 75 or 76. 76 did add a few colors like Firethorn red & blue I owned a 1976 in red post rear & 5 speed transmission. My car was bought in Greensboro NC CAR # 2783 I think. Great fun blew away my brothers 914😎😎😎😎😎

      Like 3
  3. DON

    I remember when these came out, but I never actually saw one on the street .It seemed like most people bought them to store away , and then did nothing with them when they found out they weren’t going to be able to retire on their investment . If I was going to have a Vega , I’d be looking for a modified one with a small v8 in it and have some fun until it rusted away

    Like 15
  4. Craig Baloga Craig Baloga

    A gentleman brought a nicely preserved Cosi Vega to a car show I co-organize a couple years ago, it got awarded first place in its class!

    One because of it’s nice preserved condition, and two because I love it when Powertrain Engineers push the envelope, are bold, and develop (a hopefully) better mousetrap.

    Not quite sure what the Achilles Heal was regarding the Cosi…..any knowledgeable fans out there?

    Cheers! 👍😎

    Like 8
    • Chief

      It was the cost. The Cosworth option drove the price close to a base corvette. I don’t recall the exact figures, but I believe the Vega was around 4200.00 and the Cosworth option drove the price toward 7K. I remember reading that Chevy had 5,000 cosworth engines but only sold 3500 of the cars. The remaining engines were destroyed.

      Like 8
      • Robert Spinello

        900 less than a Corvette in 75 and 2000 less than a Corvette L82 in 76.

        Like 1
    • JCA Member

      It was a poor performer. It had low HP due to the emission standards put on it is my guess. The one I had didn’t handle well either. The engine should have stayed in a lightweight British roadster instead of a clunky Vega. My base ’77 Rabbit with fuel injection was more fun to drive

      Like 13
    • Joe

      Mechanical fuel injection is a nightmare to work on.

      Like 6
      • Barry Ervin

        Cosworth Vegas had Bendix electronic fuel injection. Prototypes had Lucas mechanical injection but for emissions purposes that didn’t make it into production.

        Like 7
    • Daniel Belliveau

      This on does look like a better mouse home. Needs a ton of work interior wise.

      Like 4
      • TC

        What,s the orange vehicle with roll bars in one of the pics? Anyone know?Just curious.thx

        Like 0
    • Barry Ervin

      The Achilles Heel was that they were Vegas, with all the rust and quality control and aluminum bore wear problems of any other Vega, with not that much more power (110 hp), hard to get and expensive parts, and all for about twice the price. It was a ton of expensive complexity for not much return. Apparently GM (John Delorean) was hoping the Cosworth badges would fool buyers into thinking it was some sort of high performance exotic car, and apparently he was right.

      Like 7
      • willyD

        Just a couple of things here.. 1) By 1975, the aluminum blocks were steel sleeved and laster a long time.. Unfortunately the General missed doing that from the start… and 2) The Cosworth was 140 hp, not 110..

        Like 3
      • jwaltb

        Junk built by disgruntled hippies.

        Like 0
  5. JoeNYWF64

    Don, even a Vega won’t rust – if it don’t get wet – i think lol – which means also hoseless infrequent careful car body washes. & if residing in a non humid area.

    Is the engine block here the same aluminum one as on the std vega? – with no iron sleeves for the pistons?

    Like 6
    • A.G.

      Aluminum block with forged aluminum pistons

      Like 3
      • willyD

        Just a couple of things here.. 1) By 1975, the aluminum blocks were steel sleeved and laster a long time.. Unfortunately the General missed doing that from the start… and 2) The Cosworth was 140 hp, not 110..

        Like 1
      • Terrry

        I thought the last couple years the Vega got Pontiac’s “Iron Duke” engine used in the Astre.

        Like 0
  6. bill tebbutt

    These engines were also used in UK road racing in a venture with Chevron (I “think”) in 2L form – docs at the time say 300 HP but they wouldn’t last a race.

    These engines have been used in small bore dirt track racing, road racing, and land speed record racing for many years – I don’t think there is any Achilles’ heel to them other than the same issues Vega’s had before you iron sleeved them. And the Cosworth variant can make power!

    There is a very good club – the CVOA. Good support, amazing parts support for CV stuff that just isn’t around any more (high compression suitable head gaskets, modified water pumps, etc). Seem like a really nice bunch of folks too.

    cheers,
    bt

    Like 10
    • Joel Clark

      I scrapped and crushed many of these cars I think the station wagons would have been cool to have kept as of now or the coups I remember seeing these turned into roll cage tubbed out pro stocks and funny cars hatchback still cool Good luck

      Like 2
      • jesse Jesse Mortensen Staff

        A Cosworth engine wagon would have been cool…

        Like 4
  7. angliagt angliagt Member

    Seems that about 1/2 of these ever made have
    been featured here.When finished & sorted,this could
    be a cool car.When’s the last time you saw a Vega on
    the street,let alone a Cosworth Vega.
    When these came out we drove down to Fortuna,CA,
    to see the Black one in the showroom.We thought it was
    pretty cool.
    I think that all but three of these were Black.

    Like 7
    • Steve

      Angliagt … you are partially correct. If my memory serves correctly, In 1975 (first year) black was the only color. In 1976, more colors were available. I had a gold 1976 with tan interior. Kept it a couple of years…. was a really neat car for what it was …. It handled like it was on rails!

      Like 4
    • Naptown Mark

      These and the black/silver anniversary Corvette: it seems like more were squirreled away than driven. The Y bodies seem to have usually received better storage conditions, but neither one fetched its owner much ROI.

      I’d almost bet these were more fun to drive than the Vette.

      Like 5
    • Phil Bates

      In ’75 all were black. In ’76 other colors were added – Antique White, Dark Blue Metallic, Firethorn Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, Dark Green Metallic, Buckskin, Medium Saddle Metallic, and Medium Orange; plus two additional interior colors, Firethorn and Buckskin.

      My dad had #0037. I drove it. When it ran it was great fun. It did get strangled by emissions, though. When dad couldn’t get it fixed without changing the induction system (fuel injection) it dilapidated in the drive until someone came over that wanted it. That person was told they could have it free if they would promise it never crossed paths with my dad. They took the deal. The quote I remember from my dad was that the fate of the Cosworth Vega was known when they found rust on the aluminum bumpers IN THE SHOWROOM. I think that’s an exaggeration, but I’m not really sure of that.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Cosworth_Vega

      Like 3
  8. CCFisher

    Sadly, the actual horsepower rating is even sadder than the 140HP noted in the article. It’s 110HP.

    Like 9
    • Barry Ervin

      I was a tech at a Chevy dealership 1971-77 and I remember these well. Yes, 110 hp. They were not fast, except maybe in the mind of an owner who had paid twice the price of a regular Vega for one. Faster than a standard Vega with the 2bbl engine, but not much. The 1600 rpm idle speed required to meet emissions standards was funny.

      Like 5
      • JCA Member

        Wow, interesting tidbit about the high idle. I’ve always wondered why mine idled so high. The high idle combined with the clanky valve train really bothered me about the car.

        Like 0
  9. Thomas

    I wish they would tell us what the reserve is so I would know if it was even worth while to bid on it. If they want $10k well OK but if they $20k or something like that then I wouldn’t bother.

    Like 3
    • Howie

      Thomas, this is a no reserve auction, high bidder owns it.

      Like 4
  10. Stan

    It would be nice if they could out up a couple pictures of the are around where the rear shocks attached to the car. That area rusted horribly on the 1975 Vega’s.

    Like 4
    • Motorcityman

      That area rusted bad on a Ford 72 MACH 1 Mustang also.
      I had one around 1982 that I had support metal welded in and the rear shocks kept collapsing.
      If I remember right, just about ALL the Big 3 had bad rust issues with metal around 72/73.

      Like 5
    • ACZ

      Not only rusted but did you ever see what happened when someone put a pair of really heavy duty shocks, or air shocks, on the rear of a Vega? The body metal around the upper rear shock mounts would flex and eventually tear out. There was no fix for that. I’ve seen a couple of attempted repairs by welding pieces back together but none ever held. This made the vehicle literally scrap.

      Like 2
  11. Jk

    I had a 71 hatch back or station wagon. The body rusted out and had to replace the engine. Kept it until 78. But it ran fairly well. Wife and 3 sons. Finally sold it 110 hp but with a 4 speed tran. Moved along

    Like 4
  12. Troy

    These cars rusted sitting on the show room floor when new so to find one with minimal rust is a hard thing to do good luck to whoever gets it

    Like 7
    • Bill Pressler

      That problem was gone by the time the Cosworth appeared.

      Like 4
      • Barry Ervin

        That problem was never really gone, just improved somewhat. I worked at a Chevy dealer from 71-77 and Vegas were junk right through to the end.

        Like 6
  13. Jack Quantrill

    Stock Vega, good body, bad motor! These, are nice.

    Like 3
    • Stephen Coe

      I bought a 74 Vega for 800 with 2300 miles it was 18 months old. Got a new short block for $199 at the dealer new oil pump $19.95 added some tricks from the Chevy power manual, adding shim to increase oil pressure. Stock head shaved 30 thousands, new 1 barrel cam built headers added Weber 32-36 carb, a huge radiator, junk yard nova part $20. Thing hot 48 mpg on long trips 4 speed manual. Drove this car 12 years and 342,000 miles. Oh ya used amsoil 😎

      Like 3
      • Stephen Coe

        That 38 mpg hwy mileage & 25 in town

        Like 2
      • TC

        Is this my buddy Coe from P.O. ?
        TC from F.B here.Howdie,stop over.

        Like 0
  14. JStuber

    Good motor hamstrung by the EPA

    Like 7
    • Robert Spinello

      like everything else in 1975

      Like 3
  15. Bradston Miller

    Had a 73 Vega wagon bought from Dad had new motor used it as a work wagon and drove it back and forth from California to Idaho 4 or 5 times, it was a blast to drive hung the corners it was fun. Had it for 6yrs till I blew the motor wish I could get another one. No complaints.

    Like 3
  16. Steve

    Our dealer had one in the showroom for over 1 1/2 years before it sold. Believe it was stickered at $6500.
    Does anyone know, I thought they came with a 12 bolt rear.

    Like 3
    • ACZ

      Definitely no 12 bolt.

      Like 1
  17. Bob-O

    This is the only one that I can remember seeing that has cloth seats and they look like they’re in pretty good shape. All other CV’s that I’ve seen have had the vinyl interior.

    I’d prefer a 1976 as a 5-speed manual was available but this car looks complete and would make for a pretty nice project. It’s also an early production low number car.

    Like 5
  18. JoeNYWF64

    Surprised Ford did not offer a hi perf pinto to compete.

    Like 4
    • Michael

      It was called the mustang II

      Like 12
      • Chevi

        Truth! The Mustang II was a glorified Pinto…

        Like 2
      • JoeNYWF64

        I meant a hi po MOTOR for the pinto – indeed, with the ohc 2.0 & headers, 3/4 race cam & offy & 4 bbl, my friend’s ’72 was very fun to drive & sounded awesome.

        Like 1
    • Terrry

      They offered their 2.8 liter V6 for a Pinto..but only in the wagon.

      Like 0
  19. Mark Bruellman

    nice to see this.. I have a ’76, black.. I got it 8 yrs ago, had 326 miles on it.. still had window sticker on it.. now has 2280 miles.. I won’t drive it with original tires.. lumpa bumpa.. there was a factory recall on em.. So, different tires and wheels to drive it around.. About impossible to get in and out for a chubby fella..That header wrapping around the steering column.. makes for hot hands on a hot day..Ya, it does handle.. and it does sound fine at 6500 revs.Doesn’t go as fast as it sounds tho.NO wheel hop like regular Vegas did..

    Like 11
    • Vernon McMahan

      Doubt it has the torque to cause wheel hop. I believe the rear suspension geometry was identical to the regular Vega.
      I had a 74 Vega GT. At 30K miles I built a 63 Buick alum. block 215 CI V8, and with a few adaptations the Buick bell housing bolted up to the Vega Saginaw 4 speed. It was much faster. Enough torque to hop the rear suspension, to the point it broke out the driver side upper shock mount.

      Like 4
      • Barry Ervin

        The Cosworth had the “torque arm” rear suspension that also appeared on the Monza in 1975. Regular Vegas (and Astres) got it in 1976. It’s a long steel torque reaction link that runs from the rear of the trans back to the differential housing. You can’t miss it. 71-75 regular Vegas didn’t have it.

        Like 6
  20. Steven Spacil

    I bumped into one of these on a twisty 2 lane road in Missouri back in ’74 before they came out. I was going to visit my grandfather that lived near Lebanon, Mo and riding my 450cc DOHC Honda. I initially came up behind this car on some curves and thought, whooped, a black and gold Vega. I flashed past him just before a series of turns without giving it much thought. I wasn’t riding hard, but with “spirit”. When I checked my mirrors which I expected to be empty I was surprised to see the Vega on my tail, getting ready to outbreaks me to pass me going into the next turn. So from there it was “game on”! For the next 15-20 miles, until we came out of the twisted we were back and forth; I don’t think either of us was running flat out, I know I was at about 90%. I had better cornering and lower speed acceleration, he had me at speeds above 90.

    Once we hit straight road he left me in the dust. After about 10 miles I caught up to him as he was running much closer to the posted speed limit than I was. After about another 10 miles in the next town I pulled in to gas up and get a drink and within a minute or two the black Vega pulled to the curb and stopped. He got out and we had a laugh about the ride and began talking. I was curious about his car as it was much faster than a normal Vega and you could see suspension parts hanging below the car that weren’t on normal Vegas.

    He was a Chevrolet engineer from Kansas City out for the weekend doing some testing on the car in the hot, humid Missouri summer weather. Trying all different types of roads and driving to test the cars performance and ability to handle the weather and oftentimes not so great roads of the Show Me State. He showed me the Cosworth engine and told me about all the mods done to the car and that if all went well it would hit showrooms fairly soon. It was kind of neat seeing a pre-production car and visiting with an engineer helping it it’s development. Unfortunately our paths parted at that point but I told quite a few people about the hot new black and gold Vegas that would soon show up in Chevy dealerships, but few believed the detail with which I described them until they actually showed up. Then they all wanted to know how I knew. I just told them I had a engineer buddy that worked for Chevy.

    Like 43
    • Jack Quantrill

      Now, that’s an interesting story! Thanks.

      Like 11
    • Dave

      Very cool.

      Like 3
    • BCB42

      This story is what an interesting life are made of. Thanks!

      Like 0
  21. Barry Ervin

    The early prototype engines had 170 hp, that was reduced to 140 hp for the intended production engine and leaked to the auto press as such. Then in order to actually meet EPA testing standards the production cars were rated at 110 hp. I worked for a large Chevy dealer at the time and we sold about a half dozen of them and I probably drove them all a few times. The performance was really nothing to get excited about, noticeably better than a stock Vega GT but by no means as fast as people seem to think.

    Like 6
    • Steve

      That reminds me of the hype for the 81 Turbo Trans Am with the 301 Turbocharged engine. Lots of hype but what a dog for the most part. Sad days for performance and fun to drive.

      Like 7
  22. Ben

    I owned #0053 from new for about 10 years. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. Stock the power below 3500 rpm was poor, above 3500 to redline was good. By the time I sold it it had steel cylinder liners, a ported and milled head from Hutton Motor Engineering, various tweaks from the Chevy Power manual, a large capacity oil pan , Hurst shifter on the tranny and the cat convertor deleted. Instead of running out of power at 6500 it pulled super strong to 7500 with no end in sight. Wish I still had it but stuff happens 😕

    Like 6
    • Jack Quantrill

      We all wish we had a crystal ball to see the future of these cars. Cheers to those that kept theirs.

      Like 4
      • jwaltb

        Future is the crusher.

        Like 0
  23. Rick

    I just bought one and has about $40,000 original miles on it it ran no problem when I picked it up and still running today had it about 6 months and slowly but surely fixing the interior and stuff but fun to drive

    Like 5
    • Ben

      Nice. What number is it? My first concern would be the nearly 50 year old cambelt. Although stock they are not interference engines, barely. Watch out for leaks at the air injection tubes on the header, that will cause burnt exhaust valves. Have fun with it, I enjoyed working on mine.

      Like 3
  24. Ben

    Nice. What number is it? My first concern would be the nearly 50 year old cambelt. Although stock they are not interference engines, barely. Watch out for leaks at the air injection tubes on the header, that will cause burnt exhaust valves. Have fun with it, I enjoyed working on mine.

    Like 2
    • John S Dressler

      Or you could eliminate all those problems by dropping a chesty little 327 in it and surprise just about every pony car owner at the stop light.

      Like 3
  25. Mike Hawke

    I learned to drive in this car in the late 70s…right down to the cloth seats. Gotta wonder….

    Like 3
  26. Art Engel

    I do believe these were rated at 110 hp, 5-10 more than a standard Vega, the performance was very disappointing as I recall. I never thought the black with gold stripes was a good color combination and after Smokey and the bandit came out I hated it worse! Couple that with black vinyl interior and your frying like an egg! Just like the Fiero, GM never put the right engine in the car. The 2.8 V6 Fiero was also a pooch, a lot of noise and no go!

    Like 2
    • Robert Spinello

      Since I own one I recall going from 60 to 100 pretty quickly and its 25 more hp than a 140 engine.0-60 in 8.5 seconds. The 140 engine Vega does it in 13 seconds so obviously the Cosworth hp in under rated.

      Like 2
  27. Danny B

    What was the previous high bid for this car when it didn’t meet reserve?

    Like 2
    • Yblocker

      About 40 times what it’s worth

      Like 10
      • Robert Spinello

        I have a feeling you dont have the slightest idea what its worth.

        Like 4
  28. George's Brodeur

    Looks like this one was in Pennsylvania at one time. Also noticed that the screws on the dash as well as metal inside the heater controls were rusted. Humidity perhaps, but it would be good to see around the windshield since that was a notorious area for rust.

    Like 1
    • Terrry

      Adds new meaning to “flow-through ventilation”. I’m not a fan of the Vega, Cosworth or not. There’s nothing under the hood that can’t be replaced by a nice SBC setup.

      Like 0
  29. JoeNYWF64

    If you replaced the very restrictive pancake cat converter with a test pipe on a standard vega with 4 or 5 speed manual & maybe put on a non sideways turbo muffler, would it be as fast as a Cosworth?
    Did all fastback vegas & vega wagons get the chrome side window frames?
    & can i assume only sedans & delivery trucks got body colored ones?
    Odd.
    Even the 2 door ONLY! vega wagon is tons more sporty looking than most of today’s 4 door “appiances”.

    Like 3
  30. Brad chipman

    Sorry to originilists but I’d pull the motor and trans and sell them. Install an aluminium block v8 with a 700r4 Trans and vinrage ac.. Restore the inside and fresh paint. Fun toy to cruise. I’ve done two already

    Like 1
    • JoeNYWF64

      & the rear ends have held up?!
      Did you have to change the front springs?

      Like 1
      • Brad chipman

        The two I did were gt’s. Had to change out ball joints,rear end out of a later Monza that came with a v8 and convert to 5 lug wheel pattern. A friend of mine used this model with a stock 350/turbo 350 and had no problems except front springs

        Like 1
  31. Gary

    I went to work selling at a chevy store in 1976. They had a firethorne color setting on the show room floor. Been setting there a year then. In late 1977 we sold it at cost just to get it off the dealership. I drove it and it was just another VEGA. What a JOKE it was. !!

    Like 4
  32. Bill

    Always thought the Vega GT was a good looking car to bad ,Chevy built them so cheaply

    Like 2
    • Jamie

      I’m the same. I always liked the looks of the Vega and nearly bought a new one in 1977. I ended up with a ’68 Chevelle instead. The good old days!

      Like 1
    • Terrry

      The only good thing the Vega did for the American public that bought them, was convince them to trade them in on Japanese cars.

      Like 1
  33. Ed J

    I owned 1975 #235 in around 1977. It had around 8000 miles when I purchased it for around $3200. Was owned by an sprint car driver named Arnie Kennepper??. Had the power band curve of a Honda CR500… Definitely knew when it hit 3500+. Still think a 283 2 barrel swap would have had more power. One of the coolest things was hanging out with buddies at the local hangout in cold weather, walking over starting it up and listening to it go from fast idle to normal idle in about 3 steps (like a carburetor with a mechanical step choke) by itself. Buddies were just amazed. Engine had many features such as 4 valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, electronic fuel Injection, header exhaust that became the norm years later……..went to texas from Illinois around 1979 with 15,000 miles. Wonder it it’s still around!

    Like 2
    • Bob-O

      ED J – There is a US Cosworth Vega registry:

      https://www.cosworthvega.com/the-cv-registry

      You can view photos of every car where an owner posted a photo in the photo gallery but you can’t view the registry itself without joining the group.

      #235 did not have a photo but that doesn’t mean that it’s not in the registry so you can always join to see if somebody has registered it.

      Like 2
  34. Steve

    You often hear it was priced only $800 less than Corvette: well thanks not really accurate, that is using base price of a Corvette with No AC, No power steering, No power brakes, No Radio, no power windows, no custom interior( all things most corvettes came with). A more realistic price for average 1975 Corvette was $8,000 + without destination charge.

    Like 2
    • Stephen Coe

      I had a 76 with 5 speed had try with the in tank fuel pump the dealer changed also the injectors were Porsche from a 911, when I removed the catalytic she ran better😎😎

      Like 0
  35. Davey Boy

    I had a 72 gt that was steel sleeved. I don’t know what was done to it but it had a header, an offenhauser manifold with a 4 barrel carburetor and “nitrous”. Learned the hard way. Broke 2 transmissions dumping the clutch from a dead stop. Powershift from 1st to 2nd and it would go straight sideways. Had a posi rear end. To young to even think about what I had. Gave it to my brother who blew it up almost right away and scrapped it, performance parts and all. Only Vega that was faster was one at my brother’s work. Some may have seen it on the cover of Car Craft magazine. 1971 gt. Painted by Hondo John. It had a 454 bored to a 460 and more tire than rear end underneath. That was a beautiful car. And rowdy as hell. It was funny in that they had to modify the steering shaft to fit the motor and they used a 1/2 inch Craftsman knuckle to change the direction of it. Because of that, it never was street legal. Now it’s gutted and what’s left of the body is sitting in a guys garage and according to him will never be put back together. If you know this car then you know how sad that is. Another beautiful hot rod gone.

    Like 1
  36. mike Member

    OK so what’s the real story with this car???? It was already supposedly SOLD here before and now it’s back with the exact same pictures. Plus doing a search of the site it is mysteriously missing. something seems fishy to me??

    Like 1
    • Davey Boy

      It didn’t sell before due to the reserve being to high. This time it’s selling without a reserve

      Like 1
    • Joshua Mortensen Staff

      We ran it previously with a reserve and it didnt meet it. The seller needs it gone, so they’ve asked us to rerun the auction without a reserve this time. We sold the other cars sitting in the barn and things went smoothly with those.

      Like 2
  37. John Irwin

    There’s a 3 generation Chevy garage here where I live and they had a brand new Cosworth Vega stored away in one of the storage buildings. Brand new, plastic on the seats, never titled. They also had a brand new 1955 Chevy tucked away in the same building. The 55 had all the paperwork and stickers and everything as delivered. I was fortunate to see these cars because I knew a mechanic over there but for the most part they never saw the light of day and most people around here didn’t know anything about them. I remember hearing that the building was climate controlled, heat and humidity. When the family sold the dealership I was bummed because I don’t know what ever happened to those 2 cars. Hopefully they ended up in good hands.

    Like 4
  38. Dan B

    Has the engine been run recently and if not, when was the last time? Were there any problems when it was parked 15 years ago?

    Like 1
  39. Cmarv Member

    I would have a hard time not LS swapping this , wouldn’t need much more than the 5k mile LS1-6 speed 99 Z28 setup to make it fun . I did three V8 Vega swaps back in the early eighty’s , they was a hot lick in them days . I done one for myself and the two others for friends . Didn’t buy any Don Hardy kit , my Lincoln buzz box and a torch set to gas weld made it happen . Mine was a cherry 72 GT that smoked like a train ,I got it for $300 . It came alive with a 69 Z/28 sourced DZ 302 with a M21 and a V8 Monza Spyder rear with leaf springs and swaybar . It died of phone-poleitus . I was just lucky , it hit on the passenger door . The front bumper was less than 4 feet from the back bumper and by some miracle I was able to walk away with a few cuts and bruises. Having just celebrated my 63’rd birthday I wonder how I made it out of the cheap muscle car days alive .

    Like 1
  40. angliagt angliagt Member

    My Wife & I went to Elkins for our anniversary last year,
    & rode the steam train while we were there.There’s some
    INCREDIBLE driving roads in that area too.

    Like 0
  41. C Force

    It’s ready for the 350 swap,the cosworth engine would make a great boat anchor….

    Like 0
  42. EC

    Hey whats up with the number on the 10th picture the 0378 is that the model number or is it the care is the 0378th one made?

    Like 0

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