Chevrolet built more than two million of their first subcompact, the Vega, in the 1970s. But you don’t see many of them these days because they were throwaway cars that had growing pains from the beginning. Collectability of the auto seems to be limited to the Cosworth Vega of 1975-76 with performance enhancements to the vehicle’s engine. This ’75 Cosworth is one of 2,061 produced in its first year and has low miles because it’s been used sparingly. Located in Fenton, Michigan, this special Vega is available here on craigslist for $22,000. Another great tip brought to us by Pat L.!
At John DeLorean’s direction, Chevy collaborated with Cosworth Engineering, a British firm, to create a DOHC cylinder head for its all-aluminum, 122 cubic-inch, inline-4 engine. Across just two model years, 5,000 of the engines were produced for 3,508 overall cars (where did the other 1,492 engines end up?). By all accounts, the Cosworth Vega was the best Vega ever, but it was a hard sell to a buying public that remembered the quality control issues of the car back in 1971-72. Also, the Cosworth Vega cost twice that of a base Vega and only a few hundred bucks less than a Corvette.
This Cosworth Vega, # 1776 off the assembly line, is something of a minor celebrity. We’re told it was the featured car at the grand opening of Cosworth’s North American HQ in 2018. This automobile has spent much of its life in a climate-controlled garage, which should explain the 28,000 miles on the odometer. The seller says that in the last eight years, only 400 miles have been added to that total. The hatchback area is where the car’s shop and service manuals reside.
Photos of the car are a bit weak and for the asking price you’d expect to see more. We’re told the body and black paint are in great shape and the black vinyl interior looks to be as tidy as you might expect, though the carpeting may be faded. This looks to be a solid car and possibly one of the nicest surviving Cosworth Vegas you’re likely to find. What should top-dollar be for a car like this?
“(where did the other 1,492 engines end up?)”
IIRC, GM took the leftovers, disassembled 500 of them, then scrapped the remainder (Cosworth Vega Owners Assoc?).
Bad market timing took what was suggested by some of the car magazines of the time as the American car to knock down the vaunted BMW (plus others) and turned it into a footnote. Engine compression was dropped from the original 12:1 to 8.5:1-HP went from 185 to 110. Add in the price (twice the cost of a standard average, practically the same as a Corvette!)with increasing pressure from insurance companies plus the overall reputation of the original Vega and it was doomed.. too bad.
I don’t think any Cosworth engines were produced with a higher compression, ever, so “dropped” is a stretch.
Chevrolet wanted an engine that could go racing. Cosworth told them they would have to reinforce the block, and they declined. Emission controls choked off the rest of expected horsepower gains, so you had a complex, very expensive engine that produced a only a little more horsepower than the standard Vega GT in a cheap car’s body that cost $200 less than a Corvette, and without available air-conditioning, even as an option
Plus, with that Vega name and Webber backyard barbecue grille, no BMW intender (and probably not a Mustang II buyer) was going to give it a second look. Probably not a first look, either.
The left over engines went straight to recycling. Nobody even wanted to buy them as swaps for failed Vega engines
Thst engine compartment looks clean and unmolested, no extra wires, no mods. That alone is impressive to me.
$22k? Yeah, about $10-12k too high for me.
$22,000 for a Vega? Not sure the scrap value of every one ever made would add up to that, guess I’d have to do the math lol. On a more serious note, there are many, many, many, many, REAL classic vehicles out there for this kind of money, how could anybody……well, never mind, somebody will
Yuck.
I have a white (less than 100 white ones) 5 speed Cosworth with 8,300 documented miles and all the provenance you could ask for and I dont think it is worth $22K. Dont get me wrong I really appreciate the car for what it is and its rarity but it is just not worth 22k. Mine is not for sale we actually love the little car for weekend cruises.
Toyotas have 16 valve heads today, what is the big deal. Just a Vega that as I recall, liked to burn through engines. A ratty little car.
But only the Cosworth Vega has those very kool CHROME Air Injection Reaction pipes on top of the motor! – emission control has never looked anywhere near that good – since!
& how many cams did Toyota 4 cyl motors(including the 1 in Celica) have in ’75? Not 2. & how many Toyota 4 cyls were ALL aluminum – or had fuel injection, like the cosworth? None.
& how many ’70s toyotas are left? – most rusted away soon after Vegas, if used in bad weather – or left out in the rain.
Fiat had twin cam engines with excellent durability and performance in the 1960s.