Quote:
Originally Posted by KILLER74Z28
I don’t ever remember there being a SS Vega from that era... Can you prove this???  |
I don't remember one either....I do remember the Cosworth Vega.
The limited-edition 1975 to 1976 Cosworth Vega was a special performance version of the subcompact introduced long before cars like the Golf GTI or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Only 2,062 were built the first year. It was fitted with a fuel-injected DOHC 2.0L 16-valve version of the engine designed by Cosworth Engineering in England, which was famous for its racing engines. Built by Chevrolet at its Tonawanda engine plant, the engine was fed by Bendix electronic fuel injection controlled by a computer in the glove box. First planned in 1969, the first 1971 development engines delivered an impressive 180 bhp. It had special stripes, wide radial tires on alloy wheels and antiroll bars. But when finally put into production, the 1975 engines produced only 120 bhp.
At $5,916, it cost double a normal hatchback, and only $900 less than a Corvette. Car and Driver magazine would report "The 3.11 first gear matched to a 3.73 axle ratio makes the Cosworth Vega tough to launch from a stop". They measured 0-60 mph times of 8.7 seconds. In 2006 Inside Line wrote "Fat and strangled by emissions regulations and GM's own noise concerns, the Cosworth Vega was a disappointing car in every sense". This is decidedly misleading since all cars in 1975 and 1976 were similarly "fat and strangled by emissions regulations." In comparison to other affordable performance cars of those years it was light and fast. Only 3,508 were sold over two years. This fell so short of projected sales of 5,000 that 1,500 unused exotic Cosworth engines were simply scrapped for lack of demand. Though sales would be disappointing, it is today the Vega most sought by collectors.
I wonder why it flopped???
JWz28.