Cosworth Vega was a good idea gone wrong
When American automakers wanted a high-tech, high-output engine, they used to go abroad to have the job done. Examples are the Yamaha designed Ford Taurus SHO V-6 and Lotus-designed Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 V-8.
The almost-forgotten 1970s Chevrolet Cosworth Vega is another. In this case it was Cosworth Engineering of England, whose achievements included the once-all-conquering Ford V-8 DFV Grand Prix engine.
The Chevrolet Vega was in the second wave of “import fighters” from the American Big Three. The first were the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon and Chrysler (soon to be Plymouth) Valiant.
Although these dented import sales, the imports eventually recovered, so General Motors and Ford tried again in 1971 with the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto.
GM chairman James Roche announced as early as the fall of 1969 that GM would be introducing an economical small car tailored to American tastes. Implicit in this message was that while imports got good fuel economy, they weren’t really what Americans wanted to drive.
When the new import competitor Chevrolet Vega arrived, it would have a star-crossed existence from the beginning. Designed by GM’s central corporate engineers, it was handed down like an unwanted stepchild to a reluctant Chevrolet division to be built and sold.
Chevrolet general manager John DeLorean wasn’t impressed. In his book On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors, he called the Vega’s single-overhead-cam, 2.3-litre, four-cylinder aluminum-block, iron-head engine noisy, expensive to manufacture and topheavy. He said Chevrolet engineers were ashamed of it.
In spite of misgivings, Chevrolet geared up to build the Vega in GM’s Lordstown, Ohio, plant. Unfortunately, after producing only 24,000 1971 models in the fall of 1970, a 2 12⁄ -month strike began, effectively destroying the launch of the Vega.
When the Vega got into the hands of car testers and the public, it did little to distinguish itself. Testers reported mediocre performance and a rough, noisy engine.
It was also, at least in early versions, prone to overheating due to a marginal cooling system, with disastrous results for the aluminum block and cylinders (no iron liners were used). Excessive cylinder wear would produce high oil consumption, and the Vega was plagued by several recalls.
As early as 1969, DeLorean had recognized that something would be needed to enhance the Vega’s image. He suggested to the corporation that a 2.0-litre competition version be developed, hoping this would lead to a sportier, more powerful Vega. His idea was accepted, Cosworth was engaged and sample Vega engines were sent to England.
Cosworth developed a twin-overhead-cam, 16-valve aluminum head for the engine, a bold step for Chevrolet. The last time American street engines had four-valve heads was on 1930s Duesenbergs and Stutzes.
Part of the durability program was testing the engine in racing, but when this was tried the engineers kept encountering weaknesses in the aluminum block and free-standing cylinders. The racing venture was eventually abandoned, although developing a road-going Cosworth Vega engine continued.
The Cosworth Vega was finally introduced to the public at the 1975 Chicago Auto Show, almost two years after it was announced and six years after it was conceived. It sounded promising, having such goodies as fuel injection, a forged steel crankshaft and forged pistons. The 2.3-litre Vega engine had been reduced to 2.0 litres via a shorter stroke.
Unfortunately, the Cosworth Vega had two serious strikes against it. Its performance didn’t live up to its promise, and the regular Vega’s poor reputation had preceded it.
When Road & Track finally tested one (from a private owner) in July 1976, it found the 1,998-cc, 110-horsepower twin-cammer took a mediocre 12.3 seconds to accelerate the 1,211-kg Cosworth to 100 km/h.
As one example of how this was barely competitive with foreign cars, it was little faster than the 12.7 seconds of another recently introduced two-door hatchback, the Volkswagen Scirocco. And the Scirocco cost about two-thirds as much as the Cosworth Vega and got 50 per cent better fuel economy.
The Cosworth’s 180 km/h top speed was higher than the Scirocco’s 164, although the VW’s smaller 1.5-litre engine was smoother.
Not surprisingly, Cosworth Vega sales were slow. Only 2,061 1975 models were built, about one for every three Chevrolet dealers. The 1976 news was even worse — only 1,447 were produced before Chevrolet pulled the plug.
There were several reasons for the Cosworth Vega’s lack of success. It was too long getting to market and public interest had cooled. It was hurt by the regular Vega’s tarnished reputation. And it simply lacked the performance of a true 2.0-litre GT car.