Here is one that GM wishes never hit the streets. In 1971 Chevrolet introduced the Vega, a revolutionary car to battle all of the compacts. It featured a 2.3 aluminum block engine with a single overhead camshaft. Gm in their infinite wisdom chose to eliminate cylinder liners for a nikasil coating on the aluminum cylinder bores. Simply put, nikasil is a nickel and silicon based process and is supposed to be extremely wear resistant. The cylinder block was of open deck design, meaning the upper cylinder bores are not fixed in place where the cylinder head bolts to the block. When the Vega engine experiences overheating, this method of manufacturing allowed the cylinder bores to move around and caused coolant leaks and blown head gaskets. From what I understand, the early Vega engines would overheat due to poor coolant circulation in the block. These engines were known to burn copious amounts of oil in short time. Whether this was a result of the lack of iron cylinder bore liners, or bad valve seals, I do not know, but when I saw an oil burning Vega on the road in the 70's, mosquito abatement foggers came to mind. Jaguar also used the Nikasil process in some of their cars built in the 1990's and had problems with low compression, so it is not only GM that might have had problems with this metal coating process.
Another problem with the Vega(what, you thought the oil burning and overheating engine was all that was wrong with this car?), was that it rusted out in record time. There must not have been much corrosion inhibitors anywhere on the sheetmetal. You could practically hear the rust worms working once the car was in the consumer's garage.
IIRC, the Vega was Motor Trend Magazine car of the year in 1971. This should make you think carefully before you put much weight on what auto magazines report about cars. Remember that these publishers get paid for advertising in their magazines, and there are many auto manufacturers represented within these pages.
The Vega is just another example why the big three has not been able to compete against the Japanese car invasion.
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You would think American car companies would have learned that quality is something people will pay for and come back to again and again.
The top morons at the big three, or is it two now, will never learn that quality sells. They are so used to pumping out garbage and using their huge marketing departments to come up with reasons why these "NEW" cars are so much better then all the other ones on the road. I doubt any of the upper echelon in the big three have actually driven all of the models they produce. If they did drive them for any length of time, they would quickly see what needs to be improved and make the changes. For an example, just off the top of my head, Ford does not even offer a compact 4 door hatchback car(not crossover, or suv), let alone one that gets great gas mileage. Why did they drop the Focus hatchbacks at a time when gas prices were rising? Don't they realize people need an efficient and versatile car that can carry 4 people(without them feeling like sardines in a can) with a useful hatch for the carrying large items from time to time. Nope, they'll never get it.
Where did you find a mustard colored car? Its a beaut!
Your article sucks
Review summaries 1970-2013
Printed reviews were favorable for the Vega from the beginning and forgiving in retrospect because they were written by car experts that appreciated the car's handling capability, advanced engineering and clean, timeless styling.
Motor Trend August 1970, Vega 2300 "The Vega 2300 is Chevrolet's answer to Volkswagen, Datsun, Toyota, Fiat, Renault, and all others up the ladder. Like any car, the Vega has its good points and bad." "Many hours of wind tunnel testing experimentation created good aerodynamics, which in turn manufactures good road holding capacity. The net result is a car in the 2,200-pound range that rides like a car weighing twice as much." "The low dollar Vega (sedan) is a complete automobile. It requires nothing more to be an enjoyable, functional piece of transportation." "the Vega GT comes close to what a racing GT car should be, in handling, performance and comfort."" "Under normal driving conditions, the wagon is well behaved and takes you where you want to go with a minimum of fuss and maximum comfort."
Motorcade August 1970 "Exclusive! First Test--Chevy's Vega—Mini-car from GM to do battle with the imports "Chevy's Vega 2300 is on the line and everyone at GM is hoping for the best. But if the car doesn't make it, it wont be because the Vega's engineers and designers haven't tried to develop a small car that offers as much or more than any other, and is based on driving conditions in this country." "How good is the Vega? In two words, very good. We've owned several small imports, and the Vega is as good as any of them. "The motoring press took an 890-mile trip in three Vegas and three competitors. The Vegas won."
Car and Driver September 1970, "The standard Vega is meant to compete specifically with the imports and mechanically it is very much a numbers car, which is to say that it has been designed and developed to produce incredibly efficient engineering numbers. At the very start, certain numerical levels of goodness were established for characteristics like acceleration, fuel economy, interior noise, ride harshness, and stopping ability and the Vega had to match up to these pre-set goals before it could be turned loose on the public. the result is a machine that is usually awesome in its competence but occasionally inept and which clearly mirrors its computer breeding.
Road & Track September 1970, R&T Editor John R. Bond said, "I think the Vega is beyond a doubt the best handling passenger car ever built in the U.S. It has many other good qualities, but the roadholding impressed and surprised me most of all."
Car Life September 1970, Five months prior to the Vega's public introduction. Six men representing six publications where invited to participate in a test run from Denver, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona; a two-day run of about 890 miles. Six cars were provided, including three Vegas, a VW Beetle, A Toyota Corona, and a Ford Maverick. "The slowest speed on some of the long climbs was 40-45 mph, which was the maximum capability of the Toyota with its two-speed automatic transmission. The base Vega with its fantastic 2.53:1 axle climbed the same grade in second gear at 65 mph and a modest 4100 rpm. The highest speed attained on a level road was 105 mph at 5,250 rpm by the Vega coupe with the L-11 performance option. The most impressive part of the trip was the cornering power of the three Vegas. None of the other cars could begin to keep up."
Your article sucks
Road & Track November 1970 "The basic Vega, pretty and intelligently designed though it is, is poorly equipped and rather unpleasant to drive and we don't think many customers will settle for it. The optioned car is a decidedly good package and could do real damage to the likes of Ford Capri, MGB GT, Fiat 124 Coupe, BMW 1600, etc."
Motor Trend February 1971, "The Chevrolet Vega 2300 is Motor Trend's 1971 Car of the Year by way of engineering excellence, packaging, styling, and timeliness. As such, we are saying that, for the money, no other American car can deliver more." "Chevrolet has never lost sight of the fact that the Vega had to be satisfactory basic transportation in its lowest form. And in the last analysis, that is what swung the balance, the fact the base Vega was a magnificent automobile without any options at all."
Motor Trend May 1973, MT awarded the Vega GT "1973 Car of the Year in the economy class." MT said "..the best version of the Vega came out on top matched against the best versions of its competition." "The determining factor was the sense or feeling of durability. The Vega was judged solid, warm and comfortable, with a good finish."
Road & Track June 1973 featured a "Vega 2300 Owner Survey"—The level of assembly doesn't match the virtues of the design—The most popular reason for purchase was handling with 53%. Close behind that was style with 51%. The Vega's design attracted 47%. The Vega's low price was a lure for 19% and 24% said they were influenced by its promise of economy..." "The engine gave trouble to one-third of the owners...The head gaskets blew for 8% of the owners...20% reported carburetor troubles as a separate category." "And while we have have many owners with problems we also have 16%, a better-than-average percentage, of cars with no trouble at all. The design and the concept are sound, just as Chevrolet intended and as the buyers hoped."
Road & Track June 1973, "The Vega (GT) does better on the skidpad than every other car in our test summary except the Jaguar XJ6, very select company indeed. It also outdoes the '73 Corvette on its radials in this particular test." R&T concluded, "After what we've said about earlier Vegas, it's a pleasure to report the current Vega is attractive, respectably quick, and frugal-and it's the best highway car in class. Well done Chevrolet.."
Road Test August 1973, Road Test Report "Baby Grand Tourer" (Vega GT) "For those who feel that sheer raw cornering power is an essential ingredient to make an interesting car, a stint behind the wheel of a well equipped Vega will be a real eye opener. There they will learn what sheer raw cornering power feels like."
Road & Track June 1974 "Sports Cars vs Sports Sedans" included the Triumph Spitfire vs the Chevrolet Vega. R&T said, "It (Vega LX notchback) came to $3055 at the factory and it would be difficult to imagine a better all-around sports sedan at that price in today's market." R&T concluded, "If you want wind around your head, get the Spitfire; if you want the better machine, get the Vega."
Car and Driver January 1975, CD's Patrick Bedard reported that on October 12, 1974 he piloted their '73 Vega GT #0 in Car and Driver's SS/Sedan Challenge III and had just edged out an Opel to win the race. He said, "The lone Vega outran every single Opel, Colt, Pinto, Datsun, Toyota and Subaru on the starting grid." "it was clear that no matter how good a driver Don Knowles was and no matter how quick his Opel, he wasn't going to get by if the Vega simply stayed alive. Which it did. You have to admire a car like that. If it wins, it must be the best, never mind all of the horror stories you hear, some of them from me."
Road & Track March 1976, "We can't resist saying that with the Cosworth Vega engine, the Vega now runs the way it should have run all the time-easy, smooth, good response, good handling: a nice balance between performance and economy. Sweet as it is however, the Cosworth Vega is still way down the excitement ladder from what it would be with another 30 or 40 bhp. Then it would really be something."
Road Test October 1976, "The Great Supercoupe Shootout" — Alfa vs. Mazda vs. Lancia vs. Saab vs. Cosworth Vega said: "The results are in Figure 2. Read 'em and weep, all you foreign-is-better nuts, because right there at the top, and by a long way at that, is the Cosworth Vega. It had the fastest 0-60 time, the fastest quarter-mile time, and tied with the Saab for the shortest braking distance." RT concluded, "The Cosworth is American, and a collector's item, and it came close, damn close to winning the whole thing."
Motor Trend Classic Fall 2010 "Loving Look Back" comparison — 1973 Vega GT, 1972 Pinto Runabout and 1971 Gremlin X, Frank Markus, Motor Trend Technical Director said, "After a few gentle miles, I begin to understand how this car won its awards and comparison tests." "Well-maintained examples are great looking, nice-driving, economical classics.." Markus concluded, "Emotionally, Jim Brokaw summed it up in January 1972: Gremlin has power, but Pinto has the price, and a much quieter ride. Which car is best? Vega."
Motor Trend Classic Spring 2013 "Toxic Throwdown" comparison — 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega vs 1976 Mercury Capri II, Frank Markus said, Vega guru Robert Spinello recently acquired #3466 Cossie, in Mahogany over Buckskin (eight additional colors were added for 1976), is one of 815 featuring the desirable M75 five-speed and 4.10:1 axle ($244), and benefits from many of the 300 quality enhancements made for the Vega’s penultimate year, including galvanized fenders and rockers along with a restyled grille and tail lamps." Markus concluded, "Stylish and historically significant but ridiculously overpriced in its day and ultimately a bit unfinished, the ultimate Vega now represents a serious collector bargain."
The Vega was designed from from scratch, from the ground up, so there were teething pains including, engine overheating and front-fender rust-outs but they were resolved with relatively simple fixes early-on:with a redesigned head gasket made of stainless steel, revised engine block cooling slots, a coolant recovery tank and plastic inner fender liners. After the Vega reached its peak of development by 1976, the car would be phased out the following year (with its Pontiac Astre clone) to increase sluggish sales of newer tooling Vega variants, Chevy Monza, Pontiac Sunbird, Olds Starfire and Buick Skyhawk. Rebadged Vega body styles were also sold by Chevrolet and Pontiac in 1978-'79.
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Like I said your artice sucks
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