Kids who know early on that they are car lovers will often spend time when they should be doing schoolwork drawing things like this outlandish Chevrolet Vega. Long gone is the little four-banger that would have propelled this once economy car, and in its place is a powerful, robust GM Performance LS3 V8 cranking out 430 horsepower, for a raucous bit of fun.
The exterior of the Chevrolet Vega has been treated to a shiny coat of white paint. Front and rear chrome bumpers have either been re-plated or replaced. Stainless trim appears to be in good nick. Fifteen-inch polished American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels are wrapped in raised-white-letter BFGoodrich rubber. Behind those wheels are massive cross-drilled brake rotors clamped by polished Aerospace brake calipers. Keeping the rubber planted on the ground is UMI Performance suspension with upper and lower control arms.
In the Chevrolet Vega’s engine bay lies the GM Performance LS3, fitted with a retrofit Holley oil pan, and fed by a polished air intake. An AFCO custom aluminum drag radiator and fan shroud keep things cool. Spent gasses exit through 2.5-inch dual exhausts and Magnaflow mufflers. The LS is backed up by the 4L60 transmission and a Ford nine-inch rear end with a 4.11 Positraction rear gear. An Aerospace brake booster feeds the disc brakes.
Inside the Chevrolet Vega is a fresh red vinyl interior. Front bucket seats look showroom new. Plain Jane door panels have been dressed up with carbon fiber sections. In the dash are a modern Kenwood stereo head unit and the controls for the Vintage Air climate control. The floor-mounted shifter appears like a traditional T-handle topped with a white ball. Original gauges have been replaced with Dakota Digital units.
If this cool little Chevrolet Vega sounds like it is your cup of tea, you can find it on offer at the Mecum Glendale, Arizona sale March 18th-20th.
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Comments
I wonder how this car compares with the Cosworth Vega.
Two thumbs down? Must be offended Chevrolet Cosworth Vega owners.
My father purchased, pre-owned, a Cosworth Vega sometime in the mid-1980’s. It was a properly engineered car and quite lively. It was also as rust-prone as most of the GM small cars were in those years and a shame that it did not last long, neither the car nor the Cosworth option package.
Very nice and clean
In my opinion, the Chevy Vega was one of the nicest styling packages ever produced. Too bad the rest fell short.
Always thought of stuffing a V-8 in one, day dreaming in class. Very low weight to HP.
It will likely be some serious fun to drive, but any buyer would be well advised to limit driving it in city traffic during any hot Midwest summer day and to become adept at fixing rainwater leaks at the driver side lower windshield corner. Ask me how I know.
You think that almos 50 years later , that’s stilla problem? Seriuosly!
Butch: I am not saying it is a problem. It just depends on what one is willing to put up with if one wants to drive it. Winter 1976/1977 my automotive engineer father and I installed a 1963 vintage Oldsmobile 215 cid V8 (aluminum) in a 1974 Vega GT Hatchback. Even with the 12×20 GT radiator city cooling was marginal and heat rejection calculations indicated that no matter how many radiator tube rows were added it would be difficult to cool to OE standards. The windshield water leak fix would have required increasing the unibody torsional stiffness by a significant amount. That would have been no mean feat and I never saw anybody take on that issue successfully. The 1975-1980 Monza (H-Special) with the 262/305/350 V8 came close, but those engines were cast iron (heavy), detuned for emissions, and not at all powerhouses. As a now-retired automotive engineer myself the Olds 215 V8 Vega was a decent conversion, but still had some limitations. I used my V8 Vega as a daily driver early 1977 through late 1983 and understood its engineering warts, but it was still enjoyable. And please learn how to spell the word “seriously.” Thank you.
NICE!
Cool little hot rod,personally after dropping all those deneros I would have went with the 525 hp version and a 4l80 or tremec
How do you get a Positraction(GM product and trademark) into a Ford 9 inch rear end. Are you sure it’s not a Detroit locker?
Miss the days of smaller wheel wells. These days you need to fit the car with huge wheels, otherwise it just looks odd or looks like the car needs to be lowered. This is the perfect mix of offering reasonable ground clearance, while completely filling up the wheel wells.
I purchased a new 1974 Vega. By 1978 it was rusting in peace. Ohio should have had Utah’s Great Salt Lake because of all the salt used on the roads around here in the winter.
We were lucky down under in Australia back in the 70’s, GM Holden designed and built the Holden Torana hatchback similar in size to the Vega, it could be had as a 4 cyl, 6 cyl, 4.2 v8, 5.0 v8 or a thumping hy po tuned race homoligated 5.0 308 v8 muscle car Torana LX SS A9X Performance package, this model went on to become one of Australia’s most successful race cars, survivors today sell for upward of $250,000 AU
If interested Google GM Holden Torana A9X.
In fairness most 74 cars in the upper Midwest were rustbuckets by 1978.
Nice little package. A rwd hatchback. Very clean build. Not quite Bill Jenkins, but still cool.
I had one as a company vehicle, was very ill handling with bias ply tires. With radial ply tires it handled almost like a sports car.
Made a nice 1320′ car with a well built small block. Squirrelly on the big end though.
Very nice and well done. I always liked that body style. My sister owned one, Army Green.
I wished GM would have put the 2.0T in the Cruze. That would be a fun ride! Buick put that 2.0T 257/295 in the Verano (Cruze cousin).
My ex-wife bought a brand new Vega hatchback in ’71. The Vega was used as an example for many years as one of the worst cars ever produced (I will not apply the term “manufactured” to the Vega)! I was told that Chevrolet Motor Division was ordered to market the car by GM brass at the time and the car was not designed by Chevrolet. Unusual engine design with aluminum block and and single overhead cam & cast iron head. Initial engines did not have cylinder sleeves – supposedly corrected in ’73/74 model year. Engine was prone to break timing belts and blow head gaskets at a weak point on the back of the engine. Fortunately, for us, both two timing belts broke at home – relatively easy to replace. RUST – this was a “design feature” for the VEGA; upper inner fender wells; around windshield, rear window and quarter panels. If termites stopped holding hands, it would fall in the street. Note, this car lived in South Florida – West Palm Beach. Rust on cars on the east cost area of Florida was unusually bad around front rear windows on GM cars from 1965 – all 70’s. Most cars in South Florida had severe rust problems back then (includes Ford and Chrysler products). We restricted the speed of the car to not exceed 55 mph due reputation of severe engine failure. However our engine & automatic transmission lasted through 2 car bodies before being “junked” at 126,000 miles on the drivetrain by babying the car. The Vega made the Ford Pinto look like the best thing ever made in comparison – and everyone knows about the Pintos, as well!
Vegas certainly wasn’t a Cadillac for sure. Both the Vegas and the pintos were lumber wagons. Good for back and forth to work and local running around. Fair gas milage I guess you could say. I remember seeing as many broke down rusted out pintos on the side of the road as I did the Vegas though, just to be fair about it… The Vega had the timing belt issues and the pintos had gas tank explosions issues. Gas tank leaks I believe it was for the pintos. Vega also had head gasket issues. Most of the head gasket issues were due to the engine being overheated one or more times some time or another. Every one I ever pulled down for a blown head gasket had been over heated. Head was warped requiring resurfacing the head before reassembly. Decent little cars for what they were back then.
Very tasteful redo. I’ve owned 7 Vegas, including a factory correct Cosworth during my lifetime and honestly loved every single one of them. When you consider what they were intended to be, they were damn good looking cars. I have no doubt that my garage will once again house a Vega at some point.
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