Chevrolet "teaser" ads began in May 1970, not announcing its name, stating - You'll see. Early spy reports called the Vega "Gemini" and "GMini," although Motor Trend and other publications used the correct internal designation, XP-887. It was as GM president that Cole oversaw the genesis of the Chevrolet Vega. The Vega, like the Corvair, has long been referred to as Ed Cole's baby. Musser said, "This was the first vehicle where one person was in charge and, under him - that is me - a group of guys did the entire vehicle." who had played major roles in helping develop the Chevy II, the Camaro, the 350 and 400 cu in V8s, and the Turbo Hydramatic transmission. He formed a GM corporate design team exclusively for the Vega headed by James G. This was a brutally short time to design and engineer a new car, especially one that borrowed almost nothing from any other. Cole wanted a world-beater, and he wanted it in showrooms in twenty-four months. Ed Cole was the chief engineer and Bill Mitchell, the vice-president of the design staff, was the chief stylist.
In 1968 GM chairman James Roche announced that General Motors would produce the new mini-car in the U.S. It was a corporate car, not a divisional one. Not only did corporate management make the decision to enter the mini-car market, it also decided to develop the car itself.
built mini-car, Cole's version was chosen with the proposals from Chevy and Pontiac rejected, and Cole's new mini-car was given to Chevrolet to sell. When the corporation started seriously talking about a U.S.
He presented the program to GM's president in 1967. Ed Cole, GM's executive vice-president of operating staffs was working on his own small-car project using the corporate engineering and design staffs. The Vega-derived Monza and other variants from Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick continued through 1980.Ĭhevrolet and Pontiac divisions were working separately on small cars in the early and mid 1960s. Despite the continuous development program and efforts to improve the car's image, the Vega nameplate and aluminum engine were cancelled at the end of the 1977 model year. By 1976, the Vega had received five years of refinements with three hundred new part numbers in ’76 alone, more than any other Chevrolet that year. But the Vega's reputation had been tarnished from early models involving its 140 CID engine while the new Chevette provided an alternative. Vega sales in 1975 fell to half the previous year resulting from the end of the gas crisis with less demand for all smaller cars. The Cosworth Twin-Cam, a limited production, performance model was introduced in March 1975 featuring a 122 CID (121.7 cu in) all-aluminum inline-4, the 16-valve, DOHC cylinder head design by Cosworth Engineering in England. The Vega was among the top 10 best-selling American cars in 1974 with a model-year sales peak of 460,374. The one-millionth Vega was produced May 17, 1973.
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Car and Driver readers voted the Vega "Best Economy Sedan" 1971, 19 in the C&D Annual Reader's Choice Poll, unseating the incumbent import's eight year winning streak. Motor Trend awarded the Vega 1971 "Car of the Year" after a 4-day ride and drive that saw 10 of Detroit's finest put through a 1000 mile wringer. The car's introduction was overseen by Chevrolet general manager John Z. Conservative estimates had placed the cost of bringing the Vega from drawing board to production reality at a staggering $200 million (a billion in today's money) compared to about $5 million for the AMC Gremlin. The Vega competed directly with its domestic rivals from Ford and AMC and imports from Toyota and Datsun as well as the rear-engine VW Beetle. The Vega engine is a 140 CID (139.6 cu in) aluminum-block OHC inline-4.
All have two doors and hold four passengers, with the exception of the panel delivery which is designed for one passenger. Introduced Septemas the Vega 2300, it's name came from a bright star in the northern skies and the engine's approximate displacement in cubic centimeters.ĭesigned from scratch by a team of fifty GM corporate engineers assigned exclusively to the program, the Vega was available in four models: a notchback sedan, a hatchback coupe, a station wagon, and a panel delivery (thru 1975). The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971 to 1977 model years.
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