In 1969 Chevrolet General Manager John Delorean approached Keith Duckworth of Formula One engine builder Cosworth Engineering, Ltd to see if they might be interested in the new technology/high silicon content Vega engine block for use as a four-cylinder racing engine. Duckworth decided that Cosworth was interested, and a dialog with Chevrolet’s engineers began in 1969.
By the Fall of 1970, Cosworth received the first fully machined pre-production blocks from Chevrolet, and by March of 1971, the first experimental EAA unit roared to life on Cosworth of England’s dynamometer in Northampton, producing what was referred to as “useful” horsepower.
Meanwhile, a disappointing launch of the stock Vega during the fall of 1970 saw sales of the inaugural 1971 Vega languish. It quickly became obvious that the American public hardly appreciated the groundbreaking technology of the Vega’s die-cast lightweight aluminum block. It also became obvious that the Vega GT lacked the panache to bolster the standard Vega’s disappointing sales.
Chevrolet pursued a path toward a streetable version of the twin-cam cylinder head design, seeking a reliable engine that developed gobs of power. Lloyd Reuss, then Assistant Chief Engineer at Chevrolet, decided that a streetable version of the Cosworth engine would be the hot ticket to improving the Vega’s image and Chevrolet’s sporting image as well. He hoped to produce the reciprocating heart of a street fighter capable of dueling with the BMWs of the day on more than equal terms.
The Cosworth Vega was thus conceived as a complete sports sedan: high-performance engine, high-performance chassis, and unique outward appearance. It was to be introduced in 1974. Efforts to bring the horsepower developed by the EAA engine to the street, though initially promising, were slowly strangled by the twin hands of corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) requirements and EPA emissions standards, delaying the introduction to the 1975 model year.
Each Cosworth Vega came with gold stripes, cast-aluminum wheels, wide radial tires, full instrumentation, an engine-turned gold dash panel, front/rear anti-roll bars, a four-speed gearbox, and the Cosworth Vega twin overhead cam engine with Bendix Electronic fuel injection sporting a stainless steel competition header.
2061 units sold in 1975 and 1447 sold in 1976. By the end of 1976, Chevrolet closed the door forever on the Cosworth Vega project with a disappointing total production run of only 3,508. The Cosworth Vega is one of the rarest of Chevrolets, much rarer than that holy icon, the ’63 Corvette Split Window Coupe (~13,000 built).
Ken Creary is the 4th owner of this Cosworth Vega #0970, which was originally delivered to Banner Chevrolet in Ohio. The car is all original with only necessary maintenance and repairs as necessary. The original window sticker and build sheets are available.
Specs: https://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_details1.php#gsc.tab=0