The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, four passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors Corp. for the 1971–1977 model years. Designed from scratch by a corporate design team headed by GM President Ed Cole, the Vega was brought to production by Chevrolet in only two years. It was offered in two-door body styles: Notchback Sedan, Hatchback Coupe, Kammback Wagon, and Panel Express delivery. The engine is a 140 cu in (2,300 cc) inline-4 with an aluminum block and cast-iron head. By 1974, reaching its model year sales peak of 450,000 the Vega was among the top 10 best-selling American cars. Its H-body platform expanded in 1975 with the Vega-based Monza and variants for three other GM divisions but the buying public's poor perception of the car had developed from early model engine and fender corrosion problems. With just 78,000 produced its final year Chevrolet cancelled the Vega and its aluminum engine after the 1977 model run. The Monza and variants continued through 1980 Collectable Automobile said: "Today the Vega is considered a symbol of all the problems Detroit faced in the seventies."
Subcompact
In the fall of 1959 Detroit automobile manufacturers attempted to confront entry-level imports and domestic small cars such as the Studebaker Lark and Rambler American and in doing so created the compact class of cars, including the Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant, each introduced as 1960 models. By the 1970s, while cars like the Chevrolet Nova, Ford Maverick, and AMC Hornet had evolved into the smallest versions of the traditional six-passenger American family cars, they were larger than subcompacts, and many were delivered with optional V8 engines.
The Chevrolet Vega was introduced September 10, 1970 as part of GM, Ford and AMC automakers entering a new subcompact car class. The AMC Gremlin was introduced six months prior and the Ford Pinto one day after the Vega's introduction. They competed directly with the successful, but aging Volkswagen Beetle, as well as Japanese imports from Toyota and Datsun. Although the Vega's conventional rear wheel drive layout and unibody was similar to the Japanese subcompacts, its 97.0-inch (2,460 mm) wheelbase and 169.7-inch (4,310 mm) overall length were longer than the Toyota's Corolla's 91.9-inch (2,330 mm) wheelbase and 161.4-inch (4,100 mm) length.
History
Origin 1967
Chevrolet and Pontiac divisions were working separately on small cars in the early and mid 60's. Ed Cole, who was GM executive vice-president of operating staffs was working on his own small-car project using the corporate engineering and design staffs. He presented the program to GM's president in 1967. When the corporation started seriously talking about a 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. Not only did corporate management make the decision to enter the mini-car market, it also decided to develop the car itself. It was a corporate car, not a divisional one.
In 1968 GM chairman James Roche announced that General Motors would bring out a new mini-car in two years. Ed Cole was the chief engineer and Bill Mitchell, the vice-president of the design staff, was the chief stylist. Cole wanted a world-beater, and he wanted it in showrooms in 24 months. This was an extremely short time to design and engineer a new car, especially one that borrowed almost nothing from any other. Cole formed a GM corporate design team exclusively for the Vega headed by William Munser, who had worked on the Camaro and the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. Code-named XP-887, Chevrolet "teaser" ads began in May 1970, not announcing its name at first, stating-"you'll see." The Vega, like the Corvair, has long been referred to as Ed Cole's baby. It was as GM president that Cole oversaw the genesis of the Chevrolet Vega.
Design & Engineering
All four Vega models share the same hood, fenders, floor pan, door lower panels, rocker panels, engine compartment, and front end. In a size comparison with a 1970 Nova, the Vega has 20 inches (510 mm) less overall length, 14 inches (360 mm) less wheelbase, 7 inches (180 mm) narrower width and 2 inches (51 mm) lower height. As introduced, the Vega was one of the first Chevrolet vehicles to have as standard equipment front disc brakes, an electric fuel pump, side guard door beams, a double paneled roof, and foam-filled, hi-back bucket seats with floor mounted controls. Many service operations were intentionally designed so that they were able to be performed by Vega owners. To further that end, a "Do-It-Yourself" service manual was included with each new Vega.
The aluminum block inline-4 engine was a joint effort from General Motors, Reynolds Metal Corp. and Sealed Power Corp. The engine and its die-cast block technology were developed at GM engineering staff, long before the program was handed-off to Chevrolet to finish and bring it to production. Ed Cole, who had been very personally involved with the design of the 1955 Chevrolet V8 as chief engineer at Chevrolet, was equally involved with the Vega engine as GM president, and was a frequent visitor on saturdays to the engineering staff engine drafting room, reviewing the design and giving direction for changes. As the engine development progressed at Chevrolet, it became known (in closed offices) as “The world’s tallest, smallest engine” due to the very tall cylinder head.
Opel was commissioned to tool up a new 3-speed derivative of their production 4-speed manual transmission. Opel had a 4-speed available that was in high-volume production, but the finance department insisted that the base transmission be a low-cost 3-speed, with the traditional profit-generating 4-speed as an extra-cost option. Opel did just that, and tooled up a new 3-speed from scratch, just for the Vega application, whose actual cost was higher than the optional 4-speed due to the tooling investment and low production volume. Both transmissions came by ship from Germany 100 transmissions to a crate, and arrived in shipments of thousands of transmissions at a time.
Its suspension and live rear axle design, near ideal weight distribution, low center of gravity and neutral steering give the Vega world-class handling characteristics that were praised by the automotive press. The overall chassis suspension was to be tuned to a new A78 x 13 tire that was being developed concurrently with the vehicle. The front suspension is classic General Motors short and long-arm. The lower control arm bushings were actually larger than those of the Camaro. The four-link rear suspension copied that of the Chevelle, and coil springs are used throughout. This was a significant departure from the leaf spring suspension used in the Camaro and Nova. The Vega's brake system copied an excellent Opel design including solid rotors and a lack of a proportioning valve.
Due to its "Modular Construction Design", a Vega sedan with 578 body parts had 418 fewer parts than its full-size Chevrolet counterpart. Modular Construction Design reduced the number of joints and sealing operations resulting in stronger, tighter bodies, effectively contributed to vehicle quality and made possible a very high rate of production. The Vega's body surface was the first accomplished completely through use of computers. Body surface information recorded on tape derived from the clay styling model, allowed computers to improve the body surface mathematically. Tapes developed through the computer were also used to control drafting machines in producing master surface plates which were extremely accurate. The computer was also utilized in making the hundreds of necessary engineering calculations including vision angle, field of view, rear compartment lid and door counterbalance geometries, structural stresses, deflection calculations and tolerance studies..
The Vega's styling was judged conservative, clean-lined and timeless. GM styling studio's main influence was the 1967-1969 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe AC, and the Chevrolet Camaro/Corvette studio grafted a 1970 Camaro-like egg-crate grille and Chevy-style dual tailights. The original approved clay model had small rectangular front parking lights below the bumper. One morning John DeLorean (GM Vice President and Chevrolet General Manager at the time) brought Zollie Frank, the owner of the world’s largest Chevrolet dealership ( Z. Frank Chevrolet in Chicago) into the styling studio to show him the clay and get his thoughts on the design. He looked at the painted clay model, walked around it, then stood in front of it for a minute or so, and said: “Get rid of those wimpy-looking parking lights – they should be big, round things that look like european driving lights”. DeLorean turned to the studio chief, told him to make the change Zollie wanted, and said they’d be back to look at it later that afternoon. The modelers were put to wor
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