Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega (Pontiac's version was known as the Pontiac Astre) was a compact coupe and station wagon sold from 1971 through 1977 as a replacement for the ill-fated Chevrolet Corvair. It was based on the GM H platform and was followed by the 1975-1980 Chevrolet Monza. The Astre nameplate was available in Canada from 1971 through 1977, and in the U.S. from 1975 through 1977. The Vega 2300 was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1971. All Vegas and Astres were equipped with a 2.3L "2300" SOHC I4. The standard engine used a single-barrel carburetor and produced 90hp, and a 2-barrel option boosted output to 110hp. These motors had cast iron heads with aluminum-silicon cylinder blocks without iron sleeves; a wear surface for the piston was created by etching the cylinder bore with an electrochemical process. Early models overheated due to poor cooling channel design. Vega engines (except for the Cosworth) typically burned oil not due to cylinder wear (which was the rumor) but instead due to poorly designed valve stem seals.
The exception was the limited-edition 1975 Cosworth Vega, which used a fuel-injected DOHC 2.0L version of the engine built by Cosworth Engineering in England. Power output fell to 70hp in 1976. The Vega was the first automobile that GM produced that offered front wheel disc brakes as standard equipment. It was also the first car that GM produced that used extensive use of robotic welding equipment.
Problems The Vega never lived up to sales expectations set by General Motors. When the car was introduced, GM predicted it would sell 400,000 Vegas per year, a goal that was never met. The Vega was plagued by poor reliability and several highly publicized design problems including carburetor fires, engine overheating problems, and premature body rust. Labor/management strife at its Lordstown, Ohio production plant added to the car's
woes. In a book later published by John DeLorean who was then president of Chevrolet, he indicated that the prototype car literally fell apart just eight miles into its first road test.
Delorean claimed that the car had been designed by GM engineers rather than Chevrolet engineers and said that the car had been forced upon Chevrolet by GM management. He also criticized the engine saying that it, "looked like it had been taken off a 1920 farm tractor." All these well publicized problems combined with a string of recalls hurt public perception and sales. Forbes Magazine included the Vega on its list of the worst cars of all time.
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