As I have taken snapshots of many of Detriot's most notorious bombs, I have often wondered if I would ever spot the Holy Grail of bad American cars. Would I ever see a Chevy Vega?
By 1978 the original Vega had been reworked as the Monza for Chevy, while the old Vega wagon, dating all the way back to 1971, was dumped on Pontiac. The Vega represented everything that was wrong with General Motors in 1970 and its cynical response to the challenge of small, fuel-efficient imported cars. From a Popular Mechanics article by John Pearly Huffman entitled, How the Chevy Vega Nearly Destroyed GM:
"Of course, no one car and no one moment set GM on its downward path by itself. But the Vega embodied practically everything bad that was about to consume the corporation and, decades later, send it into bankruptcy."
The Vega, "was a small car developed not by the Chevrolet Division, but by a corporate team assembled by GM's president Ed Cole during 1968. Rushed through development in only two years, the Vega was delivered to (Chevrolet President John) DeLorean and Chevrolet as a fait accompli; a nearly complete vehicle over which Chevrolet itself would have only minimal engineering and design input. It was Chevrolet's and DeLorean's job to sell it."
"(T)he lack of engineering focus and the drive to keep the price low resulted in a car with notoriously thin sheetmetal only haphazardly covered in anti-rust primer. Soon the Vega was earning a reputation as a rust-prone bucket. It wasn't uncommon for rusted Vega front fenders to need replacing after only one or two seasons driving in the salted slop of northeastern winters. Even in states like California or Arizona where rust was almost unknown, Vega owners would see corrosion eating away at their cars.
The engine also had a barely adequate cooling system that combined with the delicate engine block for horrible results. When the engine got hot, which wasn't uncommon, the cylinders distorted and the piston rings wore off the exposed silica that was meant to provide a tough wall surface. Then, at best, the cars burned more oil. At worst, the distortion compromised the head gasket, caused the coolant to leak and eventually killed the engine."
"Since the Vega sold so strongly (almost 2 million were built before it left production after 1977), the result was that literally hundreds of thousands of buyers were having awful experiences with the car. Some were merely disappointed. Many were incensed. And a lot of them felt betrayed by General Motors, Chevrolet and the American auto industry as a whole. Surely, those customers were then far more willing to consider the Japanese alternatives that were starting to arrive."
Final note: This car does not have the notorious Vega engine; that's probably why it's still running. Instead it has Pontiac's 4-cylinder. While that motor has little going for it, at least it didn't blow up after just a few thousand miles.
great review Joe!
ReplyDelete