Video: Chevy Vega development film yields priceless look at 1970s auto design
Chevrolet Vega Car & Track segment – Click above to view the video after the jump
"The goal is to be nifty." Quite a gem of a quote from Car & Track's look into the work behind bringing the Chevrolet Vega to market. C&T was among the first national television shows that covered both auto racing and road tested the cars of its day, and their videos remain fun to watch and offer a glimpse into the past to see cars that have become both famous and infamous in their original context.
Looking at the Vega's design, testing, engineering and construction, C&T calls it "the most precisely engineered car built in America." Uh-huh. Thankfully, 'precisely engineered' means something rather different today, and even if we don't lust after the Vega like other cars from its era, we can still enjoy a glimpse inside some of General Motors' vehicle development and testing methods from some forty years ago. Check out the video after the jump – and be sure to scroll down to see what C&T has to say about the one-and-only 1971 AMC Gremlin, too! Top tip, Tom!
[Source: Car & Track via YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Charles H 7:11PM (9/01/2010)
at 4:05 or so, there are a couple guys in the paint spray room with no protection, that's why the cars were cheapter in the 70's, no safety gear for the workers. LOL.
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PiCASSO 12:54PM (9/02/2010)
I was thinking exactly the same thing... automated machinery with people mixed in the same small space = accident waiting to happen.
mktnb 7:15PM (9/01/2010)
The Vega was easily recycled, however. Just add water.
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Matt 7:21PM (9/01/2010)
I thought the later Cosworth version of the Vega was pretty cool. Kinda liked the black and gold color combo too.
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jim 8:15AM (9/02/2010)
The Vega was a 20' car in that it wasn't bad looking. But oh was it a piece of crap, from the instantly ovaling cylinders, pot metal bodies and the paper mache interior bits.
Lad 3:37PM (9/02/2010)
The engine problems were caused by the cylinders flexing in the block as the piston moved up and down. The idea was to have the head hold the cylinders in place...didn't work out. But you know they don't build cars like they use too and to that I say "Thank God." I don't want one.
Watching the AMC road test is reason enought not to retturn to the old day...what junk and they are really unsafe at any speed.
apearlman 7:21PM (9/01/2010)
LOL Vega. My Dad owned one, drove it home from the factory sometime in the '70s. Not his finest car choice.
Though at least I can make fun of him for owning one of the "Worst Cars of the Millenium."
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Worst-Cars/results4.html
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superx1919 7:23PM (9/01/2010)
"without any wheelspin...we were able to reach 60 in 10 seconds.".
I would have been shocked otherwise. And that Gremlin had more body roll than Oprah during her fat years.
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L0neWolf 10:33PM (9/01/2010)
Hey, a 1990s VW Turbodiesel Passat is slower by a few seconds..and there's 20 yrs difference :)
Runner 7:25PM (9/01/2010)
Having become serious about being a gear head in ~1990, I had a thought when watching this...
Was "more" progress made in the 20 years from 1970 to 1990, or in the 20 years from 1990 to 2010?
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carmaniac 8:34PM (9/01/2010)
I think more progress was made in the last 20 years than 1970-1990. Think about it. We went from muscle cars in 1970 to the Malaise era crapmobiles to cheap and reliable Japanese cars from 1970-1990. In 1990, the best reliable car was probably the Taurus. We went from the Taurus, to Japan's high tech sports cars, from there to sports sedans, and from there we had a huge styling change that evolved around safety and quality. Enthusiasts these days complain that cars like the Camry and Accord are boring, but if you brought a modern day Camry 20 years back, people would be astonished at the fuel economy, safety, reliability, and power these cars effortlessly make.
cowboy bob 7:25PM (9/01/2010)
Oh come on....I liked the Vega. It was a stylish move for GM at the time, with many features that were very innovative- the all aluminum 4 banger being one of them. The fact that a small block could be stuffed into the engine bay with ease is another. They were eye catchers, and very sporty looking. Even today the body style is modern, and could be one that would sell in the 2010's. A350 small block Vega will still put away a new Comaro with no problem. Pretty sweet for a car that is 40 years old.
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mr.ed 7:33PM (9/01/2010)
As bad as the Vega was, adapting its tiny suspension, brakes, wheels and tires it to the V8 Monza and V6 Skylark and Starfire was even worse, though they didn't rust as fast as the original. First place to go was the cowl, then the front shock towers, followed by everything else on the way to the junkyard. Awful.
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dukeisduke 7:55PM (9/01/2010)
I've owned two Vegas, and they were both good for me. I don't live in the Rust Belt, so rust wasn't a concern. Also, I kept the cooling system in good order, which is a requirement. My second one ('76 GT 5-speed) had 218k on it when I sold it, and still had good compression. It leaked way more oil than it burned.
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kellyschrock 12:12AM (9/02/2010)
I had two Vegas too when I was in high school. The first one, a 73, cost me $45. It was a notchback. It had no back seat, the carpet had been replaced with brown shag carpet from a house, and the radio was missing. In its place was a hole, with a mannequin hand sticking out of it. It had a 3-speed gearbox, and would do about 70 mph. I had to stop occasionally and screw the carb down onto the intake once in a while. It had no muffler and was loud as hell! I had a lot of fun in that car, and girls seemed to dig it for some reason.
I found another one later, a 72 wagon, with an asking price of $100. It was pretty clean (considering the price), but the guy said it wouldn't start. I offered him $80 and he took it. While I was getting ready to work on it and get it to start, I put some gas in it. It turns out the problem with it was that it was out of gas. It started up and I drove off. I drove that car until the engine literally exploded. I still have a chunk of piston that flew into the battery tray when it happened. Most of the oil leaked out of the crankcase, causing the oil pressure to drop to nothing. Vegas had a fuse that would interrupt the fuel pump in the absence of oil pressure. I stuck a piece of wire in the connector to force the fuel pump to work, got in and drove toward home. The engine was putting out a weird metallic moaning sound and was running on 2 cylinders when I finally took my foot off the gas. The engine locked up, stopping so abruptly that it locked up the rear tires in 3rd gear and the car slid to a stop in the middle of the highway. I pushed it into the ditch, called my mom, and got her to co-sign a car loan so I could buy something that wasn't a total piece of crap.
unni 7:56PM (9/01/2010)
some times i think history repeats (speailly when i see the volt videos now ) and watching this one.
Hope about volt wiki will write different comment after moved to production :-)
From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega
Although the Vega sold well from the beginning, the buying public soon started to question the car's quality. It had every right to; it came out prematurely and still had glitches. Development and upgrades continued throughout the car's seven year production run addressing its engine and cost-related issues.
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TypeLTZ28 7:58PM (9/01/2010)
I remember when my friend got his 1973 Vega GT hatchback. It was
silver gray with a black stripe on the hood and trunk lid.
It was a great looking car, but it only lasted about 60k miles!
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Aprime 8:03PM (9/01/2010)
OMG the Gremlin's test.
>We needed this additional power for the air conditionner.
>40MPH through the cones
>Now in slow motion.
>wheels squealing during the turning radius test.
how far we've come.
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LifeLongCarGuy 8:29PM (9/01/2010)
No kidding! There were so many one liners in that clip I couldn't contain myself!
savagemike 8:10PM (9/01/2010)
Interesting stuff.
Having driven in some early small cars from the US manufacturers - I am surprised to see they gave any thought at all to ergonomics.
It surely did not seem like it at the time.
I do notice they did not mention suspensions.
I remember a pontiac sunbird that used to roll over to what seemed like 45 degrees on corners.
hahahahahahaha.... good times.
I still recall how impressed I was the first time I got into a VW jetta after that.
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