Generations, Fighting the Foreign Wars
1971 Chevrolet Vega hatchback
1974 Chevrolet Vega wagon
1976 Chevrolet Monza hatchback
1976 Chevrolet Monza coupe
1976 Chevrolet Vega Cosworth
1982 Chevrolet Cavalier sedan
1982 Chevrolet Cavalier wagon
1988 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertible
1995 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 coupe
Chevrolet's mission is, as it has always been, to be GM's value leader in the mainstream of the American car market. So when foreign brands threatened to intrude, it was Chevrolet that was charged with going forth with products that would defeat the imports and defend GM's turf. When it comes to small cars, it has not been an easy or pretty fight.
Chevy's first import fighter (more specifically a VW fighter) was the Corvair, which the division introduced as a 1960 model. Featuring a 140-cubic-inch (2.3-liter), technically advanced, rear-mounted and air-cooled flat-six engine and all-independent suspension, the Corvair was a total break from traditional GM engineering. But while it would produce some sales success (slightly more than 250,000 coupes, sedans and convertibles were sold that first year), it was never as popular as more conventional vehicles like the Ford Falcon. Even worse, that first Corvair soon earned a reputation as an evil-handling machine that attracted Ralph Nader into the world of automotive safety.
Despite the fact that the redesigned second-generation 1965 Corvair solved most of the handling deficiencies, the Corvair was doomed by both Nader's book Unsafe At Any Speed and how GM ham-handedly dealt with Nader and his criticism. The Corvair limped through the 1969 model year and then disappeared ultimately a technological and marketing dead end for Chevrolet.
More as a response to the conventional Falcon than any direct import competition, Chevrolet introduced the thoroughly conventional Chevy II for 1962. Initially powered either by a simple 153-cubic-inch (2.5-liter) four (basically half a small-block V8, it would become the "Iron Duke" four in the 1980s) or Chevy's ancient 194-cubic-inch (3.2-liter) straight six, the Chevy II quickly evolved into the Nova, with various small- and big-block V8s offered at one time or another. The Nova was something uniquely American: a popularly priced compact that could be configured as anything from a stripped commuter to a full-bore muscle machine. It would leave production after the 1979 model year to be replaced by the front-drive Citation.
By the early '70s, Chevy was still without a car to directly confront the rising tide of four-cylinder competition from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Datsun (now Nissan). And that was a situation that couldn't be allowed to persist, particularly since Ford was paying attention to the market, too.
Vega and Monza: 1971-1979
After the Corvair debacle, Chevrolet wasn't going to take any chances with the chassis and handling of its next small car. So when the Vega appeared in 1971 it was about as conventional in general specification as possible. It was a simple unibody structure with stamped steel A-arms acting as the front suspension and a solid axle on coil springs with four locating links in the back. The four-cylinder engine sat in front, longitudinally feeding a conventionally mounted transmission and eventually the rear wheels. While the Vega's 97-inch wheelbase and 169.7-inch overall length meant it was large for a "small" car (the rear-drive Toyota Corolla then on sale was 161.4 inches long and rode on a 91.9-inch wheelbase), it was otherwise pretty much similar to the Japanese competition.
The Vega came in three different body styles: notchback two-door sedan, three-door hatchback coupe and a two-door "Kammback" station wagon. In addition, the wagon was offered with the rear side windows blocked out as a miniature panel van for delivery services and the like. For the car's size, there wasn't much room inside but it was competitive. The notchback used drum brakes at all four wheels, while the hatch and wagon got front discs standard.
The general styling was really quite attractive, with the Vega taking most of its cues from its bigger brother, the second-generation Camaro. A Ferrari-like rectangular grille opening was framed by single round headlights set into the fenders with circular turn signals beneath a slim chrome bumper. In back, the coupe and hatchback used four rectangular taillamps echoing the round ones used on the Camaro, while the wagon's lamps were shaped to fit flush with the fenders.
Inside, squishy soft, fixed-angle, high-back, vinyl-covered bucket seats were used in most models, with the transmission (three- or four-speed manual or three-speed automatic) being controlled by a floor shifter. The instrumentation was rudimentary on base models with a long speedometer stretching out before the driver in a rectangular pod with a fuel gauge alongside it but only "idiot lights" to monitor most other functions. The "Vega GT" (available as a hatchback or wagon) filled that same rectangular pod with circular instruments including a tachometer and used a four-spoke steering wheel that, like the seats, would soon be a familiar sight across the Chevrolet range.
The only innovative element in the Vega was its engine construction. In a bold, nearly exotic departure from normal Detroit practice, the engine's block was made of aluminum even though it retained a large cast-iron cylinder head and cast-iron main caps. Unusually (and ultimately disastrously), instead of using the iron cylinder liners that were common on the era's aluminum-block engines, the Vega engine had its cylinder walls impregnated with silicone against which the pistons would ride. Displacing 2.3 liters with a single-overhead cam acting on two valves per cylinder, the "Vega 2300" four was rated at 90 horsepower when equipped with a one-barrel carburetor.
Car and Driver was initially impressed with the Vega, as it won a six-car comparison test that included the Corolla, archrival Ford's new Pinto, AMC's slightly bizarre Gremlin, Volkswagen's ancient Beetle and the utterly forgotten Simca 1204. "The Vega was the (most) expensive car in the test by almost $300," the magazine wrote. "In fact, even a naked Vega without a single piece of optional equipment goes for a higher dollar than the as-tested price of the other comparison cars. But the Vega's virtues are nicely in proportion to its price and it was the unanimous favorite.
"The Vega pulled down the No. 1 position because of its particular suitability to American driving conditions. It was one of two cars in the test (the other being the Gremlin) capable of strain-free cruising at 70 mph or above. The key to the Vega's high-speed capability is its incredibly long 2.53-to-1 axle ratio which allows the engine to loaf along at only 3,000 rpm at 80 mph. This is an essential part of the car's cruising ability since the Vega's overhead-camshaft four is disturbingly loud when revved. The standard Vega, with its wide-ratio three-speed transmission and long axle feels more like a six-speed with first, third and fifth missing." The magazine also praised the car's plush ride and seating position, while criticizing the heavy-handed interior styling and lack of a traditional glovebox.
In Car and Driver's group of a half-dozen truly sluggish cars, the Vega was the least so, taking 18.6 seconds to complete the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 72.3 mph. From a standing start it took 12.2 seconds for the Vega to reach 60 mph.
Despite competition from the Pinto and a strike at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant where the Vega was built, Chevy was able to get 277,700 buyers into the Vega during its inaugural season.
Except for a slight upsizing of the standard tires, there were practically no changes to the 1972 Vega lineup and Chevy shipped out another 394,592 of them. However, there were ominous signs about the car appearing as consumers were reporting excessive oil consumption and disastrous engine failures. Things would only get worse.
A new, stronger front bumper was the most apparent change for 1973, though new three- and four-speed manual transmissions improved shifting feel and accuracy. A new emissions control system had the engine rerated so that it made 72 horsepower with a one-barrel carb and 85 horses with a two-barrel. Despite increasing grumblings about the Vega's reliability, sales increased to 395,792 units.
Bumper regulations led to a redesign of the Vega's nose and tail for 1974. In place of the attractive egg-crate grille, there was a new shovel nose with eight horizontal slats to let air get to the radiator and, naturally, a new huge bumper. In the back there was another new and massive bumper (to meet the 5-mph impact requirement) and the four rectangular taillights were replaced by two larger square ones. There were essentially no changes to the mechanical package and sales remained incredibly strong with another 452,887 sold.
While the 1975 Vega was visually indistinguishable from the '74, it did feature a catalytic converter for the first time and both power brakes and a tilt steering wheel were added to the options list. The standard Vega engine was rerated once again to 78 hp in one-barrel form and 87 hp with the two-barrel. Sales, however, were collapsing as the problematic nature of the engine was now undeniable only 204,178 regular Vegas were sold during this model year.
However, there weren't just regular Vegas being sold during '75. At midyear Chevrolet introduced the Cosworth Vega based on the Vega GT hatchback but featuring a special electronically fuel-injected version of the Vega four displacing 2.0 liters and capped by an aluminum, dual-overhead-cam, 16-valve cylinder head designed by the famed Cosworth engineering firm in England. Making 120 hp and backed by a close-ratio four-speed transmission, the Cosworth Vega is today the only Vega with any sort of collector following. And Chevy only built 2,062 of them that first year.
"The 3.11 first gear matched to a 3.73 axle ratio makes the Cosworth Vega tough to launch from a stop," reported Car and Driver. "Unless you sidestep the clutch with the tach at redline, there are a lot of station wagons out there that (will) suck your headlights out from a stoplight. So the shrewd guys who bought off the dealer for a Cosworth Vega will likely not chance soiling its image on the street circuit. In stock trim, the car is perhaps at its best with an adoring public drooling over chrome-plated engine adornments." The magazine measured it getting to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 17.6 seconds at 80.1 mph.
Fat and strangled by emissions regulations and GM's own noise concerns, the Cosworth Vega was a disappointing car in every sense. But it was interesting and, at $6,033.15, expensive, too.
Introduced alongside the Vega for '75 was the Monza coupe and hatchback. Based on the Vega's platform, the Monza was offered with small-block V8 engines in addition to the Vega's four. While effective as the basis for racecars both in drag and road racing, it only sold modestly. And the V8 versions were infamous for needing to have their engines disconnected from their mounts and lifted so that the rearmost pair of spark plugs could be changed.
The Vega was mildly restyled for 1976 with the grille now featuring four slats that ran from headlight to headlight and new taillights that followed the fender contours. The panel truck body was dropped. The rear suspension was redesigned to follow the torque arm design used on the Monza, and to emphasize that GM had fixed all the problems with the Vega engine it was renamed the "Dura-Built." They really hadn't fixed much, however, and that, combined with the car's age and competition from Chevrolet's own bottom-trawling Chevette, saw sales droop to 159,077 units plus another 1,446 Cosworth Vegas (which now had five-speed manual transmissions). The Cosworth would survive to see another model year.
The last year for the Vega nameplate would be 1977, and most of the changes made were of the most superficial variety. A new cassette tape package for the GT? Whoopee! A total of just 78,402 were sold.
While the Vega name was gone, the car lived on as the wagon body style became part of the Monza line for 1978. The now thoroughly despised and discredited original Vega engine was gone, replaced by a resurrected version of the 2.5-liter OHV "Iron Duke" four whose ancestor had once powered the Chevy II. This heavy and ugly lump of an engine made just 85 hp with its two-barrel carb and yet was still generally considered a step forward from the "Dura-Built."
For those so inclined, Buick's 3.2-liter V6 was now available in the Monzas and the 90 hp and decent torque characteristics of that engine made for a generally pleasant package (by the day's lax standards). Exciting? No, but pleasant. Somewhere around 29,000 of such old Vega bodies were sold during this model year as Monzas.
The old Vega bodies remained unchanged through 1979 and dribbled out a few more sales before leaving the Monza and Chevette to continue on with negligible effect in the small-car market through 1980 and 1981 until the arrival of the Cavalier.
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1971 Chevrolet Vega hatchback
1974 Chevrolet Vega wagon
1976 Chevrolet Monza hatchback
1976 Chevrolet Monza coupe
1976 Chevrolet Vega Cosworth
1982 Chevrolet Cavalier sedan
1982 Chevrolet Cavalier wagon
1988 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertible
1995 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 coupe
Chevrolet's mission is, as it has always been, to be GM's value leader in the mainstream of the American car market. So when foreign brands threatened to intrude, it was Chevrolet that was charged with going forth with products that would defeat the imports and defend GM's turf. When it comes to small cars, it has not been an easy or pretty fight.
Chevy's first import fighter (more specifically a VW fighter) was the Corvair, which the division introduced as a 1960 model. Featuring a 140-cubic-inch (2.3-liter), technically advanced, rear-mounted and air-cooled flat-six engine and all-independent suspension, the Corvair was a total break from traditional GM engineering. But while it would produce some sales success (slightly more than 250,000 coupes, sedans and convertibles were sold that first year), it was never as popular as more conventional vehicles like the Ford Falcon. Even worse, that first Corvair soon earned a reputation as an evil-handling machine that attracted Ralph Nader into the world of automotive safety.
Despite the fact that the redesigned second-generation 1965 Corvair solved most of the handling deficiencies, the Corvair was doomed by both Nader's book Unsafe At Any Speed and how GM ham-handedly dealt with Nader and his criticism. The Corvair limped through the 1969 model year and then disappeared ultimately a technological and marketing dead end for Chevrolet.
More as a response to the conventional Falcon than any direct import competition, Chevrolet introduced the thoroughly conventional Chevy II for 1962. Initially powered either by a simple 153-cubic-inch (2.5-liter) four (basically half a small-block V8, it would become the "Iron Duke" four in the 1980s) or Chevy's ancient 194-cubic-inch (3.2-liter) straight six, the Chevy II quickly evolved into the Nova, with various small- and big-block V8s offered at one time or another. The Nova was something uniquely American: a popularly priced compact that could be configured as anything from a stripped commuter to a full-bore muscle machine. It would leave production after the 1979 model year to be replaced by the front-drive Citation.
By the early '70s, Chevy was still without a car to directly confront the rising tide of four-cylinder competition from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Datsun (now Nissan). And that was a situation that couldn't be allowed to persist, particularly since Ford was paying attention to the market, too.
Vega and Monza: 1971-1979
After the Corvair debacle, Chevrolet wasn't going to take any chances with the chassis and handling of its next small car. So when the Vega appeared in 1971 it was about as conventional in general specification as possible. It was a simple unibody structure with stamped steel A-arms acting as the front suspension and a solid axle on coil springs with four locating links in the back. The four-cylinder engine sat in front, longitudinally feeding a conventionally mounted transmission and eventually the rear wheels. While the Vega's 97-inch wheelbase and 169.7-inch overall length meant it was large for a "small" car (the rear-drive Toyota Corolla then on sale was 161.4 inches long and rode on a 91.9-inch wheelbase), it was otherwise pretty much similar to the Japanese competition.
The Vega came in three different body styles: notchback two-door sedan, three-door hatchback coupe and a two-door "Kammback" station wagon. In addition, the wagon was offered with the rear side windows blocked out as a miniature panel van for delivery services and the like. For the car's size, there wasn't much room inside but it was competitive. The notchback used drum brakes at all four wheels, while the hatch and wagon got front discs standard.
The general styling was really quite attractive, with the Vega taking most of its cues from its bigger brother, the second-generation Camaro. A Ferrari-like rectangular grille opening was framed by single round headlights set into the fenders with circular turn signals beneath a slim chrome bumper. In back, the coupe and hatchback used four rectangular taillamps echoing the round ones used on the Camaro, while the wagon's lamps were shaped to fit flush with the fenders.
Inside, squishy soft, fixed-angle, high-back, vinyl-covered bucket seats were used in most models, with the transmission (three- or four-speed manual or three-speed automatic) being controlled by a floor shifter. The instrumentation was rudimentary on base models with a long speedometer stretching out before the driver in a rectangular pod with a fuel gauge alongside it but only "idiot lights" to monitor most other functions. The "Vega GT" (available as a hatchback or wagon) filled that same rectangular pod with circular instruments including a tachometer and used a four-spoke steering wheel that, like the seats, would soon be a familiar sight across the Chevrolet range.
The only innovative element in the Vega was its engine construction. In a bold, nearly exotic departure from normal Detroit practice, the engine's block was made of aluminum even though it retained a large cast-iron cylinder head and cast-iron main caps. Unusually (and ultimately disastrously), instead of using the iron cylinder liners that were common on the era's aluminum-block engines, the Vega engine had its cylinder walls impregnated with silicone against which the pistons would ride. Displacing 2.3 liters with a single-overhead cam acting on two valves per cylinder, the "Vega 2300" four was rated at 90 horsepower when equipped with a one-barrel carburetor.
Car and Driver was initially impressed with the Vega, as it won a six-car comparison test that included the Corolla, archrival Ford's new Pinto, AMC's slightly bizarre Gremlin, Volkswagen's ancient Beetle and the utterly forgotten Simca 1204. "The Vega was the (most) expensive car in the test by almost $300," the magazine wrote. "In fact, even a naked Vega without a single piece of optional equipment goes for a higher dollar than the as-tested price of the other comparison cars. But the Vega's virtues are nicely in proportion to its price and it was the unanimous favorite.
"The Vega pulled down the No. 1 position because of its particular suitability to American driving conditions. It was one of two cars in the test (the other being the Gremlin) capable of strain-free cruising at 70 mph or above. The key to the Vega's high-speed capability is its incredibly long 2.53-to-1 axle ratio which allows the engine to loaf along at only 3,000 rpm at 80 mph. This is an essential part of the car's cruising ability since the Vega's overhead-camshaft four is disturbingly loud when revved. The standard Vega, with its wide-ratio three-speed transmission and long axle feels more like a six-speed with first, third and fifth missing." The magazine also praised the car's plush ride and seating position, while criticizing the heavy-handed interior styling and lack of a traditional glovebox.
In Car and Driver's group of a half-dozen truly sluggish cars, the Vega was the least so, taking 18.6 seconds to complete the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 72.3 mph. From a standing start it took 12.2 seconds for the Vega to reach 60 mph.
Despite competition from the Pinto and a strike at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant where the Vega was built, Chevy was able to get 277,700 buyers into the Vega during its inaugural season.
Except for a slight upsizing of the standard tires, there were practically no changes to the 1972 Vega lineup and Chevy shipped out another 394,592 of them. However, there were ominous signs about the car appearing as consumers were reporting excessive oil consumption and disastrous engine failures. Things would only get worse.
A new, stronger front bumper was the most apparent change for 1973, though new three- and four-speed manual transmissions improved shifting feel and accuracy. A new emissions control system had the engine rerated so that it made 72 horsepower with a one-barrel carb and 85 horses with a two-barrel. Despite increasing grumblings about the Vega's reliability, sales increased to 395,792 units.
Bumper regulations led to a redesign of the Vega's nose and tail for 1974. In place of the attractive egg-crate grille, there was a new shovel nose with eight horizontal slats to let air get to the radiator and, naturally, a new huge bumper. In the back there was another new and massive bumper (to meet the 5-mph impact requirement) and the four rectangular taillights were replaced by two larger square ones. There were essentially no changes to the mechanical package and sales remained incredibly strong with another 452,887 sold.
While the 1975 Vega was visually indistinguishable from the '74, it did feature a catalytic converter for the first time and both power brakes and a tilt steering wheel were added to the options list. The standard Vega engine was rerated once again to 78 hp in one-barrel form and 87 hp with the two-barrel. Sales, however, were collapsing as the problematic nature of the engine was now undeniable only 204,178 regular Vegas were sold during this model year.
However, there weren't just regular Vegas being sold during '75. At midyear Chevrolet introduced the Cosworth Vega based on the Vega GT hatchback but featuring a special electronically fuel-injected version of the Vega four displacing 2.0 liters and capped by an aluminum, dual-overhead-cam, 16-valve cylinder head designed by the famed Cosworth engineering firm in England. Making 120 hp and backed by a close-ratio four-speed transmission, the Cosworth Vega is today the only Vega with any sort of collector following. And Chevy only built 2,062 of them that first year.
"The 3.11 first gear matched to a 3.73 axle ratio makes the Cosworth Vega tough to launch from a stop," reported Car and Driver. "Unless you sidestep the clutch with the tach at redline, there are a lot of station wagons out there that (will) suck your headlights out from a stoplight. So the shrewd guys who bought off the dealer for a Cosworth Vega will likely not chance soiling its image on the street circuit. In stock trim, the car is perhaps at its best with an adoring public drooling over chrome-plated engine adornments." The magazine measured it getting to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 17.6 seconds at 80.1 mph.
Fat and strangled by emissions regulations and GM's own noise concerns, the Cosworth Vega was a disappointing car in every sense. But it was interesting and, at $6,033.15, expensive, too.
Introduced alongside the Vega for '75 was the Monza coupe and hatchback. Based on the Vega's platform, the Monza was offered with small-block V8 engines in addition to the Vega's four. While effective as the basis for racecars both in drag and road racing, it only sold modestly. And the V8 versions were infamous for needing to have their engines disconnected from their mounts and lifted so that the rearmost pair of spark plugs could be changed.
The Vega was mildly restyled for 1976 with the grille now featuring four slats that ran from headlight to headlight and new taillights that followed the fender contours. The panel truck body was dropped. The rear suspension was redesigned to follow the torque arm design used on the Monza, and to emphasize that GM had fixed all the problems with the Vega engine it was renamed the "Dura-Built." They really hadn't fixed much, however, and that, combined with the car's age and competition from Chevrolet's own bottom-trawling Chevette, saw sales droop to 159,077 units plus another 1,446 Cosworth Vegas (which now had five-speed manual transmissions). The Cosworth would survive to see another model year.
The last year for the Vega nameplate would be 1977, and most of the changes made were of the most superficial variety. A new cassette tape package for the GT? Whoopee! A total of just 78,402 were sold.
While the Vega name was gone, the car lived on as the wagon body style became part of the Monza line for 1978. The now thoroughly despised and discredited original Vega engine was gone, replaced by a resurrected version of the 2.5-liter OHV "Iron Duke" four whose ancestor had once powered the Chevy II. This heavy and ugly lump of an engine made just 85 hp with its two-barrel carb and yet was still generally considered a step forward from the "Dura-Built."
For those so inclined, Buick's 3.2-liter V6 was now available in the Monzas and the 90 hp and decent torque characteristics of that engine made for a generally pleasant package (by the day's lax standards). Exciting? No, but pleasant. Somewhere around 29,000 of such old Vega bodies were sold during this model year as Monzas.
The old Vega bodies remained unchanged through 1979 and dribbled out a few more sales before leaving the Monza and Chevette to continue on with negligible effect in the small-car market through 1980 and 1981 until the arrival of the Cavalier.
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