For years, we thought the Cosworth Vega was a mythical creature that appeared only in automotive history books.

Until we saw one at the 2021 Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals.

While the black/gold combo was the most common, Chevy later added white, red, blue, green, brown, and orange to the Cosworth Vega color palette. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

“It does exist!” we exclaimed as we spotted the car alone in the parking lot outside the event—which makes us believe that, if we hadn’t decided to head to our hotel to write a Honda Z600 story at that very moment, we could’ve missed this unicorn forever.

Luckily fates aligned, and there we were, staring at the Vega’s John Player Special-inspired paint job.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the Vega’s owner to get the inside scoop on this particular car, so we’ll just talk about the Cosworth Vega in general terms, because it’s way more than just a stripe and decal package.

Cosworth Vegas wore exclusive gold-painted cast aluminum wheels. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Like a lot of GM performance origin stories, the Cosworth Vega begins with John DeLorean. In 1969, he’d been tapped as Chevy’s new GM, which meant that it was his job to market the Vega—an all-new subcompact import fighter debuting in 1971.

Thanks to its success in Formula 1, DeLorean sought the help of Britain’s Cosworth engineering company to give the Vega a bit more oomph. After a few years of development, the Cosworth Vega entered the scene in 1975.

Under its hood was a unique 2.0L aluminum four-cylinder engine making 110 horsepower—for perspective, a base 1975 Corvette’s 5.7L V8 was only making 165 hp. Much of the engine’s performance can be credited to Cosworth’s cylinder head design, which featured 16 valves and dual overhead camshafts.

In another innovation, the Cosworth Vega was the first time Chevy offered electronic fuel injection.

The Cosworth Vega’s innovative engine also boasted a stainless steel header and dual fuel pumps. (Image/OnAllCylinders – Nicole Courey)

But the engine was only part of the Cosworth Vega’s magic. It had upgraded springs, shocks, and sway bars poached from the Vega GT, and could be optioned with a limited slip differential. Power was sent through a four-speed (and later five-speed) manual transmission.

Reviews at the time were positive, with many publications favorably comparing the Cosworth Vega to some well-regarded European imports.

Designed with plenty of European influence, the Vega was originally developed to confront rising import sales. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

But alas, Cosworth’s provenance and performance were not enough to overcome the Vega’s souring reputation stemming from early manufacturing missteps. After just two years, Cosworth Vega production ended in 1976, and Chevy halted the entire Vega line a year later.

In addition to the gold striping, Cosworth Vegas also got “Cosworth Twin Cam” decals on the fenders and rear. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

With Cosworth Vegas making up a tiny sliver of overall Vega production, they’re certainly a rare find. So, we’re glad that we were able to catch this one before it vanished back into the ether.

Are you the owner of this Vega? Do you have a similar Cosworth Vega (or frankly, any Vega) in your garage? Tell us about it in the comments below!

And if you’re a big Vega fan, you may dig this article we ran earlier on Chevy’s Spirit of America special editions.

Though it initially wore an attractive chrome front end that mimicked the early 1970s Camaro, 1973+ Vegas got a facelift to conform to federal crash regulations. That meant that all Cosworth Vegas got the big front bumper treatment. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
We spotted another Cosworth Vega at a later Father’s Day car show, check out the whole event gallery here. (Image/OnAllCylinders – Nicole Courey)

Keywords
Chevy, Cosworth, featured vehicle, Formula 1, Goodguys, Vega
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.