The Chevy Vega is a textbook example of what many gearheads of my generation consider the turning point of the American car industry. From the 1920’s until the end of 1960’s, Detroit’s products were the envy of the world, and from the end of WWII into the Muscle Car era, General Motors was at the top of the game, building some of the most beautiful and exciting cars that have ever existed. At the end of the 60’s, however, the federal government decided that they knew how to build cars better than the car makers that had been turning out millions of iconic classics the whole world hungered for, and shat out a phone book-sized turd of regulations that forever changed the entire industry, bringing an end to the era of the world’s coolest cars and signaling the arrival of the age of limitations. The rest is history: the Japanese car maker’s ascendency, the oil embargo and energy crisis, and the rise of endless policing in the middle east followed by skyrocketing interest rates and “stagflation.” If all this sounds familiar to you, it should.
Into this fray came the Vega, GM’s first real attempt at a mass produced 4-cylinder compact along the lines of the imports that were beginning to rule the roads. I think we all know the story: electrolysis-plagued engine blocks, rockers and floors rusting out within only a few years, soft plastic radio knobs and window cranks coming off in driver’s hands: the horror stories of how crappy this car was are legion. And the really sad thing about it is that the 1st generation of the Vega was actually kind of a nice looking car; with it’s egg crate grille and it’s semi-fastback roofline it looked a little bit like a “baby Camaro”, and was far more appealing to look at than the dorky foreign hatchbacks who’s market share it was gunning for. Unfortunately that was where the appeal ended, and a retrograde 1974 restyle took the car’s only real selling point away. After only a few years the car’s reputation was so deservedly bad that GM had no choice but to consign the Vega name to history forever in 1977, replacing it with the Monza-a significantly better 2nd effort at a compact car-which was built along side it beginning in 1975.
So then, is there no love for the Vega? Well actually there is, and quite a bit, ever since the hot rodders discovered what a blast they were when you modified them enough to put a small block V8 in them! Even Chevrolet flirted with the idea, building a few prototypes including one powered by an all-aluminum 283, but it was up to the gearheads of America’s towns and suburbs to bring the idea to the masses. Today it’s not uncommon to see Vegas at drag strips with blowers sticking out of the hoods. Obviously the car’s flimsy structure needs a lot of reinforcement to handle that kind of horsepower, but when done up right by the right wrench, a rodded-out Vega can look mighty good! So maybe its not a surprise that Auto World decided to make one for the Thunderjet chassis. What surprised me was that they passed on the better looking Gen 1 model and opted to mold the ’74 restyle. At least they presented it as a “pro street” racer complete with a raised fiberglass hood and fender flares, but its taken so long to acquire this car because I’ve never liked the looks of the ’74-’77 model.
So why, then, did I buy this one? 3 reasons: 1) it came up for sale dirt cheap, 2) I didn’t have one in my collection and figured it was time, and 3) its purple! I had a little extra dough to spend when I found it and it was an early model in a jewel case that had never been used, so I thought, meh, why not? I’m glad I did, because once I cracked it open and gave it my usual treatment, mounting it on an tuned Ultra-G chassis with a set of ATS wheels from Vincent and meaty RRR silicones, I was very happy with how it looked. So happy, in fact, that I made the effort to apply a tiny vanity license plate detail since I happened to have one that seemed so apropos!
The license plate says it all: named after a tony New Orleans-bred cocktail, “Plum Fizz” is a rebuilt oddity, a 1974 Vega GT that was formerly a drag car and has now been re-engineered for the road course at Drag City by San Diego resident Joe “Honey Badger” Haddon. The car’s entire front end and suspension have been redone including the addition of custom-made MacPherson style struts and rack and pinion steering-something no other car running in this class at DC is equipped with! Powered by a 350 V8 topped with dual Holley Dominator carbs on a trick Edelbrock aluminum intake and fitted with high-flow aluminum heads with roller rockers, headers, and an 11:1 CR, the “monster mouse” is pushing over 450 street legal horsepower on 95 octane unleaded, insane propulsion for such a small, light car. Fortunately he also added disc brakes at all 4 wheels! Haddon sometimes drives the car to the track, where he can be seen running against the clock in qualification rounds to work the bugs out. He hopes to have the car certified by the track officials and ready for entry for the 1985 racing season.
Although all the cars in the muscle racing fleet do not carry racing numbers, this one does, however the number is meaningless in its current position as “overstock” or “stand-in.” I’ve mentioned ad nauseum that my Muscle Car fleet is long since filled, so anything that would normally be racing with those cars sits in a “hold bin” to be used as track testers or display pieces, rotating into a tournament only if one of the “base 64” goes out with mechanical problems. Somehow that seems fitting for a Vega, even one done up like a period-correct pro stocker. But then again, who knows what the future holds? “Plum Fizz” may indeed make the 1985 racing season!
The legacy of the Vega doesn’t seem as sad today as it did then, as far worse forms of transportation are being foisted upon us now! Today, the same entity that nearly killed one of America’s strongest industries with their diktats is attacking again, and this time – with the encouragement of “Doktor Evil” and his band of billionaire Bond villains at the WEF – they’re playing for keeps, attempting to force an end to the age of the automobile by passing punitive laws and statutes that will make it impractical for the few remaining companies in the business to build anything other than worthless battery powered nonsense. Similar to the cars of the 1950’s becoming classics by the time your humble blogger was in grade school, I pity anyone who is looking to buy an affordable used car for reliable transportation right now, as you’ll find the supply rapidly drying up. In the context of what’s coming, even a Chevy Vega doesn’t seem that bad! Let us pray that backyard hot rodders will find a way to keep the fun going a little longer, just like they did back in the “malaise era.”
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