If you are forced to pick just one car to illustrate every last possible thing wrong with General Motors, most people will point the finger directly at the Chevrolet Vega. The compact car had a lot riding on it…small imports had started to eat away at American profits, and GM wanted a small car that could stomp a mudhole through chest of every Volkswagen, Toyota, and any other invader who was nibbling on their cheddar. On the surface, the Vega looked the part: when it debuted for 1970, it was a smart little car that in two-door form looked like the Camaro’s kid brother…and that’s not a bad thing. What was a bad thing was what lay underneath the surface: a four-cylinder engine that was self-destructive, an absolute avoidance of rustproofing, and the general carelessness of a company that would’ve rather sold you an Impala, a company that looked at the Vega as a “fine, we’ll build it if we have to” kind of product instead of a potential game-changer. The Vega started strong, but within a couple of years the nameplate was trod through the mud of the scrapyard where millions of the little cars met their fate.

We aren’t going to defend the Vega’s reputation…it’s well-deserved. But we will say that if someone had given half a care about the car, it could’ve been radical. At least the gearheads recognized the benefits of a cheap, light, rear-drive body and put Vegas to good use, otherwise they might be an extinct model. Looking at this 1975 Vega, you can see why that would be a shame. Wearing 1970 bits front and rear, restored to the nines, and looking like something that pulled out of the back shop of Motion Performance or Don Yenko Chevrolet, this 383ci powered screamer is proof that just a bit of care and love go a long way on a car. GM might have neglected the Vega when they were cranking them out of Lordstown, but at least one meets the promise the company offered up. The eight cylinders don’t hurt any, either.

Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee 2019: Lot K260 – 1975 Chevrolet Vega