Image: eBay Motors

Ah, the Chevrolet Vega. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the mark it’s made on automotive history. Built in the then-new Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant and introduced in 1971 under the watchful eye of John Z. DeLorean, some looked at the Vega as a disaster that should have never happened, while others saw it as the small car that was ahead of its time, despite its quirkiness and subpar dependability shortcomings.

However, there were a few bright areas. For one, it was cheap and plentiful, and for another it was the fact that it was rear wheel drive, lightweight, and just about any engine under the sun could fit under the hood of it, making it extremely popular with the drag racing set. Hence, their immense popularity in the ‘70s and throughout most of the ‘80s at the local drag strips.

While the cars were still in production, DeLorean thought it would be cool to offer a tuner/sport version of the Vega in addition to the current GT model already in the lineup.

Photo: eBay Motors

Enter the Cosworth Vega, and even though the final product didn’t make it down the line until after he had already left GM, the fruits of his efforts paid off. While we could go into further detail about the background of these cars, we’ll save that for another time.

But what we have for you here now is a modified example of a 1975 “Cossie” (SN 1911) that’s strangely listed on eBay as a “Camaro S/S.” Why, we don’t know.

Although what we do know is that the seller purchased it from the original owner a few years ago and had it restored for his daughter as a first car. Nice dad. The interior remains mostly stock save for an aftermarket Alpine stereo system, Stewart-Warner gauges, and what looks to be a ’93 Camaro automatic shifter assembly.

The exterior is a similar story; it’s been repainted in its factory PPG black hue and it comes complete with an NOS Cosworth stripe kit. The seller then added an L-88 Corvette-style hood scoop, an aftermarket rear spoiler, along with a set of ARE Torque Thrust II wheels and a dual exhaust system. The original powertrain has been replaced with a 2001-spec 4.3L V6 (presumably out of an S-10) with a few bolt-ons such as a K&N cold-air intake, custom headers, and a reprogrammed ECU.

The seller claims it’s producing somewhere in the vicinity of 225hp at the flywheel, and we would have to say that’s pretty close to being right, considering the old 4.3L had 190hp from the factory. The reliable truck motor in this car is backed by a 4L60E transmission and a 2400-stall converter. It also has a Moser 5-lug conversion and a set of KYB shocks all around plus a set of 3.73 gears out back. With only 43,000 miles on the ticker and a Buy-It-Now price of just under $11k, it’s kind of hard to pass this one up.