The second car show on Long Island this season was held Sunday, April 21st at Belmont Racetrack. My '76 Cosworth Vega enjoyed much attention and praise all day, as it did at the season opener April 7th at MacArthur Airport.
After an application of Zymol detailing spray to the paint and wheels, and a windows cleaning, the Cosworth was ready to be judged. At the end of the day the car had won 1st Place in its stock 70s class.

Several weeks ago, I had used Zymol Cleanse and Zymol Carbon Wax on the paint and Zymol Vinyl Cleaner, then Zymol Vinyl Conditioner to the interior with beautiful results. Unlike my 73 Vega GT (a 30-time trophy winner over 8 years), the Cosworth is displayed with its hood proudly open! In the cargo area, a gold-framed "Cosworth, One Vega For The Price of Two" ad was displayed along with a copy of the car's 2013 Motor Trend Classic article in a thin black binder and a 1986-vintage CVOA magazine proudly proclaiming on its cover Car and Driver's selection of the Cosworth as one of "10 Most Collectable Cars" (1976-1986).

The car has a show-winning history. According to previous owners, it was a Cosworth Vega Owners Association "1987 National Round Up" show winner at the event in Gettysburg, Pa. and had won its class in almost every CVOA show entered including the "1995 National Round-Up" in Detroit and the CVOA "2003 National Round-Up" in Austin Texas.

Photo: '76 Cosworth Vega and 1st place trophy, home after the show.

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Motor Trend Classic Spring 2013 features a "Toxic Throwdown" of my '76 Cosworth Vega vs a '76 Capri II.
Frank Marcus, Technical Director of Motor Trend said:
"Motor Trend's October 1975 article pitted the Cosworth against the Capri II 2.8 with each trimmed in matching black paint with gold wheels and pinstripping...
For this test, we were fortunate enough to find two superb cars, each owned by a marque expert. Vega guru Robert Spinello recently acquired #3466 Cossie, in Mahogany over Buckskin (eight additional colors were added for 1976), is one of 815 featuring the desirable M75 five-speed and 4.10:1 axle ($244), and benefits from many of the 300 quality enhancements made for the Vega’s penultimate year, including galvanized fenders and rockers along with a restyled grille and tail lamps. Showing just 2681 miles during our photo shoot, it’s racked up myriad trophies while being passed around the Cosworth Vega club via trailer (but Robert drives it!)."

Overblown - "The China Syndrome might have overhyped the TMI (Three-Mile Island) incident as bad press might have exaggerated the Vega's woes."
"I can definitely sense some of the Vega's raw, untamed nature that my predecessors described."
"Stylish and historically significant but ridiculously overpriced in its day and ultimately a bit unfinished, the ultimate Vega now represents a serious collector bargain."

Photo: Cosworth Vega and Capri II face off at Three Mile Island, October 20, 2012. MT photo from the article.


The Motor Trend Classic Chevrolet Cosworth Vega vs Mercury Capri II article on Motor Trend.com
Link: http://www.mo...ury_capri_ii/

see also:
Chevrolet Cosworth Vega - Chevy Vega Wiki
Link: http://chevyv...Cosworth_Vega

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My 1976 Cosworth Vega and 1973 Vega GT - Millionth Vega were photographed November 15, 2012 at my Long Island, NY residence for an upcoming Hemmings Classic Car magazine article in 2013.
Richard Lentinello, the Editor in Chief of Hemmings took many photos of the cars individually and together.
Both cars were invited to Hemmings New England Concours D 'Elegance shows.
The Vega GT participated in the 2010 judged event in Stratton, Vernont winning "Favorite Original" and "Best Prerservation" awards.
The Cosworth Vega participated in the 2012 non-judged event in Saratoga Springs, NY.



see also:
Chevrolet Vega - Chevy Vega Wiki
Link: http://chevyv...hevrolet_Vega

Chevrolet Cosworth Vega - Chevy Vega Wiki
Link: http://chevyv...Cosworth_Vega

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My 1976 Cosworth Vega and a 1976 Capri II met up in Harrisburg, Pa. October 20, 2012 for a Motor Trend Classic photoshoot. The MT photographer took hundreds of photos of the cars at Three Mile Island and several other locations, including the cars in motion, individually and together. The best of Motor Trend's images will be used in a retrospective comparison featuring the Cosworth and the Capri in the Motor Trend Classic Spring 2013 issue due out March 2013.. In the meantime, a sneak peak with shots I took. (see album). A Cosworth and a Capri II were tested together originally in the Motor Trend October 1975 issue.


see also:
Chevrolet Cosworth Vega - Chevy Vega Wiki
Link: http://chevyv...Cosworth_Vega


Image: Cosworth Vega and Capri II face off at Three Mile Island, October 20, 2012.

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My 1976 Cosworth Vega was a "Preservation" class entry at the 2012 New England Concours D' Elegance presented by Hemmings Motor News October 30th at the Saratoga Auto Museum, Saratoga Springs N.Y. After being only trailered to club events by previous owners this was the car's first long-distance driven run - 470 miles round-trip. The '76 Cosworth, all-original with 2k miles, was positioned in the 8-vehicle PRE class and was the "newest" car in the field.

Preservation (PRE)
1962 Chrysler 300 convertible
1965 Rambler Classic 770
1965 Pontiac Star Chief sedan
1966 Chevrolet Chevy II L79
1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
1971 Chevrolet Corvette 350/270hp
1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega

There were fewer classes (5 as opposed to 20 in 2010) - "Chrysler Imperial," New York State-Made," Preservation," "Porsche 356" and "Shelby" grouped the 31 class entries.
93 additional entries vowed for the 19 subjective awards including - "Biggest Wow Factor," "Most Striking Color Combination" and "The Car You Wished You Had in High School."
After arriving at 8:30 AM, I did some final detailing. The event ended hours early at 2 PM due to inclement weather, although it was fun hanging out a while with two previous Cosworth Vega owners. Spectators and invitees alike complimented the car.
Since it wasn't a judged event this year, the Hemmings staff had subjective criteria in choosing the winners of my "Preservation" class as it was announced both were original-owner cars. A '68 Chevelle SS 396 4-speed took the class win. A pristine '65 Pontiac sedan took runner-up. With the announcement of the winners, it was over and I began my 240-mile trip home to Long Island.

I enjoyed participating in the prestigious event but it was a far cry from my victorious weekend at the 2010 New England Concours D' Elegance presented by Hemmings Motor News with my '73 Vega GT. The 15-car "Preservation" class had a diverse assembly of vehicles, ranging from a 1935 Packard to a 1975 Porsche. My 6k miles Vega GT was judged "Best Preservation."

Link to Hemmings Daily - La Salle braves the rain to win Best of Show at New England Concours d’Elegance
http://blog.h...rs-delegance/
.
See also: Motortopia blog
Chevy Vega sweeps 2010 New England Concours D' Elegance presented by Hemmings Motor News
http://www.mo...tor-news-8935


Image-
My 1976 Chevy Cosworth Vega at the 2012 New England Concours D' Elegance, Saratoga Springs, New York, September 30, 2012

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