We think of it now as a Malaise-era symbol of things gone wrong, but in its day the Chevrolet Vega sported some of the wonkiest technology General Motors could accomplish. Aluminum engine blocks and eventually a dose of Cosworth engineering gave the Vega an edge over other tiny cars of the day — before its rust and quality problems destroyed the franchise. The Vega even had a different kind of car hauler: the Vert-A-Pac, a custom-designed rail car that could hold 30 Vegas nose-down compared to the 18 held by a regular car hauler. Sure, the Vega needed special baffles and valves to ensure they didn't arrive looking like they'd gone apple-bobbing in antifreeze. But that's the risks of innovation, something Tesla has to tackle with its new Model S on display at AutoDesk's offices, and one that Tintern solved, simply:
"You'd have to be a real CAD to show off a car there."