Back in 1970, Chevrolet came out with a cute little car that looked like the offspring of the Camaro, the Vega. The car was even the Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1971. From there, the car, with a number of design flaws and beginning to prove it wouldn’t have great longevity, may have faded into completely into obscurity if not for the first small-block Pro Stock Vega, Grumpy’s Toy X, which put the Vega design into the spotlight (even though the Grump’s car had little in common with a stock Vega other than the body shape). Fast forward to today, and it’s rare to see a stock Vega out there, but there are many examples still running around that have a look inspired by the Jenkins car, whether it’s intentional or not. A fine example of that is Brad Nolen’s ‘74 Chevy Vega (if you’re keeping score at home, Grump had a ‘74 Vega, too), a car he’s owned for 6 years.

Under the hood of this car resides a 383 cu.in. stroker engine, based on a Dart SHP block. Inside the engine rests a Crower Cam, and on top to handle the fuel, you’ll find a Holley carburetor. Backing up the engine is a Turbo 350 transmission with a trans brake Ford 9-inch rear with 4:11 gears. One thing that jumps right out at you is noticing the license plate on the back. Although the car looks like a serious race car from every angle, it is completely street legal, with everything a street car needs fully functioning on it. Although it’s a really fun car to drive on the street, Brad admits the fuel the engine needs to run on is too expensive to drive it on the street very much. Brad competes in the Modified class adding the engine prior to the current one blew up last year at Maple Grove but not before posting a best elapsed time of 5.562 in the eighth mile and a 10.24 at 121 mph in the quarter mile. Brad is still trying to figure out the current combination, and we have no doubt he’ll unlock the potential that’s there. According to him, “It’s a fun ride that performs.” I’m sure the Grump would approve.