I had to share these pics. Many of you would have already seen them, but they make for such an interesting story.
The Chevy Vega may not go down in history as the greatest car ever produced, but they were designed and built to be shipped around the US in these very nifty Vert-A-Pacs, to cut down the freight cost for shipping each vehicle to its respective Chevrolet dealer, and, therefore, cutting down on the retail price for each car.
The Vert-A-Pac was a joint venture between General-Motors and Southern Pacific Railroad. Prior to its creation, a maximum 15 cars could be transported per rail car, but the Vert-A-Pac could transport 30 Vega's on the same sized rail car.
The Vert-A-Pac was actually designed for the Vega, with the intention being to reduce freight costs for each vehicle, to reduce the price paid by the end consumer for their little Chevy. Each rail car was designed and built with 30 doors that would fold down, onto which a Vega would be rolled on and strapped down. Then a forklift would raise each door, with the Vega attached to it, until the door and Vega were positioned vertically, the Vega's positioned nose down.
As the Vega's were transported ready to go, including all fluids, they were designed with an oil baffle in the engine, repositioned windscreen washer reservoir, and special battery, all built in for their Vert-A-Pac journey.
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Originally Posted by Steve Holmes
