agree - Pinto engine did appear to perform better - and did not appear to burn as much oil ... not certain - but the Vega engine block might have been aluminum without cast liners (?)
of course the Pinto was known for fires when involved in collisions to the rear (early Mustang actually had similar problem . lack of true / substantial trunk floor
good friend's neighbor had a Cosworth Vega - neat car
this guy was a GM / Chevrolet service rep ... he had a bunch of neat cars and access to a lot of parts and accessories ...typically drove a Corvette or Camaro during the summer months and a 4wd Blazer (or whatever) during the winter months ... at the time I considered his job to be my fav job
and he took care of us - he got us complete Chevy 4-bolt main truck short blocks (for next to nothing) - we then added the rest of the parts and we had great running cars
I believe that was the issue. Supposedly they did some treatment which was supposed to harden the cylinder walls so liners weren't needed.
Oops.
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