drive to dealerships, so the engine was baffled to prevent oil entering the number one cylinder; the battery filler caps high on the rear edge of the casing prevented acid spills; a tube drained fuel from the carburetor to vapor canister; and the windshield washer bottle stood at 45 degrees. The Vert-A-Pacs were retired after the Vega's 1977 model year. Production figures Total Vega production, mainly from Lordstown, was 2,006,661 including 3,508 Cosworth models. Production peaked at 2,400 units per day. In 1973–1974, Vegas were also built at GM of Canada's Sainte-Thérèse Assembly plant in Quebec. Does not include an unknown number of 1973 panel deliveries, which probably numbered around 4000 units. Pricing Due mostly to inflation, but also because of emissions and safety mandates, prices of all automobiles rose 50 percent during the Vega's seven-year lifespan. The same basic Vega that cost $2090 in 1971 carried a retail price of $3249 by the end of 1977. And since all other cars suffered the same inflationary rise, less expensive cars were in greater demand than those with higher prices which helped Vegas sell. The 1975 Cosworth Vega at $5,918 was priced $892 below the Chevrolet Corvette. "Cosworth. One Vega for the price of two", as it was advertised, was priced out of the market, and fell well short of its projected sales goal. DeLorean influence GM Vice President John Z. DeLorean, appointed Chevrolet's general manager a year before the Vega's introduction, was tasked with overseeing the Vega launch and directing operations at the Lordstown Assembly plant. As problems with the vehicle became apparent, he put additional inspectors and workers on the line and introduced a computerized quality control program in which each car was inspected as it came off the line and, if necessary, repaired. He was also tasked with promoting the car in Motor Trend and Look magazines. He authorized the Cosworth Vega prototype and requested initiation of production. In Motor Trends August 1970 issue, DeLorean promoted the upcoming car as one that out-handled "almost any" European sports car, out-accelerated "any car in its price class", and would be "built at a quality level that has never been attained before in a manufacturing operation in this country, and probably in the world." In the 1979 book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors by J. Patrick Wright, DeLorean spoke of hostility between Chevrolet Division and GM's design