coils, and an aluminum housing. RC2-206 Wankels were installed in 1973 Vegas for cold weather testing in Canada. Motor Trends 1973 article The '75 Vega Rotary said, "[M]ileage will be in the 16–18 mpg range. Compared to the normal piston [engine] Vega's 20 to 26 mpg, the whole rotary deal begins to look just a little less attractive, what with the price of gasoline skyrocketing..." GM thought it could meet 1975 emissions standards with the engine tuned for better fuel economy. Other refinements improved it to , but brought apex seal failures and rotor-tip seal problems. By December 1973 it was clear the Wankel, now planned for the Monza 2+2, would not be ready for either production or emissions certification in time for the start of the 1975 model year. After paying another $10 million against its rotary licence fees, GM announced the first postponement. In April 1974 Motor Trend predicted the outcome: on September 24, 1974, Cole postponed the engine, ostensibly due to emissions difficulties. He retired the same month. His successor Pete Estes showed little interest in the engine and GM, citing poor fuel economy, postponed production pending further development. Estes had previously decided to let the Corvair, another Cole project, expire, well before the celebrated attacks of Ralph Nader. One complete GM Wankel engine exists. It is displayed at the Ypsilanti (MI) Motor Heritage Museum, along with many Corvair cars and exhibits. V8 In July 1972, Hot Rod tested a prototype Vega fitted with an all-aluminum V8, the last of several 283 cu in. (4.6 L) units used in the CERV I research and development vehicle. Bored out to , it had high-compression pistons, "097 Duntov" mechanical-lifter camshaft, cast-iron four-barrel intake manifold, and a Quadrajet carburetor. With stock Turbo Hydramatic, stock Vega rear end and street tires, the car ran a sub-14-second quarter-mile. Assembly GM built the $75 million Lordstown Assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio near Youngstown to make the Vega. It was the world's most automated auto plant, where approximately 95 percent of each Vega body's 3,900 welds were carried out automatically by Unimate industrial robots. Engine and rear axle assemblies positioned by hydraulic lifts with bodies overhead moved along the line at per minute. Sub-assembly areas, conveyor belts, and quality control were all computer-directed. Production speed Production at Lordstown was projected at 100 Vegas an hour—one every 36 seconds—from the outset. Twice the normal volume,