Chevrolet Vega, Black, for sale in Charlotte, North Carolina, for $23,995.

This 1975 Cosworth Vega took Chevy's idea (more horsepower) to its logical conclusion with a full Pro-Street treatment that includes enough tire to alter the earth's rotation. Beautifully finished inside and out, it delivers big thrills in a compact package, and nobody in their right mind would tangle with this beast on the street.

Yes, you read that correctly, this is a real Cosworth Vega (#399) that forsakes its black and gold paint scheme for a slightly different take. The black is still there, and it's brilliantly executed with laser-straight panels and a deep gloss, but where the disco-era Cosworth was trimmed in gold, this one uses crisp white for a fantastic contrast that looks downright sinister. With a wide hood stripe and a painted tail section, you're not going to mistake it for anything else, and the detailing is excellent-note the pinstripes that outline the white areas, the beautifully trimmed hood opening, and the sinister blacked-out trim-the only shiny stuff left is the windshield surround.

The essence of Pro-Street is all about the street portion, and this car delivers with a very stock (and very comfortable) interior. Black buckets, original door panels, and OEM instruments make it easy to forget how much power's under your right foot until you glance out the windshield and see that giant scoop inhaling air like a fighter jet. All the gauges are operational, augmented by a set of white-faced auxiliary gauges neatly set into the dash above the Cosworth badge and a tach with shift light down low by the B&M shifter. And while most cars with this kind of performance sacrifice comfort and convenience items, you'll be pleased to learn that everything works, including the wipers, heater, defroster, and all the lights. Even the original AM/FM radio remains in the dash, just in case you're inclined to lay off the throttle for a while.

That scoop isn't just for show, since it's sitting atop a 350 cubic inch V8 that's rated at more than 450 horsepower and built with all the good stuff. With a 4-bolt block, ARP fasteners, and factory crank and rods, the bottom end is virtually indestructible. Intake duties are handled by an Edelbrock tunnel ram topped by a pair of reworked 450 CFM Holleys, while the heads are reworked fuelie castings. Hooker headers feed a custom dual exhaust system that sounds downright predatory, especially at idle when the huge Comp Cams bumpstick does its thing. A built TH350 3-speed automatic uses a 3500 RPM stall converter for eyeball-flattening launches. A narrowed Ford 9-inch with 4.11 gears on a limited slip hangs on a 4-link with custom frame members. Massive 30x18.5 Mickey Thompson meats put down the power, while the front end is held up by a set of 165R15 skinnies on Weld alloys.

There's just too much cool stuff to cover here, so if you want all the details on this amazing Vega, all you have to do is call.