Cavalier GSI... who remembers?..
Discussion
Jaldi said:
Anyone remember the Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre ?
I had one in the early 90s. I thought I was so cool. At the time it was the best car I'd owned. Looking back it was a bit crap.
Mine looked like this one from Google Images (They all looked like this, they were all the same colour and all 'E' reg)
What I really wanted was a GSI2000 but back then they were, IIRC, about 8k for a decent one. Waaay out of my price range.
Jeezus that looks I had one in the early 90s. I thought I was so cool. At the time it was the best car I'd owned. Looking back it was a bit crap.
Mine looked like this one from Google Images (They all looked like this, they were all the same colour and all 'E' reg)
What I really wanted was a GSI2000 but back then they were, IIRC, about 8k for a decent one. Waaay out of my price range.
Crafty_ said:
s m said:
Was that Bob Rawle?
Haven't spoken to him for years though.Jaldi said:
Anyone remember the Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre ?
Only 500 made, exceedingly rare now. Some years ago the Calibre register reckoned there was only 60-70 left.See a Calibre locally as it sometimes parks just up the road
These were everywhere back in the day,
My boss at my first job aged 17 used to have a 1.8 GLSI Cavalier, at the time it felt rapid, was 114 bhp so the same engine as the SRi but without the sports garnish, we used to have to drop documents off round the airport and we used to take that, it got properly spanked, he was talking one day and I heard his say he was thinking of taking it in as he kept smelling burnt rubber, oops, the night before my mate and I had practised some full bore starts.
Very rare to see any Cavalier nowadays, even early Vectras have dissapeared, come to think of it, dont see (or notice ?) the later one either.
My boss at my first job aged 17 used to have a 1.8 GLSI Cavalier, at the time it felt rapid, was 114 bhp so the same engine as the SRi but without the sports garnish, we used to have to drop documents off round the airport and we used to take that, it got properly spanked, he was talking one day and I heard his say he was thinking of taking it in as he kept smelling burnt rubber, oops, the night before my mate and I had practised some full bore starts.
Very rare to see any Cavalier nowadays, even early Vectras have dissapeared, come to think of it, dont see (or notice ?) the later one either.
There's a red GSI a couple of streets away from me ... really tatty & bits of trim missing 
Every time I see it I think of Murray Walker saying “I'm going for first says Cleland!”
..
Only other Cav's around here (Hull) are a very late mk3 (Expression?) & a really tidy early mk2 base model saloon that an old couple probably have had since new & only use once a week for shopping
Mate of mine had an SRi130 hatch & a Calibre ... I liked both of them, even though I grow up around Fords & should hate Vauxhall's
Every time I see it I think of Murray Walker saying “I'm going for first says Cleland!”
..
Only other Cav's around here (Hull) are a very late mk3 (Expression?) & a really tidy early mk2 base model saloon that an old couple probably have had since new & only use once a week for shopping
Mate of mine had an SRi130 hatch & a Calibre ... I liked both of them, even though I grow up around Fords & should hate Vauxhall's
Urban Sports said:
Jaldi said:
Anyone remember the Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre ?
I had one in the early 90s. I thought I was so cool. At the time it was the best car I'd owned. Looking back it was a bit crap.
Mine looked like this one from Google Images (They all looked like this, they were all the same colour and all 'E' reg)
What I really wanted was a GSI2000 but back then they were, IIRC, about 8k for a decent one. Waaay out of my price range.
Jeezus that looks I had one in the early 90s. I thought I was so cool. At the time it was the best car I'd owned. Looking back it was a bit crap.
Mine looked like this one from Google Images (They all looked like this, they were all the same colour and all 'E' reg)
What I really wanted was a GSI2000 but back then they were, IIRC, about 8k for a decent one. Waaay out of my price range.
Used to have a black 92 model gsi 4x4. I loved it. Still have a big soft spot for them nowadays.
The transfer box went on mine. luckily a mate who is a gearbox tech had a spare seal so it was fixed for £100 rather than £1300 quoted at the time. Thankfully they can be fixed a lot cheaper today.
Johnny
The transfer box went on mine. luckily a mate who is a gearbox tech had a spare seal so it was fixed for £100 rather than £1300 quoted at the time. Thankfully they can be fixed a lot cheaper today.
Johnny
I had a selection of Cavaliers,great cars. Started with an 8v SRi and then went to a GSi followed by a V6 and a Turbo. The turbo was a fast car back then,but the V6 had the legs when up and running,it was the first car I owned that would do 150 on a private road but that was indicated so probably nowhere near 150 in reality! Would have another Cavalier tomorrow if I could,I found a GSi in a lockup about a year ago where it had stood since 2001 but the old boy who was renting the garage had lost his marbles and all attempts at rescuing it failed,last I saw the council where dragging it away.
A mate I used to work with had one.
He added 100BHP of Nitrous from Wizards Of Nos.
Now sold, no idea how he didn`t kill himself as it was pretty quick as standard and he didn`t upgrade the brakes either.
Went out in it once with the Nitrous kit fitted, never again!
He also added a front splitter so low that it gave us a great laugh at work one morning when he floored it down the car park, hit a small dip and the splitter shot off down the road on it`s own.
Happy days.
He added 100BHP of Nitrous from Wizards Of Nos.
Now sold, no idea how he didn`t kill himself as it was pretty quick as standard and he didn`t upgrade the brakes either.
Went out in it once with the Nitrous kit fitted, never again!
He also added a front splitter so low that it gave us a great laugh at work one morning when he floored it down the car park, hit a small dip and the splitter shot off down the road on it`s own.
Happy days.
Out of interest did any Cavaliers come with air conditioning?
I ask because I would seriously consider a mk3 as a replacement for the Astra at some point - one of the things that has been fantastic about the Astra is the comfort of the seats and I imagine that the Cavalier will be just as comfortable and presumably pretty frugal on motorways?
The thought of a Vectra B is not one that I will entertain
Edit: Calibra is pretty much identical isn't it? Is there room in the back for real people though?
I ask because I would seriously consider a mk3 as a replacement for the Astra at some point - one of the things that has been fantastic about the Astra is the comfort of the seats and I imagine that the Cavalier will be just as comfortable and presumably pretty frugal on motorways?
The thought of a Vectra B is not one that I will entertain
Edit: Calibra is pretty much identical isn't it? Is there room in the back for real people though?
Edited by vit4 on Saturday 18th May 12:39
vit4 said:
Out of interest did any Cavaliers come with air conditioning?
Edit: Calibra is pretty much identical isn't it? Is there room in the back for real people though?
Late 93 turbos had air con, you can spot them because early ones like mine had headlight wipers, no airbag and an adjustable steering wheel.Edit: Calibra is pretty much identical isn't it? Is there room in the back for real people though?
Edited by vit4 on Saturday 18th May 12:39
The later ones have no headlight wipers and an airbag, these cars have aircon. The airbag steering wheel was a seriously ugly thing (especially compared to my fairly rare 3 spoke which was also different to the GSI wheel), the airbag also meant it was non adjustable as at the time Vauxhall said that the adjustment of rake could mean the airbag became dangerous in some situations - all Vauxhalls until the mk4 astra were the same. V6s also got aircon IIRC.
Note that all V6s got the beam rear end, instead of the IRS the GSI & Turbo got (also available on lesser models as detailed above).
Calibra was pretty much the same, all cars got IRS. imho they never drove as well, I thought they always felt vague and woolly compared to cavaliers. I presume it was because of the huge bits of glass in the shell and consequently more flex ?
You can get people in the back of a calibra but they wont want to stay there for long.
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