RE: PH Carpool: Vauxhall Nova GSI
Discussion
LARK F1 GTR said:
Are those wheels Speedline Allesio's ?
I remember the Courtenay Sport wheels (I think they were the same as Allesio's) they were highly sought after & damn hard to get hold of back then.
Speedline Alessio 2's iirc was their full title.I remember the Courtenay Sport wheels (I think they were the same as Allesio's) they were highly sought after & damn hard to get hold of back then.
Used to command quite a price.
Also, who was the wheel company that would advertise 'LAST REMAINING SETS, SOON TO BE DISCONTINUED' in max power every month? Charged a huge premium. They were still selling them 10 years later...
Burt124 said:
I always thought that the Nova was supposed to be a decent handing car.
I must say it must be about 20 years since I've driven one but a quick search has Autocar in 1988 saying "From the outset, the Nova has always been a classy chassis in search of an engine" This is the first line in a road test of the, then, new GTE against a Charade and XR2. The Nova is the winner of the comparison.
Thats like saying labrador sI must say it must be about 20 years since I've driven one but a quick search has Autocar in 1988 saying "From the outset, the Nova has always been a classy chassis in search of an engine" This is the first line in a road test of the, then, new GTE against a Charade and XR2. The Nova is the winner of the comparison.
t is much nicer that beagle st!I don't get where the warped heads and moving steering column comments come from, certainly not a common complaint I've heard of.
This is my wife's daily drive. In fact she's just driven 150 miles to Birmingham for a staff meeting with 3 passengers.
She loves it and won't hear of any arguments when I tried to get her into a more modern car. She saw it, bartered with the dealer for it, chose the mods and fitted most herself.
She recently shared the driving with her friend in her newish BINI and she couldn't wait to get back into her Nova, she said she feels much more connected with the road.
It's only a 1.2 but she's been round Combe in it and has plans to fit twin 40s to it that I found for her.
And yes it's lowered with an Ashely back box. 
It cost £325 3 years ago, has needed valve stem seals since and does 42MPG.
This is my wife's daily drive. In fact she's just driven 150 miles to Birmingham for a staff meeting with 3 passengers.
She loves it and won't hear of any arguments when I tried to get her into a more modern car. She saw it, bartered with the dealer for it, chose the mods and fitted most herself.
She recently shared the driving with her friend in her newish BINI and she couldn't wait to get back into her Nova, she said she feels much more connected with the road.
It's only a 1.2 but she's been round Combe in it and has plans to fit twin 40s to it that I found for her.
And yes it's lowered with an Ashely back box. It cost £325 3 years ago, has needed valve stem seals since and does 42MPG.
Lost count of the number of Nova models that myself and friends have owned, from my first car (a 1985 B plate SR) to my final GSi
We've loved and lost loads.
I've won rally championships in this one,
hit my first deer in one, commuted from Wilts to Huddersfield every week for 2 years in one etc etc... the little Novas really get under the skin.
Eventually I moved on, to Pug 205 GTi, Fiesta XR2, Escort XR3i, WRX etc etc but the GSi still holds a special place for me and I'd love a mint last of the line L plate in Silk Violet.
We've loved and lost loads.
I've won rally championships in this one,
hit my first deer in one, commuted from Wilts to Huddersfield every week for 2 years in one etc etc... the little Novas really get under the skin.
Eventually I moved on, to Pug 205 GTi, Fiesta XR2, Escort XR3i, WRX etc etc but the GSi still holds a special place for me and I'd love a mint last of the line L plate in Silk Violet.
Edited by K50 DEL on Tuesday 19th February 05:01
DKS said:
I don't get where the warped heads and moving steering column comments come from, certainly not a common complaint I've heard of.
This is my wife's daily drive. In fact she's just driven 150 miles to Birmingham for a staff meeting with 3 passengers.
She loves it and won't hear of any arguments when I tried to get her into a more modern car. She saw it, bartered with the dealer for it, chose the mods and fitted most herself.
She recently shared the driving with her friend in her newish BINI and she couldn't wait to get back into her Nova, she said she feels much more connected with the road.
It's only a 1.2 but she's been round Combe in it and has plans to fit twin 40s to it that I found for her. And yes it's lowered with an Ashely back box.
It cost £325 3 years ago, has needed valve stem seals since and does 42MPG.
That looks in excellent nick. I much preferred the Nova to drive than the Corsa that replaced it - did a fair few miles in a 1.2 van doing deliveriesThis is my wife's daily drive. In fact she's just driven 150 miles to Birmingham for a staff meeting with 3 passengers.
She loves it and won't hear of any arguments when I tried to get her into a more modern car. She saw it, bartered with the dealer for it, chose the mods and fitted most herself.
She recently shared the driving with her friend in her newish BINI and she couldn't wait to get back into her Nova, she said she feels much more connected with the road.
It's only a 1.2 but she's been round Combe in it and has plans to fit twin 40s to it that I found for her.
And yes it's lowered with an Ashely back box. It cost £325 3 years ago, has needed valve stem seals since and does 42MPG.
Drive Blind said:
LARK F1 GTR said:
Are those wheels Speedline Allesio's ?
I remember the Courtenay Sport wheels (I think they were the same as Allesio's) they were highly sought after & damn hard to get hold of back then.
Speedline Alessio 2's iirc was their full title.I remember the Courtenay Sport wheels (I think they were the same as Allesio's) they were highly sought after & damn hard to get hold of back then.
Used to command quite a price.
Also, who was the wheel company that would advertise 'LAST REMAINING SETS, SOON TO BE DISCONTINUED' in max power every month? Charged a huge premium. They were still selling them 10 years later...
I think it was Couteney themselves who had the ad?
Zajda said:
Only ever saw one another example in my country...rusting before my eyes though
I've had a lot of Nova's in the past, from the 1.2 Merit to the 1.6 GTe and GSi. My red 13 previous owner
GTe was by far the best of the bunch. I loved that car to bits and it was kept pretty much as standard apart from a K&N, electric window kit and a better flowing exhaust. Got to be quick on the ball to catch those rear arches and door bottoms though! 
All that jazz said:
Zajda said:
Only ever saw one another example in my country...rusting before my eyes though
I've had a lot of Nova's in the past, from the 1.2 Merit to the 1.6 GTe and GSi. My red 13 previous owner
GTe was by far the best of the bunch. I loved that car to bits and it was kept pretty much as standard apart from a K&N, electric window kit and a better flowing exhaust. Got to be quick on the ball to catch those rear arches and door bottoms though! I spy a LHD car on a CZ plate, so it's more than likely a genuine phase 1 European GSi (I'll take my geek hat off now)
I will admit though that the aftermarket spotlights are a poor pastiche of the official factory front fogs
K50 DEL said:
Sadly you'd be wrong on that... whilst in the UK the phase 1 performance model was called the GTe with the GSi name only coming in for phase 2 models, on the continent the GSi moniker was used right from the introduction of the 1600cc injected model.
I spy a LHD car on a CZ plate, so it's more than likely a genuine phase 1 European GSi (I'll take my geek hat off now)
I will admit though that the aftermarket spotlights are a poor pastiche of the official factory front fogs
Neither the GTe or GSi had factory front fog lights. I think you're getting your cars mixed up.I spy a LHD car on a CZ plate, so it's more than likely a genuine phase 1 European GSi (I'll take my geek hat off now)
I will admit though that the aftermarket spotlights are a poor pastiche of the official factory front fogs
A friend of mine had one with a 2l 16v from a Calibra in it and a digital dash which I believe came from an old Astra GTE. What a great little car. Speedo used to read - - - north of 140mph. Having grown up a bit since then, I don't think I would put myself in those situations again. Imagine crashing at those speeds in a Nova. Dropped Pizza springs to mind....
All that jazz said:
K50 DEL said:
Sadly you'd be wrong on that... whilst in the UK the phase 1 performance model was called the GTe with the GSi name only coming in for phase 2 models, on the continent the GSi moniker was used right from the introduction of the 1600cc injected model.
I spy a LHD car on a CZ plate, so it's more than likely a genuine phase 1 European GSi (I'll take my geek hat off now)
I will admit though that the aftermarket spotlights are a poor pastiche of the official factory front fogs
Neither the GTe or GSi had factory front fog lights. I think you're getting your cars mixed up.I spy a LHD car on a CZ plate, so it's more than likely a genuine phase 1 European GSi (I'll take my geek hat off now)
I will admit though that the aftermarket spotlights are a poor pastiche of the official factory front fogs
All Nova models were available with optional front fogs (the switch for which fitted behind the blank next to the rear fog switch, this blank was even fitted with the front fog symbol and backlight from the factory)
There were 2 different types of front fogs available... an Irmscher front radiator grille containing 2 rectangular fogs for the lower spec models and for the SR, GTe and GSi models a pair of larger round fogs that were semi built into the front lower bumper roughly below the headlights.
As an aside, the remaining blank (next to the rear wash/wipe) was for the heated driver's seat... an option never available on UK cars
And whilst we're on geeky Nova knowledge, the strange rectangular moulding directly below the radio was for a speaker fader only ever available on the fairly rare GL model (the one that had the SR dash but with 2 of the gauges blanked out)
Edited by K50 DEL on Tuesday 19th February 10:55
K50 DEL said:
I maybe worded that slightly wrong.
All Nova models were available with optional front fogs (the switch for which fitted behind the blank next to the rear fog switch, this blank was even fitted with the front fog symbol and backlight from the factory)
There were 2 different types of front fogs available... an Irmscher front radiator grille containing 2 rectangular fogs for the lower spec models and for the SR, GTe and GSi models a pair of larger round fogs that were semi built into the front lower bumper roughly below the headlights.
As an aside, the remaining blank (next to the rear wash/wipe) was for the heated driver's seat... an option never available on UK cars
And whilst we're on geeky Nova knowledge, the strange rectangular moulding directly below the radio was for a speaker fader only ever available on the fairly rare GL model (the one that had the SR dash but with 2 of the gauges blanked out)
You're totally confusing yourself kid. The car you're talking about is not the Nova. You're talking about the Opel Corsa A which is completely different to the Nova in terms of the features and specs (amongst other things). The car being discussed in this thread is the Nova and no front fogs came on either the GTe or GSi and nor is the car in the pic I quoted a Nova GSi either.All Nova models were available with optional front fogs (the switch for which fitted behind the blank next to the rear fog switch, this blank was even fitted with the front fog symbol and backlight from the factory)
There were 2 different types of front fogs available... an Irmscher front radiator grille containing 2 rectangular fogs for the lower spec models and for the SR, GTe and GSi models a pair of larger round fogs that were semi built into the front lower bumper roughly below the headlights.
As an aside, the remaining blank (next to the rear wash/wipe) was for the heated driver's seat... an option never available on UK cars
And whilst we're on geeky Nova knowledge, the strange rectangular moulding directly below the radio was for a speaker fader only ever available on the fairly rare GL model (the one that had the SR dash but with 2 of the gauges blanked out)
Edited by K50 DEL on Tuesday 19th February 10:55
Whilst there are a number of differences between the Opel Corsa A and the Nova, they are basically the same car and hence a disussion about one automatically includes the other as far as I can see. (it would after all be somewhat nonsensical to say I love the Nova but hate the Corsa A)
On the fog light thing, irrespective of which market we're talking about, the cars were offered with the 2 fog light options I mentioned and the switchgear is as I said (I probably even have an old switch at home somewhere should you want proof and I've only ever run Novas, not Corsa A) The GL spec fader was also a UK fitment.
To my knowledge the heated seats, headlamp washers and a few other bits were only offered in Euro markets (some Euro markets also allegedly got a/c in the Corsa A, though I've never seen evidence of this)
If we're being pedantic then you're correct, the CZ car in the image posted earlier is (strictly) not a Nova GSi, it's a Corsa A GSi however that really is splitting hairs!
Oh, and thanks for calling me kid.... I've not been called that in about 25 years lol
On the fog light thing, irrespective of which market we're talking about, the cars were offered with the 2 fog light options I mentioned and the switchgear is as I said (I probably even have an old switch at home somewhere should you want proof and I've only ever run Novas, not Corsa A) The GL spec fader was also a UK fitment.
To my knowledge the heated seats, headlamp washers and a few other bits were only offered in Euro markets (some Euro markets also allegedly got a/c in the Corsa A, though I've never seen evidence of this)
If we're being pedantic then you're correct, the CZ car in the image posted earlier is (strictly) not a Nova GSi, it's a Corsa A GSi however that really is splitting hairs!
Oh, and thanks for calling me kid.... I've not been called that in about 25 years lol
I know it was named GTE originally and GSI after the facelift in your market, but I always considered it as one model, as there's not that much difference really. Mine is genuine E16SE GSI. The added lights wasnt't really foglights but high-beam lights. Bought the car already with them and because there were nasty holes behind (italian tuning at it's best), they stayed. Got new bumper now, but this car went all wrong in terms of corrosion and sadly I don't have the skills to sort it out. Restoration to the original condition is one of the future plans though. But no 3-spokes definately, as they are great esthetical mistake to my eyes and only suits to Saab 
How you recognized CZ plates from that few pixels is beyond me. If it wasn't guess from the profile
How you recognized CZ plates from that few pixels is beyond me. If it wasn't guess from the profile Edited by Zajda on Tuesday 19th February 13:02
These cars were cheaply made and horrible to drive- hence why people modified them?
Keeping one mint and not modifying it is therefore a bit like NOT polishing a turd? It's still a turd?!
Each to their own though, although I am unsure why if you sold one you'd want another, when there are so many more better cars out there, even for little amounts of cash.
Keeping one mint and not modifying it is therefore a bit like NOT polishing a turd? It's still a turd?!
Each to their own though, although I am unsure why if you sold one you'd want another, when there are so many more better cars out there, even for little amounts of cash.
Si_man306 said:
These cars were cheaply made and horrible to drive- hence why people modified them?
Keeping one mint and not modifying it is therefore a bit like NOT polishing a turd? It's still a turd?!
Each to their own though, although I am unsure why if you sold one you'd want another, when there are so many more better cars out there, even for little amounts of cash.
Its horses for courses....and we all have individual tastes, so just because you think the Nova GSi is a turd, we all have to bow down to your point of view???Keeping one mint and not modifying it is therefore a bit like NOT polishing a turd? It's still a turd?!
Each to their own though, although I am unsure why if you sold one you'd want another, when there are so many more better cars out there, even for little amounts of cash.
...very much dont think so!
The same might be said about the 350z....big lardy and slow...bit of a turd really.
Get the point? Just because you dont like something doenst mean others cant.
Really rather a pointless post trolling what was a nice retro thread....
Edited by nick_mcuk on Tuesday 19th February 14:59
Edited by nick_mcuk on Tuesday 19th February 15:00
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff