RE: Vauxhall Chevette HS: Spotted
Discussion
Like most HS's today, the standard Stromberg carbs have been replaced with a pair of HSR style sidedrafts - so rather pointless quoting it's power as the OEM 135hp which was it's strangled Stromberg power figure.
HSR was qutoed as 150, which is probably closer to what this one will be.
I don't know why DSG even say the gearbox came from the Chevy Vega, because it didn't. The gearbox in the HS was a 5-speed Getrag with a dog-leg 1st and a direct 1:1 5th gear (similar to the box used in BMW's of the day)
The 5-speed box in the Chevy Vega was a Borg-Warner unit with an overdrive 5th.
The big failing of the HS as a road car (and one of the reasons I bought a Sunbeam-Lotus instead) was the piss poor 8 gallon fuel tank, which combined with the non-overdrive gearbox (and big sidedraft carbs) meant you'd be lucky to get more than 140-150 miles to a tank.
Great car otherwise though....with a fabulous chassis.
HSR was qutoed as 150, which is probably closer to what this one will be.
I don't know why DSG even say the gearbox came from the Chevy Vega, because it didn't. The gearbox in the HS was a 5-speed Getrag with a dog-leg 1st and a direct 1:1 5th gear (similar to the box used in BMW's of the day)
The 5-speed box in the Chevy Vega was a Borg-Warner unit with an overdrive 5th.
The big failing of the HS as a road car (and one of the reasons I bought a Sunbeam-Lotus instead) was the piss poor 8 gallon fuel tank, which combined with the non-overdrive gearbox (and big sidedraft carbs) meant you'd be lucky to get more than 140-150 miles to a tank.
Great car otherwise though....with a fabulous chassis.
Mr Tidy said:
Yes, the RS2000 had the Pinto engine so the RS1800 was a more direct rival - what do RS1800's cost now?!
RS2000 was a more affordable road car for young yobs (in the day) like me!
With hindsight the best Escorts were the Mk1's - RS1600 or Mexico. The Mk2 Mexico just had a 1600 Pinto which has as limited tuning potential as any RS2000.
But in the early 80's I had to have the latest model I could af-Ford!
Yep, 1985, second-hand S-reg Mk2 RS2000 in great nick - £2500, second-hand S-reg Mk2 RS1800 in great nick - £5000.RS2000 was a more affordable road car for young yobs (in the day) like me!
With hindsight the best Escorts were the Mk1's - RS1600 or Mexico. The Mk2 Mexico just had a 1600 Pinto which has as limited tuning potential as any RS2000.
But in the early 80's I had to have the latest model I could af-Ford!
Difference in on road ability between two standard cars .... > < - the twin cam was rated about 5bhp more.
Lotus Sunbeam was a very quick car back then - friend had one and we were often up to Skip Browns, a nice 30 minute drive up the road.
Would have liked to have had one of these Chevettes, I think even the Sunbeams, ti and Lotus were commonplace in comparison.
MadDog1962 said:
Back in the day this "hero car" helped Vauxhall sell thousands of humbler 1256cc Chevettes which were generally inferior to their Opel Kadett cousins. HS 2300 was indeed a rare beast. Good to see that well cared for examples still exist.
There's a chap down the road from me has two in his garage. Both look to be actual rally-spec (no back seats, roll cage, etc). One silver, one red. Very nice indeed.I had to make do with the plain old Chevette L as my first car. Dysentery beige with matching half pleather, half cloth tartan interior. I loved it.
these bring back memories as a nipper !!! My Dad was running a Vauxhall Magnum Sporthatch at the time, with me rolling around the back bench seat with no seatbelts, great fun !!!!
He used to use the Magnum as his works delivery van during the day, fastest delivery of precision turned components in the UK !!!
He used to use the Magnum as his works delivery van during the day, fastest delivery of precision turned components in the UK !!!
aeropilot said:
I don't know why DSG even say the gearbox came from the Chevy Vega, because it didn't.
I don't think it does say that, I think it's just been interpreted incorrectly. The actual sentence reads "brakes and suspension from the Kadett C GT/E, a 5 speed Getrag gearbox and alloys from the Chevrolet Vega." Perhaps it needs a comma after the word "gearbox".I seem to recall that one of the reasons for the HS having Stromberg carbs rather than Dellorto was down to supplier relationships at the time. I have never owned a Chevette, but in the case of the Firenza I was listening to a speech recently by the project engineer Roy Cooke, and he mentioned that in the case of the Firenza several decisions were based on what they could buy through existing suppliers without having to go through the complex procedure of adding another one. Stromberg were already in place, as were ZF for the gearbox even though other alternatives might have been nicer.
Amazing how many had Sportshatches back in the day - any of you got photos or registration numbers to help update the registers?
RRH said:
A pal of mine bought the ex-Pentti Airikkala HSR in the mid-late 80s.
What a hairy chested thing that was!
A lucky man! Richard Lepley at PrepFab did a roll age and seam welding job on one of my cars and had the ex Jimi McCrae Tarmac car in there. Reckoned it was worth around £30,000 back then (around 15 years ago), God knows what it would fetch today.What a hairy chested thing that was!
J4CKO said:
I worked in a garage at the end of the eighties and we took a tuned Sunbeam Lotus in PX, reputedly 200 bhp, I was taken out in it and good god it felt quick, felt not far off a 911 Turbo I had been in.
My Sunbeam ended up with a c.220 BHP high revving engine built by hillclimber and engine guru Richard Hickman. Nothing for a hot hatch today, even though fragile and stupidly expensive. But it only weighed 880Kg and with short gearing/diff. was very quick. Quicker than many Porches and Ferraris at tracks like Curborough at the time; late 80s.Then went to the Isle of Man and I think got developed even higher and was used on rallies and sprints. Wish I had kept it.
The Flying Ox said:
There's a chap down the road from me has two in his garage. Both look to be actual rally-spec (no back seats, roll cage, etc). One silver, one red. Very nice indeed.
I had to make do with the plain old Chevette L as my first car. Dysentery beige with matching half pleather, half cloth tartan interior. I loved it.
My first car too, in black. They were great fun.I had to make do with the plain old Chevette L as my first car. Dysentery beige with matching half pleather, half cloth tartan interior. I loved it.
mr2man said:
J4CKO said:
I worked in a garage at the end of the eighties and we took a tuned Sunbeam Lotus in PX, reputedly 200 bhp, I was taken out in it and good god it felt quick, felt not far off a 911 Turbo I had been in.
My Sunbeam ended up with a c.220 BHP high revving engine built by hillclimber and engine guru Richard Hickman. Nothing for a hot hatch today, even though fragile and stupidly expensive. But it only weighed 880Kg and with short gearing/diff. was very quick. Quicker than many Porches and Ferraris at tracks like Curborough at the time; late 80s.Then went to the Isle of Man and I think got developed even higher and was used on rallies and sprints. Wish I had kept it.
Mr Tidy said:
Yes, the RS2000 had the Pinto engine so the RS1800 was a more direct rival - what do RS1800's cost now?!
RS2000 was a more affordable road car for young yobs (in the day) like me!
With hindsight the best Escorts were the Mk1's - RS1600 or Mexico. The Mk2 Mexico just had a 1600 Pinto which has as limited tuning potential as any RS2000.
But in the early 80's I had to have the latest model I could af-Ford!
Here's the only RS1800 I could find!RS2000 was a more affordable road car for young yobs (in the day) like me!
With hindsight the best Escorts were the Mk1's - RS1600 or Mexico. The Mk2 Mexico just had a 1600 Pinto which has as limited tuning potential as any RS2000.
But in the early 80's I had to have the latest model I could af-Ford!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Minichamps-Ford-Escort-M...
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