RE: PH Heroes: Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V

[DamoLLb]

vetteheadracer said:

BadBoyAndy666 said:

This brings back fond memories – way back in 1991…

My White, 8v, B Reg GTE

What a great car (on a straight bit of road), until it got nicked after 5 months of ownership

I too had a white B reg GTE, absolutely loved it. Originally looked at an 'A' reg one with an Irmscher body kit on it but decided I wanted the new rather than old shape. Found a good one i.e. not wrecked or nicked and 5 weeks into ownership I was the victim of a hit and run drink driver who pretty much wrote off the car from the windscreen forwards. I say hit and run he actually stopped in his Vauxhall Viva and gave me his name and address and I walked the 200 yards home......yes I managed to get my car nearly written off just 200 yards from being home safe. By the time I got home my mouse mate told me the police had been on the phone could I go back to my car which I did only to find the banana shaped Vauxhall Viva had gone and when I gave the police his details they checked to find out his name and address were both false and the car was still registered with the previous owner which back in the day meant I was bollexed........

All my no claims went (I was early 20's at the time) as I had to claim on my insurance and surprisingly the car was repaired. I owned it for a further 5 years. I also had it broken in to, stolen and recovered and eventually the engine blew up on the M40 when the water pump failed.

Guaranteed to get a pull from the police every Saturday night in Reading if I was out in the car they were that popular with car thieves.

haha!! was his name Mickey?

[Mike Roberts]

Aww - back in the day, I had a 16v Golf and my mate had a 16v Astra. We used to play cat & mouse and considering it only had 11 more BHP, it used to annihilate mine in a straight line.. then you'd see the panic of early braking as he tried to scrub off speed before a corner and I'd sail right past again. Great fun!!

oh, what I'd give to have those days of 25p a litre and unpoliced out of town roads again.

[oggs]

I'd love a MK1 GTE in black

[mikenwatson]

My Dad worked for Vauxhall Finance, known as GMAC back then and so we always had different vauxhalls every month and I remember my Mum hanging onto a Grey GTE 16V which made me feel like the Bees KNees when she dropped me at the school gates. Other vauxhall heroes from that period I remember my dad bringing home were the Manta Exclusive and the original MK II Cavaliver Calibre. They only built 500, all of them in red and it was fantastic. Then followed a MK III cavalier 4x4 turbo which had 6 gears and was a superb car but sadly was too young to ever try driving it.

[wolves_wanderer]

I always wanted my old man to get one of these, it's all about the digital dashboard baby! I never forgave him for getting the Cavalier SRi instead of this

[bencollins]

Very well styled car, only slightly dated after 20 years.

[tombstone]

I have owned loads of Mk2 Astras! 19 of them now! a lot have been estates, they handle slightly more predictably than the hatch, and with a 16v under the bonnet, suprise a fair few people!
There are still a few of my beasts around Sussex, and if I ever see a blue GTE (there were 43 made!) I will get another to add to my Vauxhall 'fleet'!

[Dave Dax builder]

Ahhh, The only car ever to be styled on Steam Iron.

[Zippee]

jag guru said:

Shropshiremike said:

jag guru said:

I had one I bought nearly new in
1987. I preferred the MK1 ASTRA tbh. Also fast as it was, It was no
match for a Pug GTI on a typical twisting back road. Mine's used to " hop"
round corners at the back.
All engine, that's it.

If it was 87, it was an 8 valver, NOT the 16 valve - they didn't arrive till 88.
16 valvers were a fair bit different on the suspension

oops !
sorry ! yes mine's was a 2.0 8v GTE. My comments on the handling stand
though. I don't think the 16v had radically different suspension from
the single cams though. Rear discs as far as I remember ?

Yup - F&R discs. Mine was an 88 F plate so one of the first. I had the suspension changed and the car lowered with 16" wheels. Handled better than standard but not fantastic. Still miss that car though!!

[gti-ted]

Urban Sports said:

My Renault 19 16 valve had the measure of the astra.










When it worked

Dont talk poo!!! The Astra would trance the 19 no problem. I know i had 8 16v Astra's and 2 19 16v's no contest

[Urban Sports]

gti-ted said:

Urban Sports said:

My Renault 19 16 valve had the measure of the astra.










When it worked

Dont talk poo!!! The Astra would trance the 19 no problem. I know i had 8 16v Astra's and 2 19 16v's no contest

Nah don't think so. Not even a contest especially when a bend was involved, nowhere near.

[r1ch]

Its no prom queen but, strangley cool

[gti-ted]

Agreed the Astra handled shyte in standard form where as the 19 handles slightly better however i replaced the suspension on all of mine with with either Spax or Bilstein kits and they then handled the bomb.
TBH the 19 wasn't that fast either if i recall it would top out around 130

[B.J.W]

Reading this got me to thinking about this:



Not sure whether the Belmont SRi came with the 16v engine, or made do with the 8v. I still see a few MK2 Astra's on the roads, but can not recall when I last saw a Belmont (which wiki says was the most stolen car in 2003).

[scotty_917]

I had a silver B Reg Mk1 GTE in the mid-80's followed by white C Reg Mk2 before 'moving' on to Golf GTi's....

All great cars in their own way.....

[Littleman]

I've always loved the GTE's Since I was about 16. So much so I brought a standard 8v GTE in white when I was 19 and 9 years later I still own it and still cant see myself parting with it.

Looks a bit different from standard though and the 8v was not quite qiuck enough so I went for the Turbo 16v......

[B.J.W]

Littleman said:

I've always loved the GTE's Since I was about 16. So much so I brought a standard 8v GTE in white when I was 19 and 9 years later I still own it and still cant see myself parting with it.

Looks a bit different from standard though and the 8v was not quite qiuck enough so I went for the Turbo 16v......

That is a really nice car. Looks great under the bonnet too, you evidently have far too much time on your hands to be able to keep it that clean

[BazW]

Urban Sports said:

gti-ted said:

Urban Sports said:

My Renault 19 16 valve had the measure of the astra.










When it worked

Dont talk poo!!! The Astra would trance the 19 no problem. I know i had 8 16v Astra's and 2 19 16v's no contest

Nah don't think so. Not even a contest especially when a bend was involved, nowhere near.

you always get one an 8v maybe...and that's a massive maybe btw. a 16v not a prayer. GTEs are very capable in the twisties if you know what your doing. decent springs and shocks and swap the 14's for 15's with 50 profile tyres and the car is even better

[OnlyMX5ives]

I had a few of the 16v and only 15" with decent rubber they handled pretty well.

They never could change direction as well as the Golf but they were significantly larger and much better on the M Way too.

Shockingly good on fuel as well.

[Shropshiremike]

jag guru said:

Shropshiremike said:

jag guru said:

I had one I bought nearly new in
1987. I preferred the MK1 ASTRA tbh. Also fast as it was, It was no
match for a Pug GTI on a typical twisting back road. Mine's used to " hop"
round corners at the back.
All engine, that's it.

If it was 87, it was an 8 valver, NOT the 16 valve - they didn't arrive till 88.
16 valvers were a fair bit different on the suspension

oops !
sorry ! yes mine's was a 2.0 8v GTE. My comments on the handling stand
though. I don't think the 16v had radically different suspension from
the single cams though. Rear discs as far as I remember ?

Have a look under a 16 valver compared to an 8 valver at the back - in effect it has 2 rear ARBs, more -ve camber at the back than an 8 valver, different spring/damper rates, slightly lower, different rack mounts. All little changes perhaps.....but just try changing your toe settings a couple of mill on your current car and see if it doesn't make a big differences to how it drives

Not just discs