Why I’m not allowed to own “two” of anything anymore......
Discussion
Great cars and finally a chance to utter those immortal words... “my old man had one of those!”
Of the dozens and dozens of cars he’s owned over the years it’s probably the car he loved most in the world. Fast, classy, digital dash and EVERYONE thought he was a copper! Nothing moved people left on the motorway better than a 3.0 24v Senator blasting along the outside lane.
I’ll hunt out a picture and add to the thread. Good luck with them!
EDITED: Now with picture! (which also reminded me that he switched the centercaps and bonnet badge to Opel rather than Vauxhall. Like father, like son)
Fully loaded
Of the dozens and dozens of cars he’s owned over the years it’s probably the car he loved most in the world. Fast, classy, digital dash and EVERYONE thought he was a copper! Nothing moved people left on the motorway better than a 3.0 24v Senator blasting along the outside lane.
I’ll hunt out a picture and add to the thread. Good luck with them!
EDITED: Now with picture! (which also reminded me that he switched the centercaps and bonnet badge to Opel rather than Vauxhall. Like father, like son)
Fully loaded
Edited by MDifficult on Tuesday 27th August 19:46
My father sold the early Opel variant back in the day which I always loved. He then worked for a leading company in the early 90's and one night brought home a 24 valve k plate cersion, rekindling the love.
I bought a 12v 3 litre auto version soon after to scratch the itch.
Great cars.
I bought a 12v 3 litre auto version soon after to scratch the itch.
Great cars.
strangehighways said:
A brilliant write up. Love the deception of having two similar cars.
You just can’t mess with a Senator. They are just brilliant. 150mph from the 24v 3 litre seemed stupid fast in the 90s.
Couldn’t agree more. The speed, the digital dash and the ‘S’ button on the auto gear selector was the closest thing I had to a real-life KnightIndustries2000 as a kid. Whooosh! You just can’t mess with a Senator. They are just brilliant. 150mph from the 24v 3 litre seemed stupid fast in the 90s.
MDifficult said:
Great cars and finally a chance to utter those immortal words... “my old man had one of those!”
Of the dozens and dozens of cars he’s owned over the years it’s probably the car he loved most in the world. Fast, classy, digital dash and EVERYONE thought he was a copper! Nothing moved people left on the motorway better than a 3.0 24v Senator blasting along the outside lane.
“My old man had one of those!”Of the dozens and dozens of cars he’s owned over the years it’s probably the car he loved most in the world. Fast, classy, digital dash and EVERYONE thought he was a copper! Nothing moved people left on the motorway better than a 3.0 24v Senator blasting along the outside lane.
F131RPD, 1989-2001.
3.0l 12v CD. Blue velour, stunk of damp, missing on a cylinder, power aerial came up 2/3 the way, temperamental gearbox, aircon didn’t work, driver’s side heated seat didn’t work because a certain precocious 6 year old broke something under the seat... but it did indeed move cars out of the way like no other. At approximately 1 lepton on the A127 (pre-average cams of course) my old man was parting cars like Moses parts the Red Sea. I can only imagine the other drivers’ faces as they saw my brother and I bouncing around excitedly in the back, mum in the front imploring dad to slow down a little!
I also threw up a few times in the back. What a car.
Mmmmmm, plasma cutter! I can only dream of the carnage I could generate...............
I like cats and have had several, but am currently relying on my 10 year old collie cross Beth to keep me right when I let loose on the spanners. She was very useful when I replaced the air con rad on the Evo last year, pointing out a bolt on the floor during reassembly that otherwise would have been missed!
I like cats and have had several, but am currently relying on my 10 year old collie cross Beth to keep me right when I let loose on the spanners. She was very useful when I replaced the air con rad on the Evo last year, pointing out a bolt on the floor during reassembly that otherwise would have been missed!
I love this thread
As an ex-owner of a white 24V Senator B, (and in ABS), I can assure all that traffic made way for me, all the time. For me, traffic was still doing it, when the car was still on the road in 2007 – a great laugh! I put 110,000 miles on it, some of which was done around the speed limit.
Very comfortable, all leather, heated seats, air con, cruise, decent auto, fancy dash, not that impressive up to 80, but after that, rather remarkable, if on private roads…. Keep it to 70-75 on the motorway, and it gave 33 mpg. Drive it smoothly and it could be hustled along A-roads very well indeed. I would regularly see bikes rapidly approach from behind, headlights on, being wound up, lying on the tanks. They would see the car and think "is it?" brake heavily, creep past at 75, realise it wasn't and off they would go.
Rust got the better of it, although I almost had another car in spare parts, all doors, bumpers, full interior, 2 engines, brand new gearbox, full front and rear suspension, stuff everywhere…
I was pulled over a number of times on a routine stop by PC Traffic Plod doing random drink driving tests. I had at least 10 minutes of “Is this an ex police car? We really loved these when we had them. They don’t half go…. Etc… etc..” and then I went home.
Bye Bye H566 UFV ...RIP....
Keep up the good work Ian…
As an ex-owner of a white 24V Senator B, (and in ABS), I can assure all that traffic made way for me, all the time. For me, traffic was still doing it, when the car was still on the road in 2007 – a great laugh! I put 110,000 miles on it, some of which was done around the speed limit.
Very comfortable, all leather, heated seats, air con, cruise, decent auto, fancy dash, not that impressive up to 80, but after that, rather remarkable, if on private roads…. Keep it to 70-75 on the motorway, and it gave 33 mpg. Drive it smoothly and it could be hustled along A-roads very well indeed. I would regularly see bikes rapidly approach from behind, headlights on, being wound up, lying on the tanks. They would see the car and think "is it?" brake heavily, creep past at 75, realise it wasn't and off they would go.
Rust got the better of it, although I almost had another car in spare parts, all doors, bumpers, full interior, 2 engines, brand new gearbox, full front and rear suspension, stuff everywhere…
I was pulled over a number of times on a routine stop by PC Traffic Plod doing random drink driving tests. I had at least 10 minutes of “Is this an ex police car? We really loved these when we had them. They don’t half go…. Etc… etc..” and then I went home.
Bye Bye H566 UFV ...RIP....
Keep up the good work Ian…
Love it! Keep the stories coming.
A tenuous connection is that my old man was fleet sales at the Vauxhall dealer in Aberdeen back in the days of yore. He had a few Carltons as demonstrators, never a Senator alas, mostly with humdrum engines, but as a 15 year old the absolute highlight was the bright red GSi 3000 24v.
A tenuous connection is that my old man was fleet sales at the Vauxhall dealer in Aberdeen back in the days of yore. He had a few Carltons as demonstrators, never a Senator alas, mostly with humdrum engines, but as a 15 year old the absolute highlight was the bright red GSi 3000 24v.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff