Vauxhall Nova SR: Spotted
Desperate to relive a misspent youth? This Nova should be perfect (at a price)
There are very few cars that define an era of young British car enthusiasts like a fast Vauxhall Nova. It was the hot hatch to be seen in as a teenager, at a time when cars seemed like everything to young lads and lasses. Because the internet wasn't there, and neither were smartphones, and it was likely that your TV had four channels. Or five, post-'97. If you wanted to socialise with your mates, you needed to get out. And to get out, you needed a car. And to look cool in front of your mates, you needed a Nova. It's just how it was.
The combination of potent performance, smart styling and decent value won over hordes to various SR, SRI, GTE and GSI Novas, in much the same way that the Saxo VTR and VTS emulated a few years later. This was the time, moreover, of magazines like Max Power reaching their zenith (because where else would you read about cars in the 1990s?) and the proliferation of tuning parts available for the Nova only heightened its appeal. The Corsa soon followed, but the Nova is the real small Vauxhall icon - it wasn't a Corsa that featured in a song by The Streets now, was it?
While we're now seeing the return of more and more of stuff we thought had been left somewhere at the turn of the millennium - Craig David and Kappa tracksuits to name but two - the same can't be said for the Nova. Any Nova in fact, not just the faster ones. Their cheap and cheerful status, combined with the amount that were stolen and crashed (or scrapped), mean that numbers have dwindled drastically, and seeing a Nova is now a memorable occurrence.
But seeing a Nova like this one, a 1.3 SR with just 16,000 recorded miles, will surely be cause for celebration amongst some. It unsurprisingly looks showroom fresh, paint vibrant, pinstriping perfect and upholstery pert. The advert suggests it could be turned into a show car "with little effort", and there seems no reason to doubt that from here - what a gem!
That said, you don't need us to tell you that nostalgia doesn't come cheap in 2018, seemingly anything that harks back to a simpler, more irresponsible time for buyers carries a chunky premium. That's certainly the case here, the price tag figure exceeding the odometer one at £16,495. Vauxhall Nova 1.3 SR, £16,495. That's not a mistake.
Of course £16k is huge money for a Nova, though this really does look like an unrepeatable car more than 30 years after launch - SRs in this condition simply don't exist anymore, so choice is limited if you simply must have one. Furthermore, it looks like something of a snip compared to the £66k (!) this Nova Sport sold for last year. And let's not forget, either, that Vauxhall is far from the only manufacturer afflicted by a spike in values: PH currently has two Fiesta XR2s from the 80s for sale, one at £14,950 and the other at £16,750. Makes all those 205 GTIs hanging around look like rather good value...
For some, though, it'll have to be the Nova or nothing. Because that was the car that took them to the beach that summer, provided transport for that date or got them to university against all odds. And for that reason, it seems very likely that this SR will sell to someone sooner rather than later - nostalgia is a powerful tool, after all...
SPECIFICATION - VAUXHALL NOVA 1.3 SR
Engine: 1,297cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
Power (hp): 72@N/A rpm
Torque (lb ft): 74@N/A rpm
MPG: 42.8
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1986
Recorded mileage: 16,053
Price new: £6,881
Yours for: £16,495
See the original advert here.
G
I never had a Nova but I do have fond memories of how simple things were back then. Everyone seemed to be driving first cars in this segment, Novas, Metros, Fiestas, Polos, Renault 5's and the odd Micra. All of them adorned with some sort of crap even if it was just a Pioneer sticker across the back window. It was all a bit s
t in some ways but defined an era and personally was all about getting some freedom. Good times. I have one amusing memory of a friend announcing that his parents were going to buy him a Nova SR the following weekend. He dissappeared for the weekend and turned up on the Monday in a brown Nova 'boot' (saloon). Terrible looking thing and quite rare even then. He got a lot of abuse for that.
Considering the condition I think it's worth the asking price, naturally it's for a collector, you wouldn't want to park it outside.
You could also turn the ignition on by removing the hazard warning light switch on MK2's and turning it round
They were great cars in their day.
She then traded that for a blue Nova SRI and that was also a hoot, getting across country far quicker than my Manta GTE at the time.
Through a modern objective lens they are about as tasty as a s
t sandwhich, with st sauce, served with a large side of st. For those of a certain vintage they were amazing. I would have traded various family members for one and when a friend's not unattractive mother acquired the later GSi i would frequently make sure I was present when he was collected to drink in the milf/motor combo. It was like Linda Lusardi arriving in a Countach.
Smashed it up of course then rebuilt and sold it. The XR2 that followed it was much, much better but they still hold a certain nostalgia to me. Plenty of dials, Recaro tartan seats, box arches and that big plastic front air dam
Always very popular though, and I loved the way they looked.
I got it when I was 17, no idea how much the insurance was, because I made a deal with my Dad that I saved up for the car with summer jobs, and he would cover the insurance.
It was an 87 E reg, and I passed my test in 89, so I can't imagine it was that cheap!
Yes, that's me on the skateboard too, circa 1990
It's not £16k's worth of nostalgia for me personally but I can imagine to someone who had one of these 18-20 years ago, this could bring a smile to your face.
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