RE: Vauxhall Nova SR: Spotted
Discussion
ch37 said:
Blast from the past, but noticed one of these on 23k miles sold for £10k on Collecting Cars recently, so whilst obviously £16.5k is a fairly big jump from that, they are clearly commanding pretty strong money regardless.
As is pretty standard for any cars like this still in good condition, it's now on one of the car raffle sites.
The one at 16k is still for sale. As is pretty standard for any cars like this still in good condition, it's now on one of the car raffle sites.
I put an identical one into a garden wall on my way to college then put the replacement white one into a lamppost coming home from my girlfriends house at 4am....... opposite my house. My dad went nuts!!!
Had a 1.4SR back in the day. The 1.3 had more character, made a nicer noise. Contemporary Citroen’s and Peugeot’s killed them but they were dirt cheap to run and fix. Stuck mine through a hedge and it was eventually px’d. Never really did anything wrong.
I love the dash layouts of this era Vauxhall, such a shame as they make nothing of note these days.
I love the dash layouts of this era Vauxhall, such a shame as they make nothing of note these days.
J4CKO said:
This made me think, Vauxhall were doing very nicely then, mid eighties to maybe 2000, these sold in huge numbers,
Frontera
Calibra
Tigra
Corsa
Cavalier/Vectra
Astra
Carlton/Senator
I know a lot get very sniffy about Vauxhalls and will just remember the list above at the end of their lives but they seemed to me to be producing a range of stuff that sold like mad and was genuinely desirable to a big percentage of the public.
It seems incredible now that a Frontera for example was a car with an enviable if inexplicable image, it was some Isuzu thing rebadged and jazzed up, but they were everywhere, short wheelbase, Long wheelbase, funky graphics and bold colours. Think they just got in on the ground floor of the SUV thing.
The Calibra was very slinky and looked like nothing else, I remember the IT manager getting one when they were new and us all marvelling at it, got a lift in it once, seemed really fast but think it was only the basic 8 valve.
The Tigra is now largely forgotten but it was like nothing else at the time and was really popular, Fords Puma was a better car but the Tigra came to market three years earlier, Ford playing catch up I guess.
The Carlton was a pretty solid effort, good looking, large range from basic 1.8's to 3.0 GSI's, Senator if you wanted posher and Lotus Carlton if you wanted faster.
Do they still sell in the same numbers, I just dont notice them, my uncle has a Vauxhall SUV but dont know anyone else that has one. I worked with a guy who bought a new Corsa like every 8 years, now there is something to look forward to....
Be interesting to know whether it went wrong or do they still sell in similar numbers ?
I think the Corsa is still the second best selling car in the UK for 2020 so far ( Fiesta in top spot ). Frontera
Calibra
Tigra
Corsa
Cavalier/Vectra
Astra
Carlton/Senator
I know a lot get very sniffy about Vauxhalls and will just remember the list above at the end of their lives but they seemed to me to be producing a range of stuff that sold like mad and was genuinely desirable to a big percentage of the public.
It seems incredible now that a Frontera for example was a car with an enviable if inexplicable image, it was some Isuzu thing rebadged and jazzed up, but they were everywhere, short wheelbase, Long wheelbase, funky graphics and bold colours. Think they just got in on the ground floor of the SUV thing.
The Calibra was very slinky and looked like nothing else, I remember the IT manager getting one when they were new and us all marvelling at it, got a lift in it once, seemed really fast but think it was only the basic 8 valve.
The Tigra is now largely forgotten but it was like nothing else at the time and was really popular, Fords Puma was a better car but the Tigra came to market three years earlier, Ford playing catch up I guess.
The Carlton was a pretty solid effort, good looking, large range from basic 1.8's to 3.0 GSI's, Senator if you wanted posher and Lotus Carlton if you wanted faster.
Do they still sell in the same numbers, I just dont notice them, my uncle has a Vauxhall SUV but dont know anyone else that has one. I worked with a guy who bought a new Corsa like every 8 years, now there is something to look forward to....
Be interesting to know whether it went wrong or do they still sell in similar numbers ?
Back in 89 though, Vauxhall would have had the Astra and Cavalier in the top 10 as well
Things are a bit different though now to 3 decades back
Seeing the recent GT86 sign off thread on here I find it interesting that the Opel Manta sold more cars in its last full year on sale in the UK than the GT86 sold in its first 3 years on sale so there was no shortage of buyers for Vauxhall/Opel stuff back then, even an old coupe/hatch outperformed by a host of 16v or turbo fwd hatches
I’d say the German badges - Audi, Merc and BMW - have increased their market shares substantially since then
vulture1 said:
Composite Guru said:
I swear I recognise that pic from a max power reader car pic?
Gio G said:
Managed to find a picture of my old Sport, no doubt got put into a hedge. Given how rare they were, someone in the same town owned one with some lovely white OZ wheels..
G
Sport would be worth a fair bit now if it had survived. The SR was the in-thing in the early mid 80s and got great reviews - just behind the sporty 205s for handling at the time ( although everyone remembers differently now from their experience of a soundly thrashed and tired example! )G
Gio G said:
Managed to find a picture of my old Sport, no doubt got put into a hedge. Given how rare they were, someone in the same town owned one with some lovely white OZ wheels..
G
Was that in St Neots? My mates brother swapped a red Nova GTE for a genuine Sport. There were only 502 made if I recall but there was another one in the next street! G
mikeswagon said:
Found this photo of the F reg one I owned, this would be around '04. This was my first, but sort of reliving my youth as when I passed my test my dad had a couple of 5drs, in hearing aid beige and a lovely shade of blue.
Just realised I still use that very same bucket and hose, no sponges now though.
That's exactly the spec mine was, F55 MGX. I had a grey "tattoo" on my finger years after selling it from when I cut my finger on the back of those metallic grey hub caps.Just realised I still use that very same bucket and hose, no sponges now though.
People mentioning rubbish brakes... I'd just sold my Y-reg Mini with drums all round and bought the Nova from a private seller. When picking it up I drove it round the corner, touched the brakes "gently" and locked up the front wheels. Happy memories.
I would sooooo love a Sport these days. That decal kit really does enhance those box arches to a tee
Alternatively an early big bumper 1.3 SR also appeals but the biggest problem is space to keep all the classified desires.
As has been said already in this thread, seems there's a lot of hate for Vaux on PH these days, and yes the current stuff is a massive borefest, however the 80/90's sporty Vauxhalls really did look the part and were genuinely good cars with great engines imo.
Alternatively an early big bumper 1.3 SR also appeals but the biggest problem is space to keep all the classified desires.
As has been said already in this thread, seems there's a lot of hate for Vaux on PH these days, and yes the current stuff is a massive borefest, however the 80/90's sporty Vauxhalls really did look the part and were genuinely good cars with great engines imo.
Dave Hedgehog said:
I had a 12 month old B reg one when i was 18
what a PoS, drove ok for the period (105gti it aint) but the avg 2ltr coke bottle has better quality plastics
i chopped it against an XR4I when i was 19 and had a years NCB
When you've gone too fast into a tight corner and the car starts to 4 wheel drift towards a field, you’re having too much fun to notice the quality of the plastics. what a PoS, drove ok for the period (105gti it aint) but the avg 2ltr coke bottle has better quality plastics
i chopped it against an XR4I when i was 19 and had a years NCB
Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Tuesday 6th October 13:21
Ahh, happy days.
cerb4.5lee said:
I've always been a Ford man, but I actually preferred the engines that Vauxhall made a fair bit more in comparison to Ford though.
Yep, me too. That entire family of OHC engines felt perky and responsive, and were always smooth and willing to rev, in a way that the reheated Anglia engines, or the execrable CVHs in the Fiesta never were.It was the same with the bigger stuff. A 2.0i Pinto Sierra wouldn't see which way a 2.0i Cavalier went, despite similar on paper outputs. The Vauxhall engine was far more willing, revvy and generally nicer to use.
Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 6th October 16:47
toon10 said:
Was that in St Neots? My mates brother swapped a red Nova GTE for a genuine Sport. There were only 502 made if I recall but there was another one in the next street!
No was in Potters Bar, Herts.. I think 500 were made officially for Homologation. I never knew whether mine was a genuine Sport, as at the time I suspect you could buy the add on's to make it into a sport from Irmscher..The log book would just suggest a base 1.3 model.Stuck a peco bore exhaust on mine, along with those twin webbers, sounded ace... well I thought it did..
G
Gio G said:
No was in Potters Bar, Herts.. I think 500 were made officially for Homologation. I never knew whether mine was a genuine Sport, as at the time I suspect you could buy the add on's to make it into a sport from Irmscher..The log book would just suggest a base 1.3 model.
Stuck a peco bore exhaust on mine, along with those twin webbers, sounded ace... well I thought it did..
G
Ah OK. Back when I was a teenager I lusted after his red GTE. It had the huge oval shaped tailpipe and he'd stuck some alloys on. I thought he was mad when he swapped for the sport at the time. It sounded great with those carbs though. Bet he wishes he still had it now. I saw a genuine one last year advertised for crazy money. Can't remember how much but I'm in my head it was about £65k!Stuck a peco bore exhaust on mine, along with those twin webbers, sounded ace... well I thought it did..
G
Limpet said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I've always been a Ford man, but I actually preferred the engines that Vauxhall made a fair bit more in comparison to Ford though.
Yep, me too. That entire family of OHC engines felt perky and responsive, and were always smooth and willing to rev, in a way that the reheated Anglia engines, or the execrable CVHs in the Fiesta never were.It was the same with the bigger stuff. A 2.0i Pinto Sierra wouldn't see which way a 2.0i Cavalier went, despite similar on paper outputs. The Vauxhall engine was far more willing, revvy and generally nicer to use.
Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 6th October 16:47
Limpet said:
Yep, me too. That entire family of OHC engines felt perky and responsive, and were always smooth and willing to rev, in a way that the reheated Anglia engines, or the execrable CVHs in the Fiesta never were.
It was the same with the bigger stuff. A 2.0i Pinto Sierra wouldn't see which way a 2.0i Cavalier went, despite similar on paper outputs. The Vauxhall engine was far more willing, revvy and generally nicer to use.
Me too. It was the same with the bigger stuff. A 2.0i Pinto Sierra wouldn't see which way a 2.0i Cavalier went, despite similar on paper outputs. The Vauxhall engine was far more willing, revvy and generally nicer to use.
Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 6th October 16:47
I'd had multiple Fords but also a few Vauxhalls by the 90s and the 4 cylinder Vauxhall engines were so much better (I never had a Vauxhall 6). It's just a shame I preferred RWD!
In 1993 I had a 1991 Sierra Sapphire 2.0GLSi with the twin-cam engine, but the 1992 Cavalier SRi I bought in 1995 had a much better engine.
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