My boyhood dream, immaculate 1993 Cavalier Turbo
Discussion
STattam said:
I had a spectral blue 1993 L Cav Turbo. Locked VTS transfer box. Loved it. Sold it for a vx220 Turbo but still remember the Cav more fondly. Enjoy yours hope you start to get more chance to use it.
Spectral blue is the rarest colour for them by far! I know of 4, with probably a few more tucked away. Crazy really!Looks like a few of the old team might still be around!
I bought mine in 2002 and pretty much drove the doors off it for about a decade and pretty much rebuilt it several times in the process. It was one of the first cars to get the Wallace Performance treatment when Wallace Performance was just Gav and Russ then it broke it and fixed it and broke it and fixed it and that's pretty much how it went for many many miles. It was also one of if not the first car to get a VTS locked box by VTS themselves and whilst sadly, it wouldn't drift but it'd get off the line like a scalded cat.
Thinking back, as much as I loved the car... one of the biggest plus points to ownership in the good old days was the club that supported them. The CTOR was in its infancy but even then, the number of guys and girls who moved mountains to attends meets and events up and down the country was staggering. Nobody really cared about who had the most power, who's was shiniest, lowest mileage or whatever. If you had a Cavalier Turbo and were prepared to get stuck in, you were in and that was superb. That's what I miss the most.
I took mine off the road in 2009 with a view to sorting a few bits but it escalated into a planned full restoration but life moved on and the car sat for almost 8 years in various states of disrepair until one day, having vowed I'd never part with it... I sold the running gear then sold the rolling shell on soon after and I honestly don't regret it. They're fantastic, characterful things but they are a bit crap in many ways but that's part of the charm. I've lost touch with the cars, the "scene" and sadly, almost all of the people who made ownership such a joy back in the day. That's something I regret but that was then and this is now and my interest pretty much died when it started to become more about who had a shiny one or a low mileage one. My only regret about getting rid was that I never managed to crack 200,000 miles with mine.
This is a lovely car but the price tag just boggles the mind... I remember buying a second Spectral Blue car for £1000 and it was pretty decent too so where they are today just does not compute. If only we knew then what we know now! I went through a phase of wistfully thinking I could get another, just a usable one that I wasn't precious about and relive the glory days of trying to crack 155mph en route to Adenau, chasing a mates Evo around the Borders week after week or putting 20k a year on them without a care in the world, which was rather remarkable given it seemed to spend more time being towed than it did actually driving.
Fire up the DeLorean Marty, we need to go back... or perhaps just need a reunion!
I bought mine in 2002 and pretty much drove the doors off it for about a decade and pretty much rebuilt it several times in the process. It was one of the first cars to get the Wallace Performance treatment when Wallace Performance was just Gav and Russ then it broke it and fixed it and broke it and fixed it and that's pretty much how it went for many many miles. It was also one of if not the first car to get a VTS locked box by VTS themselves and whilst sadly, it wouldn't drift but it'd get off the line like a scalded cat.
Thinking back, as much as I loved the car... one of the biggest plus points to ownership in the good old days was the club that supported them. The CTOR was in its infancy but even then, the number of guys and girls who moved mountains to attends meets and events up and down the country was staggering. Nobody really cared about who had the most power, who's was shiniest, lowest mileage or whatever. If you had a Cavalier Turbo and were prepared to get stuck in, you were in and that was superb. That's what I miss the most.
I took mine off the road in 2009 with a view to sorting a few bits but it escalated into a planned full restoration but life moved on and the car sat for almost 8 years in various states of disrepair until one day, having vowed I'd never part with it... I sold the running gear then sold the rolling shell on soon after and I honestly don't regret it. They're fantastic, characterful things but they are a bit crap in many ways but that's part of the charm. I've lost touch with the cars, the "scene" and sadly, almost all of the people who made ownership such a joy back in the day. That's something I regret but that was then and this is now and my interest pretty much died when it started to become more about who had a shiny one or a low mileage one. My only regret about getting rid was that I never managed to crack 200,000 miles with mine.
This is a lovely car but the price tag just boggles the mind... I remember buying a second Spectral Blue car for £1000 and it was pretty decent too so where they are today just does not compute. If only we knew then what we know now! I went through a phase of wistfully thinking I could get another, just a usable one that I wasn't precious about and relive the glory days of trying to crack 155mph en route to Adenau, chasing a mates Evo around the Borders week after week or putting 20k a year on them without a care in the world, which was rather remarkable given it seemed to spend more time being towed than it did actually driving.
Fire up the DeLorean Marty, we need to go back... or perhaps just need a reunion!
Edited by Davie on Monday 2nd December 20:08
Funny though, all the other contemporary cheaper turbo cars, if kept mint, would be worth a fair whack now, but I don't know about the Fuego.
Is it just so rare now that you never see a really good one to set that pricing expectation, and a perfect one really would be worth an absolute fortune? Or do they just not fit in with what appeals to people to get those big numbers?
Is it just so rare now that you never see a really good one to set that pricing expectation, and a perfect one really would be worth an absolute fortune? Or do they just not fit in with what appeals to people to get those big numbers?
HedgeyGedgey said:
STattam said:
I had a spectral blue 1993 L Cav Turbo. Locked VTS transfer box. Loved it. Sold it for a vx220 Turbo but still remember the Cav more fondly. Enjoy yours hope you start to get more chance to use it.
Spectral blue is the rarest colour for them by far! I know of 4, with probably a few more tucked away. Crazy really!
I had a one new in 1992/3. K681 LMV I think it was. A black hatchback. I liked the leather interior and it handled quite well but, like other Vauxhalls I've had, it was spoiled by the engine - which had a power band narrower than a modern diesel. It just ran out puff well before the red line. It was really frustrating as it could have been great - as I realised when I got my first Impreza Turbo in 1998.
Edited by elandri on Saturday 7th December 10:19
elandri said:
I had a one new in 1992/3. K681 LMV I think it was. A black hatchback. I liked the leather interior and it handled quite well but, like other Vauxhalls I've had, it was spoiled by the engine - which had a power band narrower than a modern diesel. It just ran out puff well before the red line. It was really frustrating as it could have been great - as I realised when I got my first Impreza Turbo in 1998.
The japs just do it better agreed, the drive of an old school jap car is like nothing elseEdited by elandri on Saturday 7th December 10:19
elandri said:
I had a one new in 1992/3. K681 LMV I think it was. A black hatchback. I liked the leather interior and it handled quite well but, like other Vauxhalls I've had, it was spoiled by the engine - which had a power band narrower than a modern diesel. It just ran out puff well before the red line. It was really frustrating as it could have been great - as I realised when I got my first Impreza Turbo in 1998.
It won't have been a Turbo if it was indeed a hatchback. (well, could have been a Turbo Diesel but I doubt that's what you're referring to) Edited by elandri on Saturday 7th December 10:19
Shakermaker said:
It won't have been a Turbo if it was indeed a hatchback. (well, could have been a Turbo Diesel but I doubt that's what you're referring to)
As said must have been a conversion. Also maybe a weak actuator as mine used to pull strong and was less leggy than the Impreza.To bump this thread back up. Not been to see the car for ages, and 2020 has been a bust for the majority of us. Uncovered the old dear and gave her a well earned day of cleaning 
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Worked out it has been around 10months since the car was started. And its due a cambelt now so chose to just push out, then back in again and under her cover. Hopefully 2021 means shows will go ahead!!!
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|https://thumbsnap.com/zAy6y1vMWorked out it has been around 10months since the car was started. And its due a cambelt now so chose to just push out, then back in again and under her cover. Hopefully 2021 means shows will go ahead!!!
What a cool car. Big big fan of Cavalier saloons. Really nice that you've got such a nice one in your Mum's memory.
Shame they're so rare now - although according to Howmanyleft there were only 800 odd in the first place.
I'm a massive Honda/Jap fan but I'm starting to get really into 90s Vauxhalls, would love a Nova GSi or Cavalier GSi. I've been watching a lot of early 90s BTCC and the Cavaliers are the best looking cars out there and had a fair bit of success at the hands of John Cleland.
What's it like to drive? Is it quite a focused drivers car with sharp handling, or more of just a top of the range, "do it all" car? It'd be an interesting car to compare to my own 90's hot saloon (Accord Type-R) as they have similar power, while the Accord is a smidge lighter. Interestingly they both have quite similar death rates - the Accords often suffer the same fate as these Cavaliers, they got cheap and rusty, and people rip them apart to build hot Civics (or Corsas/Novas in the Cavalier's case)
I'm quite fancying the idea of getting my hands on a GSi at some point and pretending I'm Mr Cleland, probably more appropriate to do this with a GSi as they're FWD and N/A so should be able to do some track time without much going wrong.
Is it a bit painful keeping it away from home? I'd hate to have something like that but not be able to see it whenever I wanted to
Very very cool car. I'd walk straight past a Sierra Cosworth to get into one of these.
Shame they're so rare now - although according to Howmanyleft there were only 800 odd in the first place.
I'm a massive Honda/Jap fan but I'm starting to get really into 90s Vauxhalls, would love a Nova GSi or Cavalier GSi. I've been watching a lot of early 90s BTCC and the Cavaliers are the best looking cars out there and had a fair bit of success at the hands of John Cleland.
What's it like to drive? Is it quite a focused drivers car with sharp handling, or more of just a top of the range, "do it all" car? It'd be an interesting car to compare to my own 90's hot saloon (Accord Type-R) as they have similar power, while the Accord is a smidge lighter. Interestingly they both have quite similar death rates - the Accords often suffer the same fate as these Cavaliers, they got cheap and rusty, and people rip them apart to build hot Civics (or Corsas/Novas in the Cavalier's case)
I'm quite fancying the idea of getting my hands on a GSi at some point and pretending I'm Mr Cleland, probably more appropriate to do this with a GSi as they're FWD and N/A so should be able to do some track time without much going wrong.
Is it a bit painful keeping it away from home? I'd hate to have something like that but not be able to see it whenever I wanted to
Very very cool car. I'd walk straight past a Sierra Cosworth to get into one of these.
HedgeyGedgey said:
To bump this thread back up. Not been to see the car for ages, and 2020 has been a bust for the majority of us. Uncovered the old dear and gave her a well earned day of cleaning |https://thumbsnap.com/iQ6TNo6v[/url]
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/rR4MWd2Y[/url]
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/zAy6y1vM
Worked out it has been around 10months since the car was started. And its due a cambelt now so chose to just push out, then back in again and under her cover. Hopefully 2021 means shows will go ahead!!!
Well worth giving it a good run lockdown is released now so you can drive pretty much anywhere. Enjoy it that’s what it’s for. |https://thumbsnap.com/iQ6TNo6v[/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/rR4MWd2Y[/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/zAy6y1vMWorked out it has been around 10months since the car was started. And its due a cambelt now so chose to just push out, then back in again and under her cover. Hopefully 2021 means shows will go ahead!!!
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