My boyhood dream, immaculate 1993 Cavalier Turbo
Discussion
Coin Slot. said:
GSi's always made over book, I sold both my fecked cars for crazy money even with porous heads.
I had an SRi too, but the GSi, as well as being faster obviously, had a trip computer! So much wow back then.
Ha ha, back in the day and electric front windows were special and if you had electric windows in the back, you were a big shot! I had an SRi too, but the GSi, as well as being faster obviously, had a trip computer! So much wow back then.
I had a 1993 Turbo which I loved, I was after a Cossie but came across the Cav on a Sunday afternoon just before the garage was closing.
Had a test drive and bought in the next day.
Brilliant car, but the older it got it did start having a few niggley issue and I traded it for a Impreza Turbo, but the Cav always felt better on the road.
L65 ARY but it's long gone now.
Had a test drive and bought in the next day.
Brilliant car, but the older it got it did start having a few niggley issue and I traded it for a Impreza Turbo, but the Cav always felt better on the road.
L65 ARY but it's long gone now.
Welshbeef said:
It’s bhp per tonne isn’t massive but it will be old school turbo whoosh bang.
The bhp per tonne surprised me too, my Mini Cooper S musters more than that now. Yet back in 1993 I classed these as absolute flying machines in my head, and I don't think my Mini is very fast at all and it's funny how we perceive things. I guess 25 years is a very long time(funny how it doesn't feel it to me though!). I remember reading Performance Car magazine in 1993 and this was in a group test with a Sapphire Cosworth(always loved Ford's), but it was the Cavalier Turbo that I lusted after/wanted the most.
Ask any of us how easily we have dripped mega money into cars not as good as the one we should have bought....
You did the right thing buying the best one!
Looks fab. Spent a lot of time in 92 bombing around in a GSi2000 - I couldn’t believe that rasp was from a standard exhaust! I hate Vauxhall as a brand with a passion personally - it is for sure my least favourite of all - but I have to say the sporty versions just at this time were excellent and very desirable indeed both then and now. Great stuff!
You did the right thing buying the best one!
Looks fab. Spent a lot of time in 92 bombing around in a GSi2000 - I couldn’t believe that rasp was from a standard exhaust! I hate Vauxhall as a brand with a passion personally - it is for sure my least favourite of all - but I have to say the sporty versions just at this time were excellent and very desirable indeed both then and now. Great stuff!
That looks great, my father had one as a company car back in the day (only ford / Vauxhall on the list). Amazingly was insured on it through the company aged 17. Amazingly I didn’t crash it or kill myself, saved the crashing & stupidity for one of his later cars.
Love the fact there are still examples of this in this condition. Hoping my Z4M looks this good in another 14 years!
Love the fact there are still examples of this in this condition. Hoping my Z4M looks this good in another 14 years!
s m said:
Also love the Cavalier Turbo OP- just such a novelty.
What struck me from the figures above is how my 2017 Holden Astra RSV (Vauxhall Astra 200bhp SRI as badged here in australia) compares to the Cav:
Astra - 197bhp, 146mph top speed, 0-60 6.6, 225Ib ft, both turbo, Astra 16.6-100, - they're so close and yet 25 years apart - oh and 43mpg plays 23mpg - how times and engines have changed
Lovely OP - enjoy.
Col 666 said:
Love it! Can’t be many left nowadays.
Howmanyleft suggests 38. Curiously up my 4 from last year!https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
Edited by Fermit and Sarah on Wednesday 21st November 13:15
So managed to source this, a OEM upper intercooler pipe. So that's it decided now, the chargecooler setup is coming off, the same friend also said buried somewhere in his shed is a non-airbag steering wheel. I may have to run this along side the airbag dashboard until a black dash turns up somewhere. And also have a brand new, in packet, Genuine griffin Vauxhall badge for the grille (absolutely fuming, lost it somewhere on the trip home, hoping no one tried to nick it). Progress will be slower than usual on this tho, got another car that's draining my bank balance and for a student thats not great lol
So to resurrect this thread from the dead. Still have the old girl, not seen much of her mind. Some things happened and meant I lost the storage I had arranged for the car, ended up generously asking a friend to keep it inside his unit. Pass by maybe 6 months of the poor thing sat in the corner of this unit, looking very sorry for itself 
But under the dust was still one of the best examples of a turbo in existence I promise Haha.
The car still started first time and sounded healthy, it was only when I realised just how bad the car had got it had been this long since it had some love. Now onto the fun stuff
a very rare optional extra CD player was sourced and put in. Yes these really did onky have a cassette player as standard!
Now here's for an annoying part of the car. Somewhere in its life someone has put the later airbag steering wheel in. Being a very early 1993 example, one of the first off the production line in fact, it shouldn't have the airbags. So after much searching from everyone, and becoming £300 lighter!!!!!!
An OEM non airbag 3 spoke turbo wheel was in my possession. And the greatest thing is it matches the mileage and wear of the interior 
We ended up taking the car to a local car meet, where it had absolutely poured it down with rain. First time the car had been wet in around 15yrs! The only picture I have is a very poor one, as it was very depressing watching the old girl get rained on lol
and me looking grumpy drying it off in the meantime
That brings this car pretty much up to date, life gets in the way of these hobbies and having 2 "project" cars is too stressful!
in a much cleaner and dust free unit now which is a bonus as I no longer get shouted at by the owners clubs haha
But under the dust was still one of the best examples of a turbo in existence I promise Haha.
The car still started first time and sounded healthy, it was only when I realised just how bad the car had got it had been this long since it had some love. Now onto the fun stuff
a very rare optional extra CD player was sourced and put in. Yes these really did onky have a cassette player as standard! Now here's for an annoying part of the car. Somewhere in its life someone has put the later airbag steering wheel in. Being a very early 1993 example, one of the first off the production line in fact, it shouldn't have the airbags. So after much searching from everyone, and becoming £300 lighter!!!!!!
An OEM non airbag 3 spoke turbo wheel was in my possession. And the greatest thing is it matches the mileage and wear of the interior We ended up taking the car to a local car meet, where it had absolutely poured it down with rain. First time the car had been wet in around 15yrs! The only picture I have is a very poor one, as it was very depressing watching the old girl get rained on lol
and me looking grumpy drying it off in the meantimeThat brings this car pretty much up to date, life gets in the way of these hobbies and having 2 "project" cars is too stressful!
in a much cleaner and dust free unit now which is a bonus as I no longer get shouted at by the owners clubs haha
s m said:
Looking good
Thanks fella s m said:
Looking good
cheers matexjay1337 said:
Nice update.
The worst thing you can do is use MF towels to wipe a wet car , especially after driving, you'll just be introducing marks into the paint.
Let the wax etc do it's job. Water on the paint won't harm it :-)
It was a one off, the sun came out and i didn't want the rain to dry on it lol, it does have a ceramic coating on it so is protected from idiots like me haha. Noooo the rain is satan hahaThe worst thing you can do is use MF towels to wipe a wet car , especially after driving, you'll just be introducing marks into the paint.
Let the wax etc do it's job. Water on the paint won't harm it :-)
Honestly, it's better to let the rain dry and then wash it properly at home. The ceramic coating will be very resistant to water marks, and it's not even that hot at the moment so the water wouldn't dry :-)
It's a very hard compulsion to shake off, trust me I know
(I worked as a professional detailer for several years).
It's a very hard compulsion to shake off, trust me I know
(I worked as a professional detailer for several years).
xjay1337 said:
Honestly, it's better to let the rain dry and then wash it properly at home. The ceramic coating will be very resistant to water marks, and it's not even that hot at the moment so the water wouldn't dry :-)
It's a very hard compulsion to shake off, trust me I know
(I worked as a professional detailer for several years).
Issue is the unit she stays in is a good 20mins away from home, I hardly see the car tbh. I was only reading the LC thread and realised i hadn't updated my own in a while hahaIt's a very hard compulsion to shake off, trust me I know
(I worked as a professional detailer for several years).
Keep up the good work. It's funny seeing the rose tinted chat around the Sierra Cosworth thread in GG pop up, but for me this is objectively the better car and is just sooo much rarer.
Dad has a relatively low mileage Diamond Black one he uses. They look soo small these days when in and and around modern stuff on the roads
Exhaust wise he has a stainless system but cut the aftermarket tailpipes off and welded on the originals, that way he has a nice free flowing stainless systems with the OE looks. Maybe something to consider if you want to retain the look.
Dad has a relatively low mileage Diamond Black one he uses. They look soo small these days when in and and around modern stuff on the roads
Exhaust wise he has a stainless system but cut the aftermarket tailpipes off and welded on the originals, that way he has a nice free flowing stainless systems with the OE looks. Maybe something to consider if you want to retain the look.
Edited by NotNormal on Monday 25th November 11:29
NotNormal said:
Keep up the good work. It's funny seeing the rose tinted chat around the Sierra Cosworth thread in GG pop up, but for me this is objectively the better car and is just sooo much rarer.
Dad has a relatively low mileage Diamond Black one he uses. They look soo small these days when in and and around modern stuff on the roads
Exhaust wise he has a stainless system but cut the aftermarket tailpipes off and welded on the originals, that way he has a nice free flowing stainless systems with the OE looks. Maybe something to consider if you want to retain the look.
Slightly stalker-ish I probably have your dad on Facebook then Dad has a relatively low mileage Diamond Black one he uses. They look soo small these days when in and and around modern stuff on the roads
Exhaust wise he has a stainless system but cut the aftermarket tailpipes off and welded on the originals, that way he has a nice free flowing stainless systems with the OE looks. Maybe something to consider if you want to retain the look.
Edited by NotNormal on Monday 25th November 11:29
turbo owners are a very tight community lol. The only criticism of this from others have always been them tailpipes, the frustrating thing is it sounds very nice. Literally just like a red top, wouldn't even know it was turbocharged. A lot of growling induction noise as well. But it is an idea to do. Thanks mate Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff