Friday 9th May 2008

SOTW: Opel Monza

A big eighties coupe from the German Vauxhall...

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It’s a recurring theme with sheds. One minute the streets seem to be littered with this car or that car, and then one day you turn around and they are all gone. Step forward the Opel Monza. Like the Manta they used to be a fairly common sight on our roads but I can’t honestly say the last time I saw one. A bit like proper Christmas tree light LCD instruments – whatever happened to them? It looks like they disappeared with the Monza, which had good old-fashioned digital instruments twinkling in its dashboard.

It was with some surprise then that we stumbled across this mint-looking Monza this morning, and a 3.0 GSE at that. The Monza was originally Opel’s stab at the Mercedes CE and BMW 6 Series market, although it was more of a weak poke because, perhaps unsurprisingly, although these cars were popular it could never really compete on desirability.

They were born in the late seventies, covered in chrome and looked pretty dull. It was the Series 2 that was best remembered which was a far more handsome beast, featuring colour-coded plastic bumpers, larger front lights, no chrome and a digital clock. The Monza really got in its stride in 1983 though, with the unveiling of the GSE model. Digital dashboard? Check. Anthracite wheels? Check. Recaro seats? Check. This was to be part of the recipe for sporting Vauxhalls to come.

What had started off as something of an ugly duckling, by the mid-eighties the Monza had come of age. That 3.0-litre had 180bhp, pushing the Monza to 60mph in 9.0seconds and on to 133mph. In the end, the GSE was the Monza that Opel always wanted to build and it sold very well as a result. The one that we found on autotrader has just 98,000 miles, almost a year’s MOT, comes in the all-important white. It is one of the last of the GSEs, looks to be in great nick, and would be on your drive for £995. To some it may be a big old tacky Vauxhall, but for me it is utterly desirable…

Ad says: 1986 C Reg OPEL Monza 3.0 GSE

3 Doors, Automatic, Coupe, Petrol, 98,000 miles, White, MOT-03-2009. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Electric windows, Head restraints, Power assisted steering, Radio, Spoiler, Sports seats, Sunroof, Tinted glass, Towbar, TRADE CAR CENTRE 01752 260001. Insurance Group:14, room needed so to clear at this price £995

[dom101]

My mate crashed one of these things at a claimed 120+mph (ouch). Actually he walked away, with a slight scratch on his face. When he got home his missus would not believe that he hadn't been with another woman all afternoon until the tow truck followed with the mangled monza (silver 3L GSE) also! When I rode in it, it felt a damn site faster than 0-60 in 9 secs, despite it being an automatic!!! Nice find boyos!

[LukeBird]

[bencollins]

Still horribly dated yet nice, maybe a classic on the cusp of the dated to cool to classic watershed. Wonder what are the rules for this watershed??

[Moose.]

I guess he's referring to this week's shed:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[johnniek]

God another faux-hall... Bring back the S-Class.... Or a tank to run this fridge of 80's shame over...

[Strawman]

RWD is a plus, but slush box is a minus, always liked these but am not so sure now, could you put the later 24v senator engine and manual box in one?

[clonmult]

Strawman said:

RWD is a plus, but slush box is a minus, always liked these but am not so sure now, could you put the later 24v senator engine and manual box in one?

Probably, that'd make for a very, very nice q car.

[anonymous-user]

I quite like it

[markmullen]

Somewhere, in a darkened room, Jacko Lah is cracking one out at the sight of a Monza

[LukeBird]

Moose. said:

I guess he's referring to this week's shed:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Just realised that!
That article wasn't there when I was reading the headlines earlier!

[Baffled Spoon]

I've always had a soft spot for these. Lovely cars imo

[Windymiller]

If only that was a manual.... mmm... we used to pick these up from scrapyards for about £50 then cane them sideways at my mates industrial unit till they died! Happy days!

[Wigeon Incognito]

markmullen said:

Somewhere, in a darkened room, Jacko Lah is cracking one out at the sight of a Monza

Except confusingly he is now Mr Pod - for a weird moment a few days ago I thought there were two Vauxhall lovers on PH!

[Big Rod]

Strawman said:

could you put the later 24v senator engine and manual box in one?

Yup, it's been done a few times quite successfully. I was actually driving one a few weeks ago at a track day. That particular one in tuned form runs about 250 BHP. I however have a very tuned 12v for the one I'm rebuilding ATM that purportedly pumps out 260+. I really fancy dumping an SBC in there, but finances dictate that I must work with the materials to hand!!

They are very capable cars and if you can find a relatively rot free one, (And believe me, they can rot like noone's business!!), for £1k or under then it's worth having. Prices seem to be on the up a bit for them.

(And as coincidence would have it I have a Monza seat as my office chair!!)

Edited by Big Rod on Friday 9th May 12:17

[Beefmeister]

It'd be nice to have a link to the ad...

Love these Monzas - and i agree with the above - its on the cusp of being a classic...

[B'stard Child]

clonmult said:

Strawman said:

RWD is a plus, but slush box is a minus, always liked these but am not so sure now, could you put the later 24v senator engine and manual box in one?

Probably, that'd make for a very, very nice q car.

Mine on a sprint at Mallory Park last year



24V lump and 240 bhp
1400 kgs
Poly bushed everywhere
Manual 5 speed
lightweigh flywheel
M535 Clutch
Plus a whole heap of other stuff

Mine

[chunkymonkey71]

I know a guy that had one of these as his first car, aged 17!

How cool is that???



"It was acceptable in the 80's...!"

[Oli S]

[quote=Beefmeister]It'd be nice to have a link to the ad...[quote]

Here you go Mr Beefmeister. Take me for a spin if you buy it!

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/OPEL...

[Road_Terrorist]

See now this is the car they should have had in Ashes to Ashes, it's a Vauxhall (come on what British cop would have a Quattro in 1981? In fact what cop would even know what a Quattro is in 1981), it's RWD, it's a coupé, it's white. Capris have been done to death, but this is the thinking mans alternative .

[snotrag]

B'stard Child said:

Plus a whole heap of other stuff

Looks like some uprated anti roll bars wouldnt go amiss!

(Just pulling your leg, it looks a hoot)