So there was Team PistonHeads, just a couple of Fridays ago, most likely thinking about the weekend's first beer and unsure of what to write about given August was quiet. The news of Vauxhall's new heritage tours was ummed and ahhed about, debated as to its relevance given it was probably of quite limited interest; today it sits with 123 comments and ranking very well in terms of reads. If the news involves old Vauxhalls, it'll most likely be read on PH.
Moreover, the past few weekends have of course featured a deluge of motorsport, including the return of the British Touring Car Championship to our screens. Which has been a little odd, for a number of reasons: empty grandstands is the most obvious change, with an incredibly tight, back-to-back schedule also impossible to avoid. But the absence of Vauxhall in the championship, for the first time since goodness knows when, is another notable absentee for the 2020 BTCC. Power Maxed racing, who had been campaigning Astras, have assured fans that they will be back for 2021.
Not having something griffin-badged in British touring cars is a little weird for the simple reason that there's just always one there. Manufacturer involvement may have fallen by the wayside a while ago, but privateers have taken on the baton and there's a Vauxhall to spot somewhere on the grid. Almost regardless of age, there'll be a memorable BTCC Vauxhall somewhere in your formative years as a motorsport fan: it might be an Astra, a Cavalier or a Vectra, but there won't be any forgetting it - the liveries will have helped, as will the success.
Bring those two things together - Vauxhall celebrating its heritage, and the brand missing from BTCC - and that's how we end up here, pondering an Astra 888 from the classifieds. The 888 was Vauxhall's celebratory special from 2001, meaning it's 20 years old next year. There really was cause for celebration back then, too, Vauxhall having demolished the opposition in the first year of new regulations. It marked the beginning of a great decade for the brand in British touring cars, with championships also following in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008.
The 888 was more than just a jazzy paint job, too. Fresh from their motorsport success, Triple Eight lent a hand in setting up the fettled Astra Coupe to be more dynamically sorted than the standard Turbo. It largely succeeded too, spending some money on suspension and brake hardware and some time on tuning to make a more rewarding Astra. It wasn't suddenly Luton's Integra Type R, but the 888 was an improvement.
With just 100 registered almost 20 years ago, the effects of time and the classic Vauxhall allure, getting hold of a 888 isn't as easy as it once would have been. Which makes this one, number 38 of 100, even more of a find. It's had the same owner since 2003 and covered just 55,000 miles since new, with service history and old MOTs to support that. It really does seem an immaculate example, with even the Sparco bucket seats spared too much bolster wear.
The price? £13,994 exactly, which will have most likely caused some tea to find its way onto some keyboards - apologies. But however much it might seem to the casual observer, the 888 represents another 'find another' case in the modern classic world - they just aren't about. It's hard enough to find an Astra Coupe nowadays, let alone one of the 100-car special edition. Those after a 888 surely won't find better than this one, however, and that'll be worth a lot of the entry price all on its own.
SPECIFICATION | VAUXHALL ASTRA COUPE 888
Engine: 1,996cc four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 192@5,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 184@1,950-5,300rpm
MPG: 31.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 214g/km (NEDC)
First registered: 2002
Recorded mileage: 55,289
Price new: £N/A
Yours for: £13,994
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