Something Different

[Synclare]

Had a scoot down the old Fosse Way to Gaydon ( British Motor Museum) for VauxAll day as they call it. How these old queens are still around is amazing, they rusted as you drove them:

This one above does have a wodge of filler in the bottom of the wing though!

Not one China blue Mk2 Cav to be seen, they used to be everywhere, Repmobiles.

Senators were quite good looking and well proportioned with deep side glass as were Mk2 Cavs, similar to the BMW 635CSi, days before impact crash testing, all you get now is a pillar box slit to see out of.

And to finish, a Mk1 Cavalier.
Did the Mk2 Cav outsell the Ford Cortina?

 

[Gatsoburner]

Astra GTE GSI, 3.0 RWD Omega, Carlton 4x4, Vectra 2.8 VXR.
Driven.most of those in anger and absolutely brilliant, Omega was rock solid, ram stuff and it'd just stand hard as nails.
New stuff now is like watching paint dry IMO

 

[Pond]

Restoration is the watch-word with old Vauxhalls, I think.
There was a 1300SL 1972 Viva at a local show to me last month. It was immaculate......too immaculate. It had obviously had a bare shell restoration.
Probably cost ten of thousands to make nice but old Vauxhalls are not worth the money that old Fords are, so seems a bad choice to me.
Apart from the Lotus Carlton.....worth mega money.

I suppose it is all about nostalgia and which 'camp' you were in.......Luton or Dagenham? I was always a Dagenham fan (but have had a couple of GMs finest and they weren't terrible).

I think I have a Vauxhall brochure from 1982 in my loft somewhere, as my dad got a new Cavalier hatchback as a company car then (PMH 724X). I wanted the Monza, with it's sumptuous velour interior, 3 litre engine and coupe looks. I was 14 so it was only a pipe dream.

 

[Gatsoburner]

Ford guy, first car was a AVU 730Y, sunburst red XR3. Was good but XR2 Mk2 was my favourite had a few until the money sucking bin lids came along and put me in a B reg 1.1 Fiesta...

 

[Jam03]

 

[Pond]

Ford guy, first car was a AVU 730Y, sunburst red XR3. Was good but XR2 Mk2 was my favourite had a few until the money sucking bin lids came along and put me in a B reg 1.1 Fiesta...

I have had a few Fords.....
First car was a mk3 Capri BFC 372V.
Then a new company Transit D398 YLF
Then a new company Sierra F152 XOG
Along with the above I had a Mk3 XR3i HFC 480Y
Then swapped that for a MK3 RS Turbo Escort C88 MEG
Then another company Sierra sapphire J120 OUR
Then an Escort van (can't remember the regs from then on)
Then a Mondeo ST24. Worst Ford ever!
Then another Mondeo 2.0 Ghia
Then the wife had a mk5 escort 1.8si

Now the wife has a 2025 Focus ST (track pack). Best hot hatch ever IMO. (Better than my FK8 Civic Type R).

 

[Duncodin]

Years ago I drove a truck. Mostly around germany. But later in the UK mainly delivering parts to vauxhall factories in Luton or Ellsmere Port. Taking a break watching vehicles coming off the assembly line with Vauxhall or Opel badges. Some guy's job was to look at the data sheet, I suppose, to get the correct badge and trim. Vauxhall's for Ireland of course got an Opel Badge.

Only GM car I owned was a Manta (A) 1900. Back in the days when vauxhall and Opel cars weren't identical. Manta (B) was basically the same as a cavalier although they did an Opel Ascona as a Vauxhall cavlier too and did some things way different like the cavalier with the Manta B nose and the Opel Ascona boot. Quite common in the UK but to anyone in germany it looked like a cut-and-shut.