Hatch Heaven

The 1984 Vauxhall Nova RS took 10.6 seconds to get from 0-60 MPH and had a top speed of 103. It has a 1.3 liter OHC engine that produced 70 HP and was linked to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With its upgraded suspension, low profile tires and a pair of purposeful spoilers, it had a fairly enjoyable ride.

The special edition 1992 Vauxhall Nova Sri had a multi-point, fuel-injection 1.4 liter engine with a catalytic converter that was described by What Car magazine as “Crisply-responding, smooth-revving and muscular”. It delivered 82 BHP through a five-speed gearbox. It had special sports suspension and upgraded shock absorbers, as well as an anti-roll bar and grippy 14″ low profile tires. It was pretty good looking too, with its aerodynamic spoilers, sports wheels, sports front seat and tinted glass. Other standard features included electric front windows, central locking and a top security radio/cassette. It was available in Glacier White, Breeze Blue, the pictured Flame Red and the optional Black. It was priced at £9,805.

There is no better way to describe the 1992 Vauxhall Nova Luxe+ than to list its remarkable range of luxury features. Central locking 14″ cross-spoke alloy wheels, electric front windows, body colored door mirrors, tinted glass, security coded stereo radio/cassette with RDS and remove bale display, four speakers, electric headlamp leveling system, fully reclining front seats with adjustable cloth-trimmed open-type head restraints, quartz clock, cigar lighter, Sabadell velour seat trim and fully trimmed door panels, locking fuel cap, internally adjustable door mirrors… the list goes on. Two powertarin options included a 1.2i or 1.4i fuel-injected engine with Cat and while this Luxe+ is a five-door, it was also available in a three-door hatch. They were both available in Glacier White, Flame Red, Metalic Star Silver, Metalic Silk Violet, Peralescent Lagoon Blue and Satin Red. The Vauxhall Nova Luxe+ show here is a 1.4i and had an MSRP of £9,195.

Putting an “E” after a Vauxhall model name was the brand’s way of telling you that you were getting a high level of specification at a really down-to-earth Price. The 1976 Vauxhall Chevette E had an MSRP of £1,636 and was equipped with a 1256cc engine, dual circuit, servo-assisted braking system, front disc brakes and self adjusting rear drum brakes. The interior included standard fittings such as loop pile carpeting, reclining front seats, two speed wipers with a single wipe feature, a heater and demister with two-speed booster fan, a deep front parcel shelf, fitted front seat belts and much more. The back gave you 12 cubic feet of luggage space and if you needed more, just fold down the rear seats and that got you up to 35.3 cubic feet of space. It had an 11 stage body protection and full underbody seal with a 12 month unlimited warranty. All that, and it got 45.3 MPG.

The 1985 Vauxhall Nova 3-Door was part of a 16 model range and became of of Britain’s top ten sellers because they were remarkably well equipped with features like head restraints, halogen headlights a dipping rear view mirror and an intermittent tailgate washer/wiper. In addition to the side stripes and a laminated windscreen, they also included a clock and door pockets for good measure. All Novas benefitted from improved suspension and a completely new range of trim fabrics. You could even get the sporty 1.3 engine from the speedy SR in the L and GL models.

The 1985 Vauxhall Nova 5-Door was part of a 16 model range and became of of Britain’s top ten sellers because they were remarkably well equipped with features like head restraints, halogen headlights a dipping rear view mirror and an intermittent tailgate washer/wiper. In addition to the side stripes and a laminated windscreen, they also included a clock and door pockets for good measure. All Novas benefitted from improved suspension and a completely new range of trim fabrics. You could even get the sporty 1.3 engine from the speedy SR in the L and GL models.

The 1972 Vauxhall Viva HC had two engine options, a 1256cc and a 1600cc. It got 35.2 MPG with a top speed of 85 MPH. It offered five feet of luggage space with the back seats down. Deep-sprung body-contoured seats, through-flow heating and ventilation, face-level adjustable fresh-air vents and a two speed heater and demister. Its body was 28% thicker than its major rivals and had a heat sealed acrylic paint finish. Safety came from its tandem master cylinder braking system, safety steering column and included front seat belts. The price included factory-applied underbody seal and multi-stage phosphate rust-proofing treatment.  The Viva 1256cc had an MSRP of £996 and the Viva 1600cc of £1.071.

The limited edition 1980 Vauxhall Chevette Sun-Hatch had a detachable sunroof not to mention a shower of other extras. It had tinted glass all around, sport wheels and special color metallic paint with finishing touches like amber side flashers and side moldings. Some interior features included front head restraints, a clock and a push button radio.

The 1987 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 130 MK2 had a 2.0 liter fuel injected engine, controlled by the Bosch Motronic management system which monitored injection and ignition timing 400 times a second. This high compression unit produced 130 HP making it the most powerful Cavalier to date. It was front wheel drive and came with alloy wheels and low profile tires. It also boasted a superb security coded 4-speaker stereo radio/cassette. It had an MSRP of £10,740.

Even the red, yellow and red stripe on the hood and rear of this Limited Edition of 500, 1985 Vauxhall Nova Sport was cool. But don’t be deceived by the pristine appearance, with its 5J rims and low profile tires, color-coded flush wheel trims and stiffened suspension , its 1.3 liter engine delivered 93 HP making it more than a passing resemblance to the car that contested the “up to 1300cc class” of the Group A British Open Rally Championship. It has a top speed of 112 MPH with a 0-60 time of 8.9 seconds.

The 1982 Vauxhall Cavalier ‘s model range included a front wheel drive 1.3, 1.6 and a rear wheel drive 1.6L. They all had a inline 4 cylinder engine, but the 1598 cc in the 1.6 developed 90 HP. A 4-speed manual was standard, but there was an option for a 5-speed in the GLS only. It had front independent MacPerson struts, coil springs and stabiliser bar and rear torsion bean axle, semi trailing arms and stabiliser bar. Other standard features included servo disc/drum brakes, rack and pinion steering, This 2,282 pound hatchback had a top speed of 102 MPH with a 0-60 rating of 12.1 seconds. It had a fuel economy rating of 46.3 MPG.

The 1980 Vauxhall Bedford Chevanne’s long life power unit was developed from the well-proven 1,256cm, four-cylinder, over-head-valve petrol engine of the Vauxhall Chevette cars and HA light vans.

To help keep fuel costs down, it was fitted with proven fuel saving features like a viscous-coupling fan and a thermostatically controlled pre-heat induction system. It produced 52.8 BHP net installed power, yet with its specially developed cylinder head and 7,3 to 1 compression ratio it requires only 2-star fuel. When GM’s automatic transmission was specified, a higher compression (8,7 to 1) version needing 4-star fuel is fitted to give 56.3 BHP net installed power.

Chevanne’s four-speed, all-synchromesh manual gearbox was engineered specifically to match the power, torque and weight, to give the right ratio to any situation. It is driven through a clutch which, though “heavy-duty” in design to cope with punishing  stop-start urban delivery, is light and positive in action for smooth transmission of power. You could also specify GM‘s smooth automatic transmission which included a high-compression engine, heavy duty battery, heavy duty front suspension and a cut-pile cab carpet. (image source: John Lloyd)

If you like the looks of the 1979 Vauxhall Chevette Black Magic then you’ll really like how it goes because lurking under the bonnet is a 2279cc single cam engine coupled to a close-ratio five speed Gertrag gearbox, similar to that in the Chevette 2300HS.

The single cam engine is standard production form delivered 118 BHP and had achieved a string of of victories at championship levels in its more powerful rally version. Inside, the level of luxury was promoted as “decadent” with front seats that were contoured in real leather, the dashboard was styled in real wood and the carpet was so thick that “your feet disapear”. The stereo/radio was said to put home systems to shame with individually tunable speakers in the doors. It was probably the most luxurious small car on the road at the time. (image source: John Lloyd)

A special variant of the Vauxhall Magnum estate, known as the Sportshatch, was produced in limited numbers (197) in 1976. This model used the “droopsnoot” nose cone, which had been designed by Wayne Cherry, Vauxhall’s Chief Design Engineer to be used in the HP Firenza Droop Snoot model. In Trevor Alder’s book “Vauxhall – The Post War Years” mention is made of a HP Firenza Sport Hatch prototype which was a one-off and was painted in silver starfire, with a six light version of the droop snoot nose and also sharing the Viva/Magnum estate body shell. (source: Wikipedia)