12 times Vauxhall got it right

A dozen Griffin greats

We don’t mean to be derogatory when we say Vauxhall typically produces thoroughly average cars. It’s simply a by-product of where it’s positioned in today’s market, offering good-value motoring for the cost-conscious buyer.

But over the past century the Luton-based marque has also given car enthusiasts some excellent halo products, whether in its earliest days as an independent maker of luxurious automobiles, or homologation specials created during the Dealer Team Vauxhall glory days, or even joint high-performance projects developed with Lotus and Holden – there’s plenty to get our pulses racing.

Here, in chronological order, are 12 classic Vauxhalls that make us pine for a Griffin great…

1. 1911 Prince Henry

According to Vauxhall, the Prince Henry is now ‘acknowledged as Britain’s, if not the world’s, first true sports car’. It all started when Laurence Pomeroy, Vauxhall’s chief engineer, entered three ‘C-10’ chassis in the 1910 Prince Henry Trophy, a 1230-mile German trial designed to discover the world’s best all-round touring car.

Driven by Vauxhall MD Percy Kidner and co-directors AJ Hancock and Rudolf Selz, the C-10s didn’t win any awards but did finish the gruelling marathon, leading to the ‘Prince Henry Type’ road car as produced from 1911 to 1914, which cost £515 new just for the chassis.

1911 Prince Henry (cont.)

The first models used a 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine capable of 20hp, expanding to 4.0 litres and 25hp later in production. The Autocar described the Prince Henry as ‘a particularly fast, light car for road work’, and Vauxhall guaranteed ‘more than 90mph’ when fitted with a single-seat body’. Blimey.

The red and silver 3.0-litre car pictured was originally registered in Sligo, Ireland, and has been owned by Vauxhall since 1946.

2. 1919 OE-type 30-98

The Prince Henry evolved into the 30/98, in series production from 1919 until 1927.

Here a 4224cc four-cylinder engine makes a lively c112bhp and many were sold with a tourer body, including the 1926 car pictured – in fact, this car is still owned by Vauxhall and features a body crafted by in-house coachbuilder Velox.

Fitted with a high axle ratio and minimalist coachwork (such as those produced by Wensum with no doors or hood and flared wings), however, the 30-98 was good for a factory-warranted 100mph – making it the fastest British production car of its time.

1919 OE-type 30-98 (cont.)

Indeed, the Vauxhall OE-type 30-98 was the UK’s first catalogued 100mph car.

Around 600 were produced in period, and Vauxhall says about 170 survive to this day – good going considering the youngest are now 95 years old.

A centre throttle, weak brakes (to the right of the throttle) and a heavy flywheel make the 30-98 a challenge to drive, but that hasn’t stopped Vauxhall’s heritage car racking up some 25,000 miles in 12 years on various events.

3. 1970 SRV concept

One of only four Vauxhall concept cars ever produced, the SRV – for Styling Research Vehicle – was designed by GM design boss Wayne Cherry in Luton and produced on-site by a skilled group of fabricators, before being unveiled at the 1970 Earls Court Motor Show.

The SRV arrived as Vauxhall and Opel were merging, and made for a timely – if ultimately unsuccessful – reminder of the creative talent GM’s British operation could muster.

1970 SRV concept (cont.)

Inspiration came from both motorsport and aerospace. The glassfibre monocoque body measured 16ft 8in from nose-to-tail and riffed on streamlined Le Mans racers (the Porsche 917 was dominant at the time), while its aerodynamics were inspired by aerospace – a manometer used Pitot tubes to measure pressure over the nose and tweak the front aerofoil, for instance.

A spacious four-seater, Vauxhall’s SRV used two relatively conventional if extremely long front doors with smaller rear-hinged ‘hatches’, as Cherry described them, to allow access to the rear seats – a neat trick that would later reappear on the Mazda RX-8.

Power – theoretically, at least – came from a compact twin-cam turbocharged engine mounted transversely amidships.

4. 1973 Droop Snoot Firenza

The SRV concept might not have directly influenced a road car, but the design team’s fascination with aerodynamics certainly spilled over into the ‘Droopsnoot’ – or Firenza HP (for High Performance) to give the two-door coupé its official name.

Based on the Magnum Coupé (itself a higher-spec/more potent Firenza – it was a bit of a muddle), it received a Concorde-like nose a few years before the Mk2 Escort RS 2000 got a similar treatment.

1973 Droop Snoot Firenza (cont.)

There was go to match the show, too – a 2.3-litre engine featured hand-finished combustion chambers, inlet tracts and valve throats to liberate 131bhp, 0-60mph in 7.6 secs and a 120mph top speed.

Just 204 were produced from a planned 1000-car run due to that pesky oil crisis, but the ‘Droop Snoot’ is fondly remembered by enthusiasts.

This is partly because it’s forever synonymous with the Firenza-derived ‘Baby Bertha’ run by Dealer Team Vauxhall, tuned by Bill Blydenstein and raced by Gerry Marshall.
 

5. 1978 Royale

Launched just as the Vauxhall-Opel marriage was being consummated, the Royale was a badge-engineered version of the Opel Monza coupé.

Built alongside its sibling on the Rüsselsheim line and offered initially from October 1978 with a carb-fed 2.8-litre straight-six (the car pictured), a 3.0-litre fuel-injected model came along from late 1980.

1978 Royale (cont.)

The Royale was an alternative to the E12 and E28 BMW 5 Series, and the Mercedes-Benz 123-series models of the time, and was more affordable but still impressively engineered (this was the first big Vauxhall coupé and Luton’s first model with full independent suspension, courtesy of semi-trailing arms).

It was also more generously equipped as standard than its German rivals, with factory luxuries including crushed-velour trim, a tilt-and-slide sunroof, electric front windows and even an electric aerial. Air conditioning was a cost-option.

The Royale was replaced by the Opel Monza in October 1982.

6. 1978 Chevette HS and HSR

The Chevette HS was Vauxhall’s first true homologation special, the 400-unit minimum run being conceived purely so Dealer Team Vauxhall could take the fight to the Mk2 Ford Escort in rallying.

Early competition cars used Lotus heads and ZF gearboxes, though road cars have the in-house 2.3-litre slant-four from the Magnum, with a special 16-valve twin-cam cylinder head and a Getrag gearbox.

The axle, brakes and suspension were a lift from the Kadett C GT/E, the alloys from the Chevy Vega. Silver paint, and a deeper airdam and spoilers, brought to mind the Droop Snoot, too.

1978 Chevette HS and HSR (cont.)

With 135bhp and 120mph flat out, the HS was a strong performer, but Vauxhall struggled to shift them, partly explaining the HS-X.

This was a limited-edition dealer special resprayed in black, which added £1400 to the £5107 list. Just 10 were built.

The last batch of 33 Chevette HSs evolved into the HSR for 1980, with better location for the rear suspension and flared wheelarches. Tony Pond won five international events driving Chevette HSRs in 1981.

7. 1983 Mk1 Astra GTE

Overshadowed then and now by the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Mk1 Vauxhall Astra GTE was its match in many respects, and certainly a finer car than Ford’s Escort XR3 (full disclosure: this writer owned one).

The earlier 1.3 SR and then 1.6 SR were toes in the (tepid) water before the GTE arrived. Visually, the GTE colour-coded the wide-arched bodykit (and rather oddly removed the SR’s rear roof spoiler), plus subtly changed the design of the 14in alloys and excellent Recaro seats.

1983 Mk1 Astra GTE (cont.)

Most crucial of all, however, was the 1.8-litre fuel-injected four-cylinder engine under the bonnet.

Good for 115bhp, or a useful bump over the 1.6 SR’s 90bhp, it made the most of the GTE’s nicely set-up chassis.

Only black, silver, red and white were offered, the latter with colour-coded wheels, too. In the UK you’ll only find them on Y-, A- and B-plates, the latter cars getting shorter gearing for improved acceleration.
 

8. 1985 Nova Sport

Launched in 1985, the Vauxhall Nova Sport was a rally homologation-special version of the Nova SR that was designed for the 1300cc class and helped launch the career of Colin McRae.

Cars arrived from the Spanish factory as white base models fitted with the SR’s 13in steel wheels, 1.3-litre 13SB engine/five-speed gearbox and Daytona Check Recaro interior.

Font of all knowledge the Nova Sport Register believes the Irmscher decal set was actually added at the docks, before the cars were dispatched to Vauxhall dealers.

1985 Nova Sport (cont.)

The GM Dealer Sport Kit was then waiting to be fitted at the dealer. It included twin Weber DCOE 40 carbs, an Irmscher inlet manifold, ENEM camshaft, a relocation bracket kit for the alternator and a 2in Ashley rear silencer.

All in, the kit boosted power from 75bhp to 93bhp and dropped the 0-60mph time to 8.5 secs, around 2 secs faster than the SR.

Just 502 were produced and today the Nova Sport is highly sought-after – a fully restored example was recently advertised for £22,000! The car pictured is a recreation that sold for £8600 on Collecting Cars in 2022.
 

9. 1990 Lotus Carlton

Lotus boss Mike Kimberley pitched the idea of a Lotus Carlton (or Omega, for Opel markets) following GM’s takeover of Lotus in January 1986 – the logic being it’d bring some extra stardust to a well-engineered if somewhat bland brand.

Based on the 3.0-litre 24-valve Carlton (actually shipped complete from Rüsselsheim, then stripped at Hethel), the Lotus straight-six went to 3.6 litres with twin Garrett T25 turbos and numerous internal revisions.

This was enough for a monster 377bhp and 415lb ft of torque, way beyond the BMW M5 benchmark with its 315bhp and 266lb ft (and also the Ferrari 348 and Porsche 911 turbo). The ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette donated its transmission, the V8 Commodore its rear diff.

1990 Lotus Carlton (cont.)

Chassis and suspension changes included speed-sensitive power steering and self-levelling suspension from the Senator, and there were AP Racing brakes.

The bodykit, 17in Ronal alloy wheels and Imperial Green paint were unique to the model, as was an anthracite-leather interior.

Just 950 examples were produced from 1990 until 1992, 296 of them Lotus Carltons for the UK market. Number 950 – another Carlton – literally fell off the Rüsselsheim production line and mysteriously arrived at Lotus later.

10. 1990 Calibra

Dismissed as a two-door Cavalier (well…) by some when it arrived in the UK in June 1990, the Vauxhall Calibra’s stylish coupé bodywork, letterbox headlights and tapering roofline made it the world’s most aerodynamic production car for a decade with a Cd of only 0.26 in its most cost-effective and unadorned 8v trim (a still impressive 0.29Cd for all other models).

Plus, that Cavalier GM2900 platform gave it the best rear-seat room in its class, there was a liftback tailgate to access a decent boot and at least the chassis was sharpened up a little.

1990 Calibra (cont.)

Three different versions of GM’s familiar 2.0-litre engine were offered, first in either wheezy 115bhp 8- or punchier 150bhp 16-valve format much like the Mk2 Astra GTE.

The latter was also available with all-wheel drive until the 2.0-litre Turbo (shared with the Cavalier GSi) took over as the all-wheel-drive offering in 1992, which with 204bhp played in Escort Cosworth territory.

A 2.5-litre V6 focused more on sophistication, with a relatively mild 168bhp, front-wheel drive and a load more weight over the front axle.

Only later Calibras were galvanised, explaining why pre-facelift examples – prettier without the pre-chrome ‘V’ grille – are so rare today.

11. 2000 VX220

Developed in tandem with the S2 Elise, the 2000-2005 Vauxhall VX220 (or Opel Speedster) helped Lotus build a business case for a new Elise when faced with stricter new crash regulations.

You’ll still find an extruded-aluminium chassis beneath the glassfibre bodywork, though a VX220 is a little longer, wider and more usable than its sibling from Hethel – all VXs are slightly softer than an Elise, too.

Vauxhall used its own engines, which defined the three versions: a naturally aspirated 2.2 with 145bhp, a 2.0 Turbo with 197bhp and, late on, the VXR220 – a Turbo with an uprated chassis, brakes and 220bhp that was limited to just 65 units.

2000 VX220 (cont.)

Some say the lighter 2.2 is better (at 870kg it is 60kg lighter than turbocharged models), but Lotus chassis engineers favoured the Turbo for its better body control – Lotus chassis guru Gavan Kershaw led development.

VX220s are a delight to drive, but they can catch out the unwary – three were crashed on the first day of the press launch in Spain, and early in his career, this writer watched an instructor disappear backwards into a tyre wall at Castle Combe, minutes after he’d cautioned against doing the same.

12. 2003 Monaro

Back in the Lotus Carlton’s day, Vauxhall’s big rear-wheel-drive saloons still shared DNA with their muscular Australian counterparts.

That link was about to disappear by 2003 (with the end of Vauxhall Omega production) when a crack team from Luton decided to bring in the rear-drive, V8 (and right-hand drive) Monaro from Holden Special Vehicles’ Melbourne plant.

Both utter madness and stroke of genius, UK imports were badged Vauxhall Monaro VXR, and featured a 6.0-litre LS2 V8 engine producing 347bhp and 369lb ft, all of which went through the rear wheels. Just like the VX220, Lotus man Kershaw again fed into development, tweaking the rear suspension for better purchase on UK roads.

2003 Monaro (cont.)

The limited-edition VXR500 upped the ante still further with a Harrop supercharger installed by Vauxhall dealer Greens of Rainham. Power rose to 500bhp with an equal helping of torque.

Lifelong car guy Bob Lutz got in on the act, too, badging the Monaro a Pontiac GTO in the US and suggesting Holden might become GM’s rear-wheel-drive specialist – until Pontiac died during the financial crisis.

Holden itself stopped producing cars in 2017.