Hey, that's my old car! I got it from Nelson few years back because I accidentally bought it at the pub while trying to talk a mate into it. We flew down and raced it home to Wellington via every brewery we could find. I put a clutch in it a decade earlier when I was in Auckland. Swapped it for a Buick LeSabre if I remember right, I have problems.
Always liked the Mk2 SRi. It just looked right for the time. Loved the Recaro's too. Pretty much every salesman in 80's Uk had one :) Always amazes me how cars sold in the millions disappear from roads so quickly.
The knob on the side of the seat is for folding the backrest forward, which Recaros always had because most of them were put into 2-door cars and they didn't make a separate version without it for 4-door cars.
My divisional director had one about then. I had to pick it up from the garage after a service once, which involved reversing out onto Southwark Bridge Road. At the time, I had a Golf with a pretty heavy clutch. The CD was an automatic, which I was unused to. I backed out, knocked it into Drive, and sped off before the traffic caught up. Then I made the mistake of trying to grab second gear. It wasn't what I did with the gear shift was the problem - it was my attempt to disengage the clutch that put me sideways across the road. Fortunately, London drivers seem to be able to cope with most things, so nobody actually drove into me.
My Dad had a CD Carlton (for a few weeks before figuring out that it was rolled, repaired and sold without that advertised) with those features too, I was very impressed as a kid.
Definitely the best version of the SRi with the early, quicker ratio steering rack, the 6 dial instrument panel, proper Recaro seats, Bilstein suspension in original form and, as memory serves, slightly closer ratios on the gearbox which was shared with the mk1 Astra GT/E and Opel Kadett GSi. The build quality on the earlier cars was generally a lot better too as most of the early SRis, and the predecessor SR, were built in the Opel factories in Belgium or Germany. Sadly, they're almost extinct in the UK now, having been killed off by boy racers, rust and pretty minor MoT issues making them uneconomic to repair. I was lucky enough to be around and driving when these early cars were still around in numbers so I've driven lots of them and owned 3, plus an SR and a post-1985 face-lift car. If I could find and afford another one I'd have it tomorrow, they really are lovely and affordable sports saloons that prove if you want to move swiftly and carry your family and their kit around you don't need to get a BMW. The later cars just got softer, flabbier and slower... The plastic strip along the bottom of the front valance would have been original equipment on all early Cavaliers. It's so unusual to see them now as they usually fell off pretty quickly due to being made from a plastic that could get brittle quite quickly so the clips snapped off and nobody every bothered to replace them. It used to be very common to see/run over them lying in the road, especially on motorways, where they'd dropped off a hard-driven retired repmobile... Yes, there was a 2-door Cavalier saloon, only in the very early cars, I think it got killed off for the UK market in either 1983 or 1984. They were almost all base spec, often with the 1300 engine, though a number were built for Motability with the 1600 lump and auto box. They were absolute death on the used car market, you could barely give them away and I imagine the vast majority of the not very many that were sold in the UK have long since had their date with the crusher. That body, however, did continue with Opel for a long time and maybe right up to the end of mk2 Cavalier/Ascona C production as larger 2-door saloons were more popular, there was even a 2-door version of the mk1/2 Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Rekord that was a big seller in a variety of European markets right up to the aerodynamic Carlton/Opel Omega A was launched in 1986. It was a bit of a missed opportunity for Vauxhall not to build a 2-door Cavalier SR and SRi as it could have sold well to people who wanted something bigger than the Astra GT/E and more upright and cheaper than the Manta GT/E, although there was a 2-door sporty Ascona in Europe... The handles on the sides of the Recaro seats in early SRis are for tilting the seats. The seats were also used in the Opel Manta GT/E and the mk1 Astra GT/E, both of which were two passenger doors only in the UK, though the Opel Kadett D GSi was available in 5-door form in European markets. With most of the vehicles that used those seats requiring tipping seats then it made sense for GM to just buy in tipping seats and use them in everything rather than buying smaller quantities of non-tipping seats which would have cost more due to economies of scale. So, early Cavaliers with the Recaro seats had tipping front seats even though, in the UK, they were only available as 4-door saloons and 5-door hatchbacks and, therefore, were not requiring them...
The Mk II Cavalier was a wonderful 'Mile-Eater!' I had a Base Model 1.6 (Not even an L) in 1984 - Slime Green throughout! - But forget the colour, it went around the clock twice! - Never failed!
I miss mine. Silver over graphite saloon. Was reasonably pokey enough to encourage hooliganism. Loved the Recaro seats. Wouldn’t mind another and give it the red top treatment. One brilliant thing (car designers and manufacturers please take note) was the ease of service. I could change CV boots in ten mins without splitting a balljoint and swap a clutch out in half an hour due to the clever gearbox design.
I had a blue mk. 2 Cav in lowly L spec for a while, the front of the roof had gone rusty along the top of the windscreen! Also a mate had a white 1.8 LXi hatch that he used to drive like he stole it, many memories of him flying past us on the way back from Ciders, he got a motorbike a few years later and I'm sad to say died after coming off it. RIP Deckka.
Our best friends were Vauxhall dealers at the time and this was one of Vauxhalls better efforts. They were a bit easy to steal if I remember correctly. My last company car was a Mk3 Cav V6 in 94 which I really liked. My only ever GM car !
The 1983 SRi was an interesting beast - we had one from 1983 to 1986. It did have firmer suspension than the rest of the Cavalier range. The engines tended to be great from new but performance dropped off after about 36,000 miles. Your criticism of the wide gearing was addressed round about 1984/5 if I remember rightly with a closer ration gearbox becoming standard fit on the SRi compared with other Cavaliers. When new it absolutely was a sports car - especially when you think a lot of fleet drivers will have upgraded to it from an old 2.0 Ford Cortina...
I remember my Cavaliers well, owned them back in the early 90s. The first one was a 1983 Y reg hatchback, as of my first cars after passing my test in 1990, but then I got a much nicer one, a 1985 1.8 CDi top of range hatchback, which was a really great car, still remember the reg B497SNX. When Hubnut was talking about the position of the rear wiper being on the drivers side from 1984 onwards, I had to go and check an old photo of my 1985 model, and indeed he was right, it did park on the drivers side, and this was something I never realised about the difference between early Mk2 Cavaliers and later ones. I fitted a tailgate trim that went between the back lights under the number plate that was fitted to later Mk2 models to my own B reg CDi, which instantly made it look newer than it really was, and if I remember rightly, it also had headlight wipers, which I know Mr Hubnut loves ! Really nice cars, but they did have a bit of a "sales rep" image to them and I was not seen as very "cool" to be 19 years old and driving a Vauxhall Cavalier CDi, when other lads my age were driving Astra SRi, 205 Gti, Golf Gti models. I always liked the hatchback shape of the Mk2 as it reminded me of the Rover SD1, which I also wanted to own, but would not have been able to afford to run at my age back then.
My dad had an 85 B 1.6 L the car of my childhood. Loved seeing the lights and the high lip the curse of every dad lifting bikes and suitcases in and out. My dads was just a sea of blank switches making us dream of the delights of higher spec models! Our rear wiper went beyond its stopping point once and gouged the paint away on the boot lid. Happening in the dark on a wet motorway towing the caravan home from somewhere. Did anyone else get static electric shocks off the seats on hot summers days? Thanks for the memories. What a great car.
Nice to see an SRi again. Owned a 7 year old 130 Sri in 1995 and went on a driving holiday to Czech Republic for 3 weeks in it. Comfy, quick, ultra reliable and got lots of appreciative nods and thumbs up crossing Germany flat out on the autobahns. Not a sports car, never designed or marketed as such, but a very capable mile munching medium sized saloon or hatch. One of Vauxhalls best efforts IMHO
I remember my Dad renting one of these for our family holiday. The thing I liked most was that I could lift the parcel shelf to access the boot, cheekily stealing the picnic goodies.
When a Citroen 2CV driver says ' That's quite a lot of roll' - you need to take note! The cavalier has good gear ratios, as I can testify, having hired one for long distance motorway driving back in the Eighties. Good review - as always!
My dad had an ‘88 LX saloon in gunmetal grey that I was allowed to drive to school in the 6th form! Took all my gear to university in its huge boot. Loved driving it down the A44 to Aberystwyth!
Had a clicking sound from the clutch pedal on mine which turned out to be the bulkhead was cracked, quickly fixed by cable tying the clutch pedal bracket and trading it in !
I've a bit of a soft spot for the mk2 cavalier, owned a y reg 1.6 L in white with orange interior, then a SRi 130 in red. I still remember the reg F261OFA. Bloody quick and handled well, one car I regret selling......
I had a 83 y reg white sri hatch in 1991 when I was twenty loved it always preffered the cavalier over the seirra had six of them over the years then went on to vectras wich were never as good as the cavalier.
More that a few friends had Cavaliers of one form or the other with most of them wanting a SRi at some point. I have lots of memories of doing many miles in a SRi. The one that has the most memories was a quite tired SRi 130 saloon a friend picked up for very little. It looked very much past its best but went far better than it looked. Agreed on the LX and LXi. We had them on fleet when the mk2 cavalier was coming to the end of its life as a runout model before the mk3 cavalier arrived. Another roadtest that brings back so many good times from more than a few years ago now.
I had one of this car , but 2 doors here in Brazil, they were the Chevrolet monza here, and also had a saloon facelift version between 1991 and 1996. Thanks for the video, and many greetings from Brazil!
An apprentice mechanic in a garage I worked at in 1990 had an SR, gold, great looking thing, remember being quite jealous, the SR's must be mega rare now.
That brought back some memories. My dad had an 82 1.6l in henna red, then a blue 86 Antibes special edition, both of which we loved as our family car. Later Dad had a mk3 Sri 89 which was a very different car. Thanks for bringing back happy days!
So many childhood memory's, my dad had an SRI saloon in the same colour as that one. He owned new in the 80s then again in the mid 90s, my first car was a bog standard white 1.3 caviler Mk2.
My Grandad had a MK2 GLS in Antique Gold on a Y reg as a company car. It was his second Cav having had a GL mk1 from 1979 and had to get from Essex to Cornwall fast as his sister had been taken ill. He said that he sat at 90-100 on the M4 and M5 all the way and was so impressed he had Cavaliers and Vectras until he left us. My favourite was his K plate CD 2ltr he had. It was a flying machine
My Dad had a silver saloon version as a company car, 1985-87. Stolen the first night he got it - recovered from Wild West Belfast the next day. They were a soft target for thieves. He still loved it - I only have vague memories of it, being only 3 when it was replaced...
My father bought one in August 1982. I used to drive it, loved it. A month later I had one too. They were great cars despite their reputation. We both moved on to the JD with the same engine as this Cavalier, but my memory of the Camiras is of a much better car than this Vauxhall
Apparently the 2-door Cav was a very poor seller, so it was dropped. The Ascona (and other models) continued with 2-door saloons in other markets! :-) The manager of my workplace bought a new one when the Mk II was launched, as his wife was disabled, and it was easier to get her in and out of a 2-door car! But like you, that's the only one I've seen! :-)
That was a very cool video, thanks!! In Brazil we had the cavalier/ascona as Chevrolet Monza from 1982 to 1990 (hatchback and saloon in original design) and from 1991 to 1996 (facelift, only saloon). The hatchback was sold in Brazil ONLY with 2-door, and The SR version always had slightly firmer suspension and a shorter/closer gear ratios in comparison to the saloon. It had the 1.8 liter running on ethanol and 115hp, and later, got the torquier 2.0 liter. The original Monza lineup had 1.6 (only on the first years), 1.8 and 2.0 engines, always with carburetors, with the exception of a special 2.0i version of the saloon in 1990 (Named 500EF for Emerson Fittipaldi and his win on Indianapolis 500). From 1992 on, already facelifted, the 1.8 and 2.0 were always fuel injected, from 98 to 120hp, and the Classic SE versions got even digital cluster and ABS brakes available. These cars are very special for me, as I also spend a big part of my childhood and beggining of teenage phase inside of the 3 Monzas that my father had ('82 silver hatchback 1.8, '88 green saloon 1.8 and '93 green saloon 2.0). Thanks again for the video and here is something you might find interesting: a SR 2.0 2 door in Brazil. It's only in portuguese, unfortunately, but the automatic subtitles are ok-ish enough to give you a bit of information! See ya! th-cam.com/video/ocbsLzxhKEY/w-d-xo.html
That’s so cool seeing a Vauxhall in NZ! Great cars... great video Ian, really enjoyed this one. It reminds me so much - especially the dash - of my E-reg Nova (first car!)
Brought back some great memories, of one of the best cars I have ever owned...reliable to the end,,I had a mid 1980s cav antibes,,bought in 1989...owned it for around 10 years,when unfortunately it was written off in an accident..great video ian..thanks..
Quite a tool back in the day, especially the 130, bear in mind the standard Escort RS Turbo was only around 127bhp, very elegant design with slim pillars and big glass area, not a fan of modern Vauxhalls at all but I like the older stuff.
Great video! I had the german 2 door version in red (Opel Ascona SR/E). Its not the best and sportiest car in the world, but its my personal dream car and i love everything about it! Thank you for taking me back in time.
I had a B reg 1.8GLSi with lovely velour interior in the mid 90's. God i loved that thing, even though the rear arches and most of the sils had rotted away already by that point. Nothing that a tin of body filler couldn't fix hehe. The seats were sublime, very bolstered and huggy. This may be a false memory, but I'm sure it had headlamp wipers fitted too. I seem to have a memory of freeing up the seized wiper motors. Ooo good memories. I learnt a lot about bodywork bodgery and rattle can painting with that car. Thanks so much for bringing back many happy memories for me, Mr, Nut. :) :) :)
I inherited my dad's silver C reg MkII GLS 1.6 hatchback. At the time I was doing a lot of motorway miles and it was a lovely cruiser. I eventually sold it to a friend who found it so comfy that he fell asleep in it on the motorway and wrote it off!
Had a white over gray 2.0 130 saloon back then, drove it 'like I stole it' to meetings in Wiltshire, was late for an appointment one day with a General at an Army camp (not a good idea), hooned it all the way through the country roads. Got to the camp where the armed guards raised their rifles at me and yelled 'GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE CAR! - I got out of the car and asked 'Why?' - 'IT'S ON FIRE!! IT'S ON FIRE!! was the answer. 'Ah, that's my brakes' I said, 'they do that'. Thanks for the blast from the past, happy motoring!
Always loved the Mk2 and it's smiley front end. My childhood car, our family had 3 of them over the course of the 80's/early 90's with no issues on any. Great reliable family cars.
My neighbour had one of these with the notorious valve stem seal problem. I stripped and rebuilt the head at the same time clearing the valve throats of roughness and miss matching. With a new cambelt etc he said it had never been so quick, and having borrowed it to drive up to Scotland i can confirm it was smooth free revving and very economical pulling a tall final gear. Susequently I did many of these heads at work and the inlet ports were so badly cast, a little more care or cleaning up with a flap wheel would have paid massive dividends as I had already found out. The Cavalier was cheapish inside but streets ahead of the Ford Sierra of the time. Clutches were great to do as well ,once did one in less than 20 mins.!
In the mid 80s I worked for one of large Utility companies and the SRi was popular amongst Middle Management. But they were so fast several of 'em got nicked for ram raid jobs. I recall that it was too easy to bend the offset alloys on kerbs leading to vibration. Torque Steer was also a characteristic, but overall a great product.
1st job was working for Vauxhall dealer parts dept in 1988 when these were still new, used to dream of owning an SRI, eight years later had the chance to own an Artic White SRI 130 hatch, probably my favourite of the 30 plus cars I’ve owned...it didn’t half go as well, 130 bhp with most of it getting to the wheels
I had use of one of these as a company car when I moved from Oz to London in 1988, loved it. In hindsight from many angles, particularly in profile it looks like a scaled down Rover SD1.
Had a red 2.0 SRi back in the 80's with some nice engine mods and it was rapid as hell. Cam belt snapped at 40mph and it didn't even hole a piston, just 2 bent valves. Had the head skimmed, lapped in a couple of valves, new cambelt and ran like a dream again for the next couple of years I had it. Such a strong engine and nice performance. Had a 2.2 (VX220 engine) Insignia, the plastic timing chain guide gave way at around 25mph, holed 2 pistons and more or less wrote the engine off. Such a powerful engine and so smooth with the balance shaft but made of butter and lolly sticks apparently. Complete disaster.
Good detailed video man of the early SRi , takes me back to 90s when as an Aussie living in the Uk in 90s , I owned one like this same colour and then 2 other SRi 130 2.0 litre engine, great fun cars I loved to drive and street racing was on all the time back then !!!
When I moved to Bristol 20 years ago, I already had a 1.6 Cavalier MK2 (D309JKK which Paid £60 and a few old mobile phones!), those things were everywhere. For the next 3 years, I was trawling peoples driveways to take them away and fix them to return to the road because they were so easy to work on. One was an A reg SRi with a 4 speed box, damn I wish I could have kept it, would be awesome to have now. Really love a straight looking MK2 Cavalier, such a shame they've all mostly gone. The great weather in NZ will ensure that one lives on for years to come. Awesome
@@Grimwriggler I was heading for 200,000 A new job meant a daily round trip of 55/60miles 6 days week soon put it on. Lucas autocentre (mot service £99) managed to cross thread no4 sparkplug so after a helicoil insert times 3 and another 3 years C187 HJN bit the dust in 1995 with 241,000. Replaced by a K reg mark 3 cav.
those seats are out a manta (tip forward catch on the side nothing to do with lumbar etc) both used same check trim) :) nice tall gearing( 60 mph in second easily for instance like most vauhalls of the time) i only had any experience of 1.6 L's tho i did love my belmont glsi , same engine as sri, i had too :) yeah the late Lx and LXi's were handsome and had nice wheels, alot of which ended up on novas lol
@@HubNut yes thats what i meant ian :) manta trim cloth handly on purpose matches so they used the seats in both tho, forward tip handle redundant in cavalier obv :)
Here in Brazil it was sold as Chevrolet Monza. It was the best selling car in Brazil in 1984, 1985 and 1986. In 1991 it received a facelift, and it got the nickname Monza "Tubarão" (shark).
Beautiful drive. The sunroof is a metal slide, pull the lever down, the back end drops down and slide back. My first car a Cavalier Sportshatch (manta) had the same. The lever on the side of the seat should flip the seat back all the way forward, as if it was a 2 door.
I was suddenly transported back to my wife's Mk1 Nova SR on hearing the creak of the glove box when you opened it! That car was completely lacking in sportiness, too, the best bit of it being the Recaro seats! :)
@@Марк.Фетнов....What was the point as the 1.6 stops making power at just over 5900 ...... Not good for it as even brand new 1.6 Family engines sounded endy ..... Plus you wouldn't have a clue or any mechanical sympathy if you did stretch it that far because it would have sounded horrific …… I know because I was on the development team for these engines . Any questions !!!?
Not very pokey says a man who drives lawnmowers lol. I had a beautiful white one with grey door bottoms and grey and blue striped seats. I seem to recall mine was fairly pokey and would easily outrun a mk3 two litre. The engine came alive when you dropped a cog at fifty and she'd pull like a train into three figures ! Mine went on to cover 175 k with absolutely no problems, I found out mine was made in Belgium so perhaps the quality was better. Thanks for the memories Ian. Nearly forgot, mine had headlamp washers lol.
My mate once bought a cheap badly running sri130 from a bloke called P*ssboy, he even had it on the back of the rugby shirt he was wearing! One of the injector plugs was loose, he popped it back on and it ran mint.
My father had two SRi's. He was more impressed with the 1st, he reckoned they softened the model after a few years. Coming back home one evening with Mum he took the car a bit too quick down a road he wasn't familiar with and felt the car lift, but it came down again firmly and stuck to the road so well he just kept going. I can't remember too much about being in the car as a kid, but seeing this video I'm suddenly remembering the funny lozenge shaped buttons.
My dad had a blue saloon. It was an E reg. he had it in the late 90s and I absolutely loved it. Was totally falling apart and you could hear the engine coming through the stereo but the seats were comfy 👍
My grandfather gave us shares which my older brother cashed in 1987,he used the money to buy a six month old red 4 door sri130 and took it to Germany where a sprintex supercharger was fitted,there wasn't much about back then that could keep up with it,a great car which we had many adventures with.
Wow, you just brought back some great memories for me Ian, in the mid 80's my mates uncle had one in gold, and those recaro seats looked better in biege. you're right about the tall gearing though, as he used to do 65mph in 2nd gear! i think his was a 1984 A reg :-)
That is correct regarding the engine between the CDi and SRi. The 1.8 EFi engine is the same in my mk1 Astra GTE. The instrument cluster in this Cavalier is almost identical to the one in my GTE albeit slightly different colour in the graphics on the gauges.
A great car! It was also produced in Brazil and it was named Chevrolet Monza. That particular four-door hatchback was never produced, but there was a two-door hatchback sports version named Monza S/R and it featured the same types of trim and rims. The hatchback body, though, didn't sell as well as coupes and sedans. What a great car that was! Almost indestructible!
The interior reminding me of my dad's Mk.2 estate and the fun I had fiddling with things, like replacing the horn button (someone previously had burned a circle into it with the cigar lighter, supposedly a break-in calling card or something), replacing the clock, swapping switches from scrappies, oh, and it was "posh" cos the interior light was the bigger one with twin map reading lights... :D Also fixed its' clock (well after replacing), and kept that in my bedroom running off a 9V battery... :D
I had a 1.6 saloon...the SR...went to it from a 1.6 mk3 Escort....loved the Cav....it seemed to handle well at the time...had a hunger for front tyres tho....Jamaica yellow and graphite...loved it...lovely to there are still some about...
I remember the mk3 Cavalier more than the Mk2 as my dads Auntie had a few of them. Also I seem to have a Mk2 Cavalier alloy wheel like the ones on this car in my garage as my brother brought one home as it was being used as a weight to hold a tarpaulin down on something.
The mk2 cavalier (and also Astra of that era) had a really neat trick when it came time to replace the clutch.... There is an inspection cover in the bottom of the bell housing, which means you don’t need to remove the gearbox, or engine. Easiest car ever to replace a clutch, 30 mins work! I had a 1.6d, and a 1.6 commander petrol, both were saloon cars.
I had one of these in the 80s. A31 YSF. It was a GLS. I thought it was the bees knees, but it wasn’t. The engine gave up twice, I had to get two new short motors. 75 k was the danger zone for the engines for some reason I can’t quite remember. Mine was British racing green, with a green tweed like interior. Rather like driving around in a hollowed out cabbage. It was the 1.8 injection, and was quite nippy for its time. I can’t honestly say that I remember it fondly though.
A classic repmobile, made for those motorway miles. Looks have stood up very well, a very nicely proportioned car. That interior brings back memories, particularly the large gear knob and floppy gear linkage! You were clearly going very much native at this stage of your NZ trip, driving in bare feet...
My dad had a 1986/C reg 1.6 L 4 door when I was learning to drive. Loved it. Great car. He replaced it with a 1987/D reg Astra 1.3 S Merit. I liked that too.
Hi Ian,I remember these very well back in the 80s,the SRI version was a nice car,still a few about, valeting the back window was awkward as the carpeted panel partly covering it.the wheels were ideal with Vauxhall, awesome video.
Hi, just to confirm we built 500 two door MkII Cavaliers for the launch. I was working in the body shop lifting the doors on and they were heavy! The Convertible was built in Germany with a conversion done by Hammond & Thiede. There were 1216 registered in the U.K. I started the Vauxhall Cavalier Convertible Club in 1990, owning about a dozen of these over the years.
Gauge spec very similar to the Holden Commodore of the day. The basic L model just had water temperature and fuel level gauges and the SL (or SL/X from about 1983) had the two extra gauges for volts and oil pressure. Instead of rev counters most early Commodores had vacuum gauges supposedly to act as your “conscience” every time you felt the need to put your foot down. To me this car sits somewhere between the Camira and Commodore, and while the Commodore has always been a well-built model the Camiras sadly weren’t. Thanks Ian for the insights 😀
We had a 2 litre version new in '87 and boy did it go, GTi's left trailing. Until, that is, it went in for its first service at 9000 miles. Never quite the same again and we were convinced that it had been reprogrammed to tone it down. Major issue was that the whole back end was rusty at 3 years. Vertical park for rear wiper allowed for snow to be pushed down rather than motor be burned out pushing up.
I had a 1985 Mk1 Astra 1.6 GLS 5 door. It had the same instruments as the Cavalier, 5 speed gearbox. I remember getting a special radio mount from a scrapped Astra, so I could fit. Any radio. First thing I had to do was change the water pump and cam belt. Easy job. I also fitted Opel Manta twin horns. Had to scrap because of rotten chassis. Then I had a facelift Mk3 '93 1.8i LS, with single point injection and catalytic converter. It had very long gearing compared to the Astra. That's my Vauxhall ownership over 7 years.
The 'nob' on the side of the Recaro is to tilt the seat forwards; hey were nominally meant for 2-door cars. (Mk2 2.8 Injection Granada was the same in that in the back you could get out of the back doors or the front doors !)
I owned one back in my youth, but the gearing was much shorter (20mph per 1000rpm) and the engine & suspension had a little work done on them. It really shifted along well, the short gears kept it in the power range.
My first boss had the mk2 SRI calibre model, never say in the thing but I remember the fabulous 80's colour coded body kit. I loved early 80's Vauxhalls, at that time you could get the Opel Kadetts as well as the Astra's. The 1300 opel Kadett SR was a thing of beauty.
Hey, that's my old car! I got it from Nelson few years back because I accidentally bought it at the pub while trying to talk a mate into it. We flew down and raced it home to Wellington via every brewery we could find. I put a clutch in it a decade earlier when I was in Auckland. Swapped it for a Buick LeSabre if I remember right, I have problems.
Makes a lovely change to see some 1983 Chequered Recaros without totally frayed and holed bolsters.
Always liked the Mk2 SRi. It just looked right for the time. Loved the Recaro's too. Pretty much every salesman in 80's Uk had one :) Always amazes me how cars sold in the millions disappear from roads so quickly.
The knob on the side of the seat is for folding the backrest forward, which Recaros always had because most of them were put into 2-door cars and they didn't make a separate version without it for 4-door cars.
My Uncle had a CD, which in the mid-late 80s with its headlight wipers, velour and rear headrests felt like an absolute mini luxobarge.
My divisional director had one about then. I had to pick it up from the garage after a service once, which involved reversing out onto Southwark Bridge Road. At the time, I had a Golf with a pretty heavy clutch. The CD was an automatic, which I was unused to. I backed out, knocked it into Drive, and sped off before the traffic caught up. Then I made the mistake of trying to grab second gear. It wasn't what I did with the gear shift was the problem - it was my attempt to disengage the clutch that put me sideways across the road. Fortunately, London drivers seem to be able to cope with most things, so nobody actually drove into me.
My Dad had a CD Carlton (for a few weeks before figuring out that it was rolled, repaired and sold without that advertised) with those features too, I was very impressed as a kid.
I drove one if these for a day, back in the 80's.
I recall it really went like the clappers.
But then my own car at the time was a Reliant Kitten!
I had one of those in grey back in the 80 s hard ride from what I recall
Hey, a Kitten is no slouch...
Yes I had 2 kittens. They were quite quick but with an engine half the service of the cavalier's it tended to run out of steam at about 60mph
@@chubbyroyston3880 your right they was a hard ride and handled pretty well ,,the cdis felt heavy and rolled around a lot
Geoff Baker , it was a quick car back then.
Definitely the best version of the SRi with the early, quicker ratio steering rack, the 6 dial instrument panel, proper Recaro seats, Bilstein suspension in original form and, as memory serves, slightly closer ratios on the gearbox which was shared with the mk1 Astra GT/E and Opel Kadett GSi. The build quality on the earlier cars was generally a lot better too as most of the early SRis, and the predecessor SR, were built in the Opel factories in Belgium or Germany. Sadly, they're almost extinct in the UK now, having been killed off by boy racers, rust and pretty minor MoT issues making them uneconomic to repair. I was lucky enough to be around and driving when these early cars were still around in numbers so I've driven lots of them and owned 3, plus an SR and a post-1985 face-lift car. If I could find and afford another one I'd have it tomorrow, they really are lovely and affordable sports saloons that prove if you want to move swiftly and carry your family and their kit around you don't need to get a BMW. The later cars just got softer, flabbier and slower...
The plastic strip along the bottom of the front valance would have been original equipment on all early Cavaliers. It's so unusual to see them now as they usually fell off pretty quickly due to being made from a plastic that could get brittle quite quickly so the clips snapped off and nobody every bothered to replace them. It used to be very common to see/run over them lying in the road, especially on motorways, where they'd dropped off a hard-driven retired repmobile...
Yes, there was a 2-door Cavalier saloon, only in the very early cars, I think it got killed off for the UK market in either 1983 or 1984. They were almost all base spec, often with the 1300 engine, though a number were built for Motability with the 1600 lump and auto box. They were absolute death on the used car market, you could barely give them away and I imagine the vast majority of the not very many that were sold in the UK have long since had their date with the crusher. That body, however, did continue with Opel for a long time and maybe right up to the end of mk2 Cavalier/Ascona C production as larger 2-door saloons were more popular, there was even a 2-door version of the mk1/2 Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Rekord that was a big seller in a variety of European markets right up to the aerodynamic Carlton/Opel Omega A was launched in 1986. It was a bit of a missed opportunity for Vauxhall not to build a 2-door Cavalier SR and SRi as it could have sold well to people who wanted something bigger than the Astra GT/E and more upright and cheaper than the Manta GT/E, although there was a 2-door sporty Ascona in Europe...
The handles on the sides of the Recaro seats in early SRis are for tilting the seats. The seats were also used in the Opel Manta GT/E and the mk1 Astra GT/E, both of which were two passenger doors only in the UK, though the Opel Kadett D GSi was available in 5-door form in European markets. With most of the vehicles that used those seats requiring tipping seats then it made sense for GM to just buy in tipping seats and use them in everything rather than buying smaller quantities of non-tipping seats which would have cost more due to economies of scale. So, early Cavaliers with the Recaro seats had tipping front seats even though, in the UK, they were only available as 4-door saloons and 5-door hatchbacks and, therefore, were not requiring them...
The lever on the side of the front seat is for when the seat is fitted to a two/three-door vehicle and not a lumbar adjuster.
The Mk II Cavalier was a wonderful 'Mile-Eater!' I had a Base Model 1.6 (Not even an L) in 1984 - Slime Green throughout! - But forget the colour, it went around the clock twice! - Never failed!
I miss mine. Silver over graphite saloon. Was reasonably pokey enough to encourage hooliganism. Loved the Recaro seats. Wouldn’t mind another and give it the red top treatment. One brilliant thing (car designers and manufacturers please take note) was the ease of service. I could change CV boots in ten mins without splitting a balljoint and swap a clutch out in half an hour due to the clever gearbox design.
My old man had a white SRI in 1982. This brings back great memories of him as he recently passed away. Thank you Mr HubNut, you have made my day!
My dad did as well but a 84 in silver. Used to love it just because it had Sri on the back🤣
I had a blue mk. 2 Cav in lowly L spec for a while, the front of the roof had gone rusty along the top of the windscreen!
Also a mate had a white 1.8 LXi hatch that he used to drive like he stole it, many memories of him flying past us on the way back from Ciders, he got a motorbike a few years later and I'm sad to say died after coming off it. RIP Deckka.
Our best friends were Vauxhall dealers at the time and this was one of Vauxhalls better efforts. They were a bit easy to steal if I remember correctly. My last company car was a Mk3 Cav V6 in 94 which I really liked. My only ever GM car !
The 1983 SRi was an interesting beast - we had one from 1983 to 1986. It did have firmer suspension than the rest of the Cavalier range. The engines tended to be great from new but performance dropped off after about 36,000 miles. Your criticism of the wide gearing was addressed round about 1984/5 if I remember rightly with a closer ration gearbox becoming standard fit on the SRi compared with other Cavaliers.
When new it absolutely was a sports car - especially when you think a lot of fleet drivers will have upgraded to it from an old 2.0 Ford Cortina...
Still a good looking car,can't believe it's nearly 40 years old
Interesting review! I used to have a 1984 Opel Manta 2.0 GTE those recaro seats looked very similar to the ones in the Manta. 👍😎
I remember my Cavaliers well, owned them back in the early 90s. The first one was a 1983 Y reg hatchback, as of my first cars after passing my test in 1990, but then I got a much nicer one, a 1985 1.8 CDi top of range hatchback, which was a really great car, still remember the reg B497SNX. When Hubnut was talking about the position of the rear wiper being on the drivers side from 1984 onwards, I had to go and check an old photo of my 1985 model, and indeed he was right, it did park on the drivers side, and this was something I never realised about the difference between early Mk2 Cavaliers and later ones. I fitted a tailgate trim that went between the back lights under the number plate that was fitted to later Mk2 models to my own B reg CDi, which instantly made it look newer than it really was, and if I remember rightly, it also had headlight wipers, which I know Mr Hubnut loves !
Really nice cars, but they did have a bit of a "sales rep" image to them and I was not seen as very "cool" to be 19 years old and driving a Vauxhall Cavalier CDi, when other lads my age were driving Astra SRi, 205 Gti, Golf Gti models. I always liked the hatchback shape of the Mk2 as it reminded me of the Rover SD1, which I also wanted to own, but would not have been able to afford to run at my age back then.
My dad had an 85 B 1.6 L the car of my childhood. Loved seeing the lights and the high lip the curse of every dad lifting bikes and suitcases in and out. My dads was just a sea of blank switches making us dream of the delights of higher spec models! Our rear wiper went beyond its stopping point once and gouged the paint away on the boot lid. Happening in the dark on a wet motorway towing the caravan home from somewhere. Did anyone else get static electric shocks off the seats on hot summers days? Thanks for the memories. What a great car.
The Mk2 was the only model “In class” that ever beat Ford in my opinion. Loved my Mk2!
Ah but what Ford? Beats the Escort & fiesta but not the likes of the Granada. Especially the 2.8 I Ghia!
The IRS on the Escort was definitely a step above the twist beam on these.
Nice to see an SRi again. Owned a 7 year old 130 Sri in 1995 and went on a driving holiday to Czech Republic for 3 weeks in it. Comfy, quick, ultra reliable and got lots of appreciative nods and thumbs up crossing Germany flat out on the autobahns.
Not a sports car, never designed or marketed as such, but a very capable mile munching medium sized saloon or hatch. One of Vauxhalls best efforts IMHO
I remember my Dad renting one of these for our family holiday.
The thing I liked most was that I could lift the parcel shelf to access the boot, cheekily stealing the picnic goodies.
My first car was a MK2, this takes me back, not many left now.
When a Citroen 2CV driver says ' That's quite a lot of roll' - you need to take note! The cavalier has good gear ratios, as I can testify, having hired one for long distance motorway driving back in the Eighties. Good review - as always!
My mum had an identical one in the same colour! The reg was: UKY 448Y. I loved it. We were rear ended by an old girl in a Volvo. It died in 1993.
My dad had an ‘88 LX saloon in gunmetal grey that I was allowed to drive to school in the 6th form! Took all my gear to university in its huge boot. Loved driving it down the A44 to Aberystwyth!
Had a clicking sound from the clutch pedal on mine which turned out to be the bulkhead was cracked, quickly fixed by cable tying the clutch pedal bracket and trading it in !
I've a bit of a soft spot for the mk2 cavalier, owned a y reg 1.6 L in white with orange interior, then a SRi 130 in red. I still remember the reg F261OFA. Bloody quick and handled well, one car I regret selling......
I had a 83 y reg white sri hatch in 1991 when I was twenty loved it always preffered the cavalier over the seirra had six of them over the years then went on to vectras wich were never as good as the cavalier.
More that a few friends had Cavaliers of one form or the other with most of them wanting a SRi at some point.
I have lots of memories of doing many miles in a SRi.
The one that has the most memories was a quite tired SRi 130 saloon a friend picked up for very little. It looked very much past its best but went far better than it looked.
Agreed on the LX and LXi. We had them on fleet when the mk2 cavalier was coming to the end of its life as a runout model before the mk3 cavalier arrived.
Another roadtest that brings back so many good times from more than a few years ago now.
I had one of this car , but 2 doors here in Brazil, they were the Chevrolet monza here, and also had a saloon facelift version between 1991 and 1996. Thanks for the video, and many greetings from Brazil!
i had a 1982 SR for 7 years i absolutely loved the car but rust got the better of it and was scrapped in 2000
An apprentice mechanic in a garage I worked at in 1990 had an SR, gold, great looking thing, remember being quite jealous, the SR's must be mega rare now.
That brought back some memories. My dad had an 82 1.6l in henna red, then a blue 86 Antibes special edition, both of which we loved as our family car. Later Dad had a mk3 Sri 89 which was a very different car. Thanks for bringing back happy days!
So many childhood memory's, my dad had an SRI saloon in the same colour as that one. He owned new in the 80s then again in the mid 90s, my first car was a bog standard white 1.3 caviler Mk2.
My Grandad had a MK2 GLS in Antique Gold on a Y reg as a company car. It was his second Cav having had a GL mk1 from 1979 and had to get from Essex to Cornwall fast as his sister had been taken ill. He said that he sat at 90-100 on the M4 and M5 all the way and was so impressed he had Cavaliers and Vectras until he left us. My favourite was his K plate CD 2ltr he had. It was a flying machine
My Dad had a silver saloon version as a company car, 1985-87. Stolen the first night he got it - recovered from Wild West Belfast the next day. They were a soft target for thieves. He still loved it - I only have vague memories of it, being only 3 when it was replaced...
The first Holden Camira version, JB, won the 1982 Wheels Car of The Year award.
My father bought one in August 1982. I used to drive it, loved it. A month later I had one too. They were great cars despite their reputation. We both moved on to the JD with the same engine as this Cavalier, but my memory of the Camiras is of a much better car than this Vauxhall
I had one back in the day. It was great fun. Sharp enough performance and was not too softly sprung. Nice to see one again.
Not a Camira! How strange! My first car after passing my test was an early Camira. Crossed the Nullabor twice in the old beast :-)
Apparently the 2-door Cav was a very poor seller, so it was dropped. The Ascona (and other models) continued with 2-door saloons in other markets! :-)
The manager of my workplace bought a new one when the Mk II was launched, as his wife was disabled, and it was easier to get her in and out of a 2-door car! But like you, that's the only one I've seen! :-)
That was a very cool video, thanks!! In Brazil we had the cavalier/ascona as Chevrolet Monza from 1982 to 1990 (hatchback and saloon in original design) and from 1991 to 1996 (facelift, only saloon).
The hatchback was sold in Brazil ONLY with 2-door, and The SR version always had slightly firmer suspension and a shorter/closer gear ratios in comparison to the saloon. It had the 1.8 liter running on ethanol and 115hp, and later, got the torquier 2.0 liter.
The original Monza lineup had 1.6 (only on the first years), 1.8 and 2.0 engines, always with carburetors, with the exception of a special 2.0i version of the saloon in 1990 (Named 500EF for Emerson Fittipaldi and his win on Indianapolis 500).
From 1992 on, already facelifted, the 1.8 and 2.0 were always fuel injected, from 98 to 120hp, and the Classic SE versions got even digital cluster and ABS brakes available.
These cars are very special for me, as I also spend a big part of my childhood and beggining of teenage phase inside of the 3 Monzas that my father had ('82 silver hatchback 1.8, '88 green saloon 1.8 and '93 green saloon 2.0).
Thanks again for the video and here is something you might find interesting: a SR 2.0 2 door in Brazil. It's only in portuguese, unfortunately, but the automatic subtitles are ok-ish enough to give you a bit of information! See ya!
th-cam.com/video/ocbsLzxhKEY/w-d-xo.html
That’s so cool seeing a Vauxhall in NZ! Great cars... great video Ian, really enjoyed this one. It reminds me so much - especially the dash - of my E-reg Nova (first car!)
Brought back some great memories, of one of the best cars I have ever owned...reliable to the end,,I had a mid 1980s cav antibes,,bought in 1989...owned it for around 10 years,when unfortunately it was written off in an accident..great video ian..thanks..
My dad had light green SR saloon, that brings me back seeing this vid
Top work👍👍👴👴
Quite a tool back in the day, especially the 130, bear in mind the standard Escort RS Turbo was only around 127bhp, very elegant design with slim pillars and big glass area, not a fan of modern Vauxhalls at all but I like the older stuff.
I guy I worked with in the late 80s had a 2 door mk2 Cavalier saloon. I think it was X reg. I remember it being very orange inside.
Great video! I had the german 2 door version in red (Opel Ascona SR/E). Its not the best and sportiest car in the world, but its my personal dream car and i love everything about it! Thank you for taking me back in time.
Very nearly bought a cavalier sri when i was a younger man ;)
Bought an mk2 astra sri instead.
Over 25 years ago now , time flies !
I had a B reg 1.8GLSi with lovely velour interior in the mid 90's. God i loved that thing, even though the rear arches and most of the sils had rotted away already by that point. Nothing that a tin of body filler couldn't fix hehe. The seats were sublime, very bolstered and huggy. This may be a false memory, but I'm sure it had headlamp wipers fitted too. I seem to have a memory of freeing up the seized wiper motors.
Ooo good memories. I learnt a lot about bodywork bodgery and rattle can painting with that car.
Thanks so much for bringing back many happy memories for me, Mr, Nut. :) :) :)
I inherited my dad's silver C reg MkII GLS 1.6 hatchback. At the time I was doing a lot of motorway miles and it was a lovely cruiser. I eventually sold it to a friend who found it so comfy that he fell asleep in it on the motorway and wrote it off!
Had a white over gray 2.0 130 saloon back then, drove it 'like I stole it' to meetings in Wiltshire, was late for an appointment one day with a General at an Army camp (not a good idea), hooned it all the way through the country roads. Got to the camp where the armed guards raised their rifles at me and yelled 'GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE CAR! - I got out of the car and asked 'Why?' - 'IT'S ON FIRE!! IT'S ON FIRE!! was the answer. 'Ah, that's my brakes' I said, 'they do that'.
Thanks for the blast from the past, happy motoring!
actually had a saloon version 1987 loved the car wish i still had it..
Always loved the Mk2 and it's smiley front end. My childhood car, our family had 3 of them over the course of the 80's/early 90's with no issues on any. Great reliable family cars.
My neighbour had one of these with the notorious valve stem seal problem. I stripped and rebuilt the head at the same time clearing the valve throats of roughness and miss matching. With a new cambelt etc he said it had never been so quick, and having borrowed it to drive up to Scotland i can confirm it was smooth free revving and very economical pulling a tall final gear. Susequently I did many of these heads at work and the inlet ports were so badly cast, a little more care or cleaning up with a flap wheel would have paid massive dividends as I had already found out. The Cavalier was cheapish inside but streets ahead of the Ford Sierra of the time. Clutches were great to do as well ,once did one in less than 20 mins.!
In the mid 80s I worked for one of large Utility companies and the SRi was popular amongst Middle
Management. But they were so fast several of 'em got nicked for ram raid jobs.
I recall that it was too easy to bend the offset alloys on kerbs leading to vibration.
Torque Steer was also a characteristic, but overall a great product.
1st job was working for Vauxhall dealer parts dept in 1988 when these were still new, used to dream of owning an SRI, eight years later had the chance to own an Artic White SRI 130 hatch, probably my favourite of the 30 plus cars I’ve owned...it didn’t half go as well, 130 bhp with most of it getting to the wheels
I had use of one of these as a company car when I moved from Oz to London in 1988, loved it. In hindsight from many angles, particularly in profile it looks like a scaled down Rover SD1.
Had a red 2.0 SRi back in the 80's with some nice engine mods and it was rapid as hell. Cam belt snapped at 40mph and it didn't even hole a piston, just 2 bent valves. Had the head skimmed, lapped in a couple of valves, new cambelt and ran like a dream again for the next couple of years I had it. Such a strong engine and nice performance.
Had a 2.2 (VX220 engine) Insignia, the plastic timing chain guide gave way at around 25mph, holed 2 pistons and more or less wrote the engine off. Such a powerful engine and so smooth with the balance shaft but made of butter and lolly sticks apparently. Complete disaster.
Good detailed video man of the early SRi , takes me back to 90s when as an Aussie living in the Uk in 90s , I owned one like this same colour and then 2 other SRi 130 2.0 litre engine, great fun cars I loved to drive and street racing was on all the time back then !!!
Wow what a great flashback. And with original factory wheels too! I notice it had a full compliment of GM switches ... up for on!
When I moved to Bristol 20 years ago, I already had a 1.6 Cavalier MK2 (D309JKK which Paid £60 and a few old mobile phones!), those things were everywhere. For the next 3 years, I was trawling peoples driveways to take them away and fix them to return to the road because they were so easy to work on.
One was an A reg SRi with a 4 speed box, damn I wish I could have kept it, would be awesome to have now.
Really love a straight looking MK2 Cavalier, such a shame they've all mostly gone.
The great weather in NZ will ensure that one lives on for years to come. Awesome
I had a mk2 cavalier excellent car did 150k miles no problems
Mine too .
@@chriseccles1454 mine got to 180k
@@Grimwriggler I was heading for 200,000 A new job meant a daily round trip of 55/60miles 6 days week soon put it on.
Lucas autocentre (mot service £99) managed to cross thread no4 sparkplug so after a helicoil insert times 3 and another 3 years C187 HJN bit the dust in 1995 with 241,000. Replaced by a K reg mark 3 cav.
those seats are out a manta (tip forward catch on the side nothing to do with lumbar etc) both used same check trim) :) nice tall gearing( 60 mph in second easily for instance like most vauhalls of the time) i only had any experience of 1.6 L's tho i did love my belmont glsi , same engine as sri, i had too :) yeah the late Lx and LXi's were handsome and had nice wheels, alot of which ended up on novas lol
Pretty sure they're the standard seats, but may well have been taken from the Manta.
@@HubNut yes thats what i meant ian :) manta trim cloth handly on purpose matches so they used the seats in both tho, forward tip handle redundant in cavalier obv :)
Here in Brazil it was sold as Chevrolet Monza. It was the best selling car in Brazil in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
In 1991 it received a facelift, and it got the nickname Monza "Tubarão" (shark).
Beautiful drive. The sunroof is a metal slide, pull the lever down, the back end drops down and slide back. My first car a Cavalier Sportshatch (manta) had the same. The lever on the side of the seat should flip the seat back all the way forward, as if it was a 2 door.
I was suddenly transported back to my wife's Mk1 Nova SR on hearing the creak of the glove box when you opened it! That car was completely lacking in sportiness, too, the best bit of it being the Recaro seats! :)
Was an Ascona in the Netherlands as well. My grandfather had a sedan Opel Ascona 1.8 Litre. Nice car!
A colleague of mine had one of these. Same colour. Nice seats and door cards. Recaro. He drove it very very gently.
That 1.8 engine was very rev happy no limiter. We saw 7800 rpm on my mates dad's company car once. Lots of blue smoke started the next few days!! 😉
Impossible as it had a rev limiter plus the valve gear would stop it revving that high.....
I had the 1.6 version up to 7000rpm in an astra mk1.
@@Марк.Фетнов....What was the point as the 1.6 stops making power at just over 5900 ...... Not good for it as even brand new 1.6 Family engines sounded endy ..... Plus you wouldn't have a clue or any mechanical sympathy if you did stretch it that far because it would have sounded horrific …… I know because I was on the development team for these engines . Any questions !!!?
@@craigstaggs8597 Agreed, it had a limiter. However I once had the pleasure of driving an SRi130 on which the limiter didn't work!
Not very pokey says a man who drives lawnmowers lol.
I had a beautiful white one with grey door bottoms and grey and blue striped seats.
I seem to recall mine was fairly pokey and would easily outrun a mk3 two litre.
The engine came alive when you dropped a cog at fifty and she'd pull like a train into three figures !
Mine went on to cover 175 k with absolutely no problems, I found out mine was made in Belgium so perhaps the quality was better.
Thanks for the memories Ian.
Nearly forgot, mine had headlamp washers lol.
Yes, this would have had headlamp wipers when new. Removed at some point.
I remember the MK2 SRI 130 very fast car for its day..although the Mk3 SRI is more of executive comfort car 🚙
My mate once bought a cheap badly running sri130 from a bloke called P*ssboy, he even had it on the back of the rugby shirt he was wearing! One of the injector plugs was loose, he popped it back on and it ran mint.
My father had two SRi's. He was more impressed with the 1st, he reckoned they softened the model after a few years.
Coming back home one evening with Mum he took the car a bit too quick down a road he wasn't familiar with and felt the car lift, but it came down again firmly and stuck to the road so well he just kept going.
I can't remember too much about being in the car as a kid, but seeing this video I'm suddenly remembering the funny lozenge shaped buttons.
My dad had a blue saloon. It was an E reg. he had it in the late 90s and I absolutely loved it. Was totally falling apart and you could hear the engine coming through the stereo but the seats were comfy 👍
My grandfather gave us shares which my older brother cashed in 1987,he used the money to buy a six month old red 4 door sri130 and took it to Germany where a sprintex supercharger was fitted,there wasn't much about back then that could keep up with it,a great car which we had many adventures with.
Wow, you just brought back some great memories for me Ian, in the mid 80's my mates uncle had one in gold, and those recaro seats looked better in biege. you're right about the tall gearing though, as he used to do 65mph in 2nd gear! i think his was a 1984 A reg :-)
stephen nunnerley The gold one I remember had beige seats, and I agree, they are a better colour combo
That is correct regarding the engine between the CDi and SRi. The 1.8 EFi engine is the same in my mk1 Astra GTE. The instrument cluster in this Cavalier is almost identical to the one in my GTE albeit slightly different colour in the graphics on the gauges.
Such a good looking car that. I know of one near me seen quite regularly in a tesco car park in gold.
SimoneJStogrin , my memory is of a good one that was sold as a nearly new car at the garage I worked at. Lovely cars, all gone now.
A great car! It was also produced in Brazil and it was named Chevrolet Monza. That particular four-door hatchback was never produced, but there was a two-door hatchback sports version named Monza S/R and it featured the same types of trim and rims. The hatchback body, though, didn't sell as well as coupes and sedans. What a great car that was! Almost indestructible!
The interior reminding me of my dad's Mk.2 estate and the fun I had fiddling with things, like replacing the horn button (someone previously had burned a circle into it with the cigar lighter, supposedly a break-in calling card or something), replacing the clock, swapping switches from scrappies, oh, and it was "posh" cos the interior light was the bigger one with twin map reading lights... :D
Also fixed its' clock (well after replacing), and kept that in my bedroom running off a 9V battery... :D
My dad had a 86 C SRI in black with the revised rear tail lights. That had electric windows all round. Quick car.
I had a 1.6 saloon...the SR...went to it from a 1.6 mk3 Escort....loved the Cav....it seemed to handle well at the time...had a hunger for front tyres tho....Jamaica yellow and graphite...loved it...lovely to there are still some about...
I remember the mk3 Cavalier more than the Mk2 as my dads Auntie had a few of them.
Also I seem to have a Mk2 Cavalier alloy wheel like the ones on this car in my garage as my brother brought one home as it was being used as a weight to hold a tarpaulin down on something.
The mk2 cavalier (and also Astra of that era) had a really neat trick when it came time to replace the clutch....
There is an inspection cover in the bottom of the bell housing, which means you don’t need to remove the gearbox, or engine.
Easiest car ever to replace a clutch, 30 mins work!
I had a 1.6d, and a 1.6 commander petrol, both were saloon cars.
I had one of these in the 80s. A31 YSF. It was a GLS. I thought it was the bees knees, but it wasn’t. The engine gave up twice, I had to get two new short motors. 75 k was the danger zone for the engines for some reason I can’t quite remember. Mine was British racing green, with a green tweed like interior. Rather like driving around in a hollowed out cabbage. It was the 1.8 injection, and was quite nippy for its time. I can’t honestly say that I remember it fondly though.
A classic repmobile, made for those motorway miles. Looks have stood up very well, a very nicely proportioned car. That interior brings back memories, particularly the large gear knob and floppy gear linkage!
You were clearly going very much native at this stage of your NZ trip, driving in bare feet...
A lovely looking car, and just look at those seats, wow!
My dad had a 1986/C reg 1.6 L 4 door when I was learning to drive. Loved it. Great car. He replaced it with a 1987/D reg Astra 1.3 S Merit. I liked that too.
What a classic. Those Recaros were a game-changer.
Hi Ian,I remember these very well back in the 80s,the SRI version was a nice car,still a few about, valeting the back window was awkward as the carpeted panel partly covering it.the wheels were ideal with Vauxhall, awesome video.
Hi, just to confirm we built 500 two door MkII Cavaliers for the launch. I was working in the body shop lifting the doors on and they were heavy! The Convertible was built in Germany with a conversion done by Hammond & Thiede. There were 1216 registered in the U.K. I started the Vauxhall Cavalier Convertible Club in 1990, owning about a dozen of these over the years.
Thank you. A friend has bought the blue two-door that was on eBay recently. I'm thrilled.
Gauge spec very similar to the Holden Commodore of the day. The basic L model just had water temperature and fuel level gauges and the SL (or SL/X from about 1983) had the two extra gauges for volts and oil pressure. Instead of rev counters most early Commodores had vacuum gauges supposedly to act as your “conscience” every time you felt the need to put your foot down. To me this car sits somewhere between the Camira and Commodore, and while the Commodore has always been a well-built model the Camiras sadly weren’t. Thanks Ian for the insights 😀
Good memories of good times - these were a treat back in the day for a young rep !
Brings back memories. Everyone's dad had a Mk2 Cavalier when was I a kid!
That 2 door you saw in those pics of the production line at Luton was going to the continent with Opel Ascona badges
Nope. It was a right hand drive Vauxhall. They did exist. Very briefly.
We had a 2 litre version new in '87 and boy did it go, GTi's left trailing. Until, that is, it went in for its first service at 9000 miles. Never quite the same again and we were convinced that it had been reprogrammed to tone it down. Major issue was that the whole back end was rusty at 3 years. Vertical park for rear wiper allowed for snow to be pushed down rather than motor be burned out pushing up.
My sister's boyfriend had one of these circa 1989. It had the chequered seats and the trademark squeaky clutch. It was an A reg I think.
I had a 1985 Mk1 Astra 1.6 GLS 5 door. It had the same instruments as the Cavalier, 5 speed gearbox. I remember getting a special radio mount from a scrapped Astra, so I could fit. Any radio. First thing I had to do was change the water pump and cam belt. Easy job. I also fitted Opel Manta twin horns. Had to scrap because of rotten chassis. Then I had a facelift Mk3 '93 1.8i LS, with single point injection and catalytic converter. It had very long gearing compared to the Astra. That's my Vauxhall ownership over 7 years.
The 'nob' on the side of the Recaro is to tilt the seat forwards; hey were nominally meant for 2-door cars. (Mk2 2.8 Injection Granada was the same in that in the back you could get out of the back doors or the front doors !)
New HubNut video, sipping some good coffee out of my HubNut mug...it's a good morning.
I thought Hubnut mugs would only accept tea.
Chris Harkin I make the coffee then put it in a teapot before pouring. It’s a pain, but worth it.
I owned one back in my youth, but the gearing was much shorter (20mph per 1000rpm) and the engine & suspension had a little work done on them. It really shifted along well, the short gears kept it in the power range.
My first boss had the mk2 SRI calibre model, never say in the thing but I remember the fabulous 80's colour coded body kit. I loved early 80's Vauxhalls, at that time you could get the Opel Kadetts as well as the Astra's. The 1300 opel Kadett SR was a thing of beauty.