Opel Ascona C / Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 - GT

[Kuzka]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yen2rIDPjZI

 

The Ascona C was launched in August 1981 as part of General Motors' J-car project. This was Opel's second front-wheel drivecar since the introduction of the Kadett D in 1979. This car was manufactured in Rüsselsheim, Germany, Antwerp, Belgium andLuton, England, and was sold in the UK under the name Vauxhall Cavalier and Chevrolet Monza in Latin America. The Cavalier Coupé was phased out, but the Opel Manta was retained in the UK (the last car to be badged as an Opel in the UK before the brand was phased out there in 1988). There were no longer sheet metal differences between Opel and Vauxhall models after 1982. The Ascona C won the "Goldene Lenkrad" at the end of 1981 and was West Germany's biggest selling car. The new Ascona no longer had the sporty character of its predecessors, being a more unadulterated family car which was considerably more space efficient than earlier models.

It was narrowly beaten to the European Car of the Year award by the Renault 9 in 1982. It took 27 another years before its successor model, the Opel Insignia, won 2009 European Car of the Year by only 1 point from the Second placed Ford Fiesta. The Ascona C underwent two notable facelifts during its term of production.

The range added an option of a five-door hatchback bodystyle, named CC in a few markets. The five-door model was shorter than the saloons, with a marginally smaller luggage compartment and 5 cm (2.0 in) less head space in the backseat. All engines were now SOHC crossflow designs with a breakerless ignition system and hydraulic tappets. The base model was the 1.3 L introduced in 1978 in the Ascona B, with 60 PS (44 kW), followed by a 1.6 L with 75 PS (55 kW). "S" versions with higher compression ratio had power increased by as much as twenty percent. The top of the line was the sporty GTE model, withelectronic fuel injection, pushing power to 130 PS (96 kW) in the last two model years. Diesel power came from an Isuzu-developed block, with 1.6 litres. Catalytic converters were optional in the larger petrol units starting from 1986.

The Ascona C was also assembled in South Africa, where it was sold by General Motors South Africa, replacing the Chevrolet Ascona which was based on the Ascona B. It was dropped in 1986 and replaced by a sedan version of the Kadett E called the Opel Monza.

As before, there was no estate car version of the Ascona, although Vauxhall in the UK brought in the rear ends of the Holden Camira wagon (estate car) and adapted them to the Cavalier. Opel continued to use the Ascona nameplate until the Vectrawas launched in 1988, while the Cavalier name was retained by Vauxhall until 1995.
___________________________

All kind of Opel vehicles featured on this channel: Vauxhall, Adam, Ampera, Agila, Corsa, Astra, Calibra, Cascada, VX220, GT, Vectra B, Vectra C, Insignia, Omega A, Omega B, Senator, Tigra, Monaro, VXR8, Mokka, Antara etc... Modified, Irmscher, Steinmetz, GTE, GSi, SRi, OPC, VXR, etc... + more.