Vauxhall Astra is a model-name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors (GM), on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries. For the first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand drive versions of Opel Kadett, and since 1991, Opel also uses the Astra nameplate, so Vauxhall and Opel Astras are essentially identical vehicles.
[] Vauxhall Astra Mark 1
Opel Kadett D
The Astra name originated with Vauxhall's 1979 model, though the car was designed and built a year earlier in Germany as an Opel Kadett. This model replaced the Vauxhall Viva in the UK, along with some versions of the Vauxhall Chevette!. However, the Chevette remained available for several years afterwards until the Vauxhall Nova was launched. The Astra was Vauxhall's first model to have front wheel drive.
The car featured a new unified engine for Vauxhall/Opel, featuring an all-aluminium head, overhead camshaft and hydraulic valve lifters. The engine was a huge leap forward from the earlier generation of small engines used in Vauxhall and Opel cars in terms of power, economy and refinement. It was initially available in 1300 and 1600 forms, and later an 1800 fuel-injected version was added, used in the Mk 1 Astra GTE model, introduced in 1983. Vauxhall now had a serious rival for the Volkswagen Golf, and it quickly became popular with buyers. A 1200cc version which used the older Opel OHV engine was also available.
There were three bodystyles for the first generation Vauxhall Astra, hatchback, so-called "saloon", and estate, all available with two or four side doors. The saloons were styled exactly like the hatchbacks, except for a different rear window above a bootlid; from the side they looked almost indistinguishable from the hatchback, with no protruding notch at the rear. Not all trim levels were available with all body styles.
There was also a van version which was badged the Bedford Astravan — the Bedford brand at that time being used for GM's commercial vehicles in Britain. Unlike the previous Opel T-Car, no Coupé was offered.
[] Vauxhall Astra Mark 2
Opel Kadett E
The Mark 2 Astra used the same range of engines and running gear as the Mark 1, but with a completely restyled body with better aerodynamics.
Long-lived, the Mark 2 was available in estate, hatchback, saloon and cabriolet versions. The saloon was known as the Vauxhall Belmont in some markets; this trend to brand saloon models independently of the hatchback was also used by other manufacturers of the period, with examples including the Ford Orion and the Volkswagen Jetta.
A new GTE using a 2 L fuel injected engine was also introduced, and early models of these featured an all electronic dash with digital speedometer. This was largely received as a gimmick, and later models reverted to traditional analogue instrumentation. A special twin-camshaft version of the engine was also developed and a high performance version of the GTE was created around it. This engine developed 156 hp in standard form, giving sprightly performance.
This model formed the basis of the Daewoo Cielo, Racer, Nexia and LeMans, and its export versions, the Asüna SE (Canada), Asüna GT (Canada), Passport Optima (Canada) and Pontiac LeMans (Canada, New Zealand and USA).
The second generation Vauxhall Astra, sold in the rest of Europe as the Opel Kadett, was voted European Car of the Year for 1985. It sold well in the UK, and although it was never able to outsell the Ford Escort, it came closer than any other similar-sized car to achieving this.
[] Vauxhall Astra Mark 3
Opel Astra F/A
The Mark 3 model was essentially an evolution of the Mark 2, rather than a redesign.
This generation was the first to be called Astra by Opel as well as Vauxhall, and the first to also be sold by Holden.
In the UK, Vauxhall offered the following trim levels:
* MERIT
* LS
* GLS
* CD
* CDX
* Si
* SXI
* S (Sport)
* GSI
In later Sport and GSI models (from 1995 onwards) Lotus Sprung Suspension was used to give better ride.
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