[] Vauxhall Nova
The Vauxhall Nova was produced by General Motors between 1983 and 1993. It replaced the Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett City. All Nova and Vauxhall Corsa models were made in Spain. The Nova name was not used in Spain, because in Spanish, 'Nova' means "doesn't go".
Sales in the UK were strong right up to the end, but by the time the last Nova was made in early 1993, it was looking very dated in comparison to more modern rivals like the Peugeot 106 and Renault Clio. Its successor was the Corsa, which was the first Vauxhall to adopt the same model name as the Opel version. By 1996, the whole Vauxhall and Opel ranges were identically named.
A clever TV advert in 1986 featured the Los Lobos hit La Bamba playing in the background as trick computer technology allowed the Nova to drive over vehicles in a busy city.
The front-wheel drive Corsa was first launched in 1983 to replace the Opel Kadett City . Built in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door sedan models, with four-door and five-door versions arriving two years later. The basic model was called just the Corsa, which was followed by the Corsa Luxus, Corsa Berlina and the sporty Corsa SR. Two years later, the Corsa received a facelift, which included a new front fascia and some other minor changes. The models were called Corsa LS, Corsa GL, Corsa GLS and Corsa GT. The Corsa was known in the UK market as the Vauxhall Nova. The car became best known in the UK as a popular choice of car driving schools. Although many young British 'boy-racers' and 'Chavs' customised or 'souped up' their models (and continue to do so to this day), the Nova was usually seen as dull. Power came from 1.0 L, 1.2 L, 1.3 L, and 1.4 L gasoline engines which were short on performance but strong on economy. There was also a 1.5 L diesel engine available, which was also used in the Isuzu Gemini at around the same time. All of these engines were based on GM's well proven Family II design with the exception of the 1.5 L diesel engine and 1.0 L engine, which were based on the OHV unit from the Kadett C. The engines and most of the mechanical components were derived from those used in the Astra/Kadett.
A 1.6 L multi-point fuel injected engine with 100 hp (74 kW) and capable of 186 km/h (115 mph) was later added to the Corsa/Nova, giving decent performance and being badged as a GSi or, in Britain, GTE (only pre-facelift models, later models were all called GSi). An model with an 82 hp 1.4 L multi-point fuel injected engine also became available as SRi, which was otherwise mechanically identical to the GSi. The car's handling was still criticised and the styling called dull. There were also numerous reports of single-vehicle rollover accidents that called the handling into question.
The design was freshened in 1990 with new bumpers, headlights and grille and with a new interior, but the car was showing its age against strong competition from cars like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 106.
In the UK, it has developed a cult following amongst enthusiasts because of the simplicity of modification. Popular modifications include C20 XE and C20 LET engine conversions, which create reasonably quick cars, quite cheaply, which are ideal for hill climbs and track days. There are several clubs which provide users with good sources of information on maintaining and modifying.
Famous former owners include Colin McRae and Sean Bean.
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