Vauxhall Cavalier
From Open Encyclopedia
Image:1994.vauxhall.cavalier.ls.arp.jpg
The Vauxhall Cavalier was a midsize car, sold in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British subsidiary of General Motors, from 1976 to 1994.
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1976
Launched in 1975 as a 1976 model, the Cavalier was a restyled version of the German Opel Ascona, produced at Vauxhall's factory in Luton and also at GM's Antwerp plant in Belgium.
The original range was available as 2 and 4-door saloons, and a shapely coupe that was essentially the Opel Manta, with a choice of 1.6 and 1.9 L engine sizes in the saloon and just the 1.9 L in the coupé.
It was revised in 1978 as the 1.9 became a 2.0 and the 1.3 L OHV engine from the Vauxhall Viva and Vauxhall Chevette was used to create the entry Cavalier 1.3 variant. At the same time, a 3-door hatchback replaced the coupe.
All Cavaliers shared similar bodywork to the Opel Ascona but had the slanted nose of the Manta to give them the distinct "droop snoot" front end, while the coupe also had a front spoiler. The Chevrolet Chevair in South Africa was a variant of this model, featuring the grille of the Opel Manta and different engine choices.
For a time, the coupe was transformed into the Centaur convertible by an aftermarket coachbuilding firm in the UK.
Despite being the same car mechanically, the Opel Ascona was sold alongside the Cavalier in the UK until 1981, when GM decided to phase out the Opel brand in the UK, and merge dealerships with those of Vauxhall. Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 1976-1981
1982
A front wheel drive version was introduced in late 1981, using the same underpinnings as the Opel Ascona. This model was part of GM's family of compact 'J-cars', along with the Ascona, the Australian Holden Camira, the Japanese Isuzu Aska, and the North American Chevrolet Cavalier. In the UK, the new Cavalier was a success and challenged the supremacy of the Ford Cortina as the company car of choice. Following the British public's reluctance to embrace the Ford Sierra's radical styling, the Cavalier overtook the Sierra in sales and became the best selling car in its class in the UK throughout the 1980s.
At launch, this version of the Cavalier came with the choice of 1.3 or 1.6 L engines, these being similar to the smaller Astra/Kadett, while for 1983 a 1.8 L engine was launched, which had electronic fuel injection. A diesel 1.6 L was added about the same time, while the 1.8 L was supplemented by a 2.0 L in late 1986.
This model was produced as a four-door saloon and five-door hatchback. An estate version, based on the Holden Camira was also available, and a convertible.
The Thatcher government in the UK created a tax break at 1.8 litres, with any company car having a larger engine than this attracting higher personal benefit taxes, thus effectively giving the Cavalier an advantage over its rivals soon after its launch.
By the end of its life cycle, the top of the range version was the powerful 2.0 SRi130, which had 130 hp and could exceed 120 mph. This had the same engine as the Astra GTE 8v (20SEH), though it made more power due to a better exhaust route.
For the first time, Vauxhall began exporting cars in left hand drive to other European countries, badged as Opels, which was a boost to GM's confidence in its once-troubled British subsidiary. When the Cavalier was first introduced, the cars were built at GM's plant in Belgium, but production quickly moved to Luton. The estate version was built by Holden in Australia.
The last Mk2 Cavalier to be produced was the Cavalier Calibre. Based on the SRi130 with styling from Aston Martin/Tickford and the bodykit, sports suspension and exhaust being produced by Irmscher, it was a limited production run of only 500 cars. It came with a very high specification including a trip computer, Recaro seats, power windows and power steering. It cost £13,127.35 when it was released in 1987. It now has retro classic status, as only 71 are registered with the DVLA, of which less than 20 are thought to be on the road. Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 1982-1988
1989
The last Cavalier was introduced in 1988 for the 1989 model year, being Vauxhall's version of the Opel Vectra A, again as a saloon and 5-door hatchback. There was no estate version in the Opel lineup, and as the Vectra was not going to be sold in Australia, there was no prospect of Vauxhall turning to Holden for a replacement. The Vectra name was not adopted at this model change as Vauxhall feared reviving memories of the somewhat pedestrian Vauxhall Victor, an objection which did not hold at the end of this model's life.
In place of the old model's angular exterior was a more rounded appearance. There was also a new 1.4 L petrol engine which was economical but slow, and did not prove popular with buyers. The biggest changes to the range were the addition of 2.0 L 16-valve engines, better known as the "red top" or XE. This was fitted to the GSi 2000 and later SRi's. Also made available was a four wheel drive system, fitted to a 2.0iL model(8 valve SRi spec) and on a version of the GSi 2000. There were two diesels available: a 1.7 litre, 60 bhp from launch, and an 82 bhp 1.7 Isuzu engined turbo-diesel from 1992.
Bodystyles were hatchback and saloon, with no estate option. Despite the lack of a load carrier, the Cavalier topped the large-medium family car sales charts in Britain in 1991, ahead of the Ford Sierra.
A new coupe, the Vauxhall Calibra, was also developed from the 1989 Cavalier, to replace the by-then discontinued Opel Manta. The Calibra was well received, notably for its good-sized interior (largely based on the interior of the Cavalier) and its attractive styling, which still looks reasonably fresh today.
A facelift in the autumn of 1992 saw the Cavalier's 1.4 L engine dropped and a 167bhp 2.5 L V6 added to the range. At this time the GSi 2000 was replaced by a new 4WD version badged simply "Cavalier Turbo" with a turbocharged version of the 16 valve engine producing over 200bhp. Most of the range now had airbags and antilock brakes as standard. The exterior design was also freshened up, with a new grille and rear lights. Finally for the 1995 model year, the new 2.0 L "Ecotech" engine was launched replacing both the previous 8 valve and 16 valve 2.0 L engines, with a power output somewhere between the two.
The Cavalier name was dropped in favour of 'Vectra' in 1995, bringing the naming policy in line with Continental Europe. Vauxhall Cavalier MK3 1989-1995
External links
- MK2 Cav Owners Network - A Mk2 Cavalier owners club, a must for any Mk2 owner looking for parts for these cars.
- Migweb.co.uk - A Vauxhall car club with many users offering technical help with parts and cars for sale.
- Cavweb.co.uk - A Cavalier-based community with in-depth articles and guides with parts and cars for sale.
