11 hours ago
UK's rarest cars: 1980 Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch, one of only five left
The Sports Hatch was both Vauxhall's rival to the Ford Capri Mk3 and a car with a subtly different image. If the Ford was ideal for pretending to be Lewis Collins in The Professionals, including the smirk in the rear-view mirror, the Cavalier belonged outside a provincial bistro. Today, despite the difficulty of establishing precise numbers, this 1980 example is one of only a handful remaining on the road.
Vauxhall launched the Cavalier, based on the German Opel Ascona B, in 1975 with the two-door Coupé as the original 'sporting' version. At that time Opel regarded cars with three doors as utility vehicles, while Vauxhall was keen on a fastback-bodied Cavalier from the outset. The British firm's designs impressed senior management at the parent company General Motors and the Sports Hatch debuted in September 1978.
The timing of the Sports Hatch's launch could not have been better planned, with Ford introducing the Capri Mk3 six months earlier. The Vauxhall's engine choices were 1.6- and 2.0-litre units, the latter capable of 112mph and 0-60 in 10.2sec. Opel simultaneously announced its new Manta Berlinetta Hatchback, which used body panels shipped from Luton to Germany.
The first of the Sports Hatch were available only in top-of-the-range GLS form. Owners could boast about the 'four-spoke sports steering wheel', 'wood veneer door inserts' and 'driver's map pocket'. Those of us of a certain age will recall that in the late Seventies expectations of automotive comfort could be limited. Vauxhall preferred the phrase 'luxury without a trace of ostentation'.
The Sports Hatch was mechanically identical to the Cavalier saloon, but Vauxhall promised 'swashbuckling performance' in a car 'not to cross swords with'. It advised its dealers that 'undoubtedly the Sports Hatch will add to Vauxhall's 'get up and go' image' and 'attract more and more younger buyers to the marque'. Taking delivery, one hoped, might make the proud owner feel like the Roger Moore of outer Southampton.
The 2000 GLS cost £4,384, compared with £4,192 for the Capri Mk3 2.0 S. When Car magazine evaluated the pair, its testers concluded that the Cavalier was 'just as much fun, slightly better mannered and agreeably more refined' – and could teach the Ford 'a thing or two in all the right places'. They added that the 2000 GLS 'fully justifies its 'Sports' title, unlike some others', and that 'the taut springing and transmission will delight the keen driver'.
Dealers could point out that, aside from the Capri, the Sports Hatch had no real rival with a British connection. Chrysler UK did not build a comparable three-door coupé, while the venerable MGB GT was a 2+2 at best. For buyers considering a foreign marque, the Volkswagen Scirocco GLS and Renault 17 TS cost £4,720 and £4,682 respectively – but both were front-wheel-drive, when many British drivers still preferred the supposed benefits of rear-wheel-drive.
The £5,999 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV and £5,710 Lancia Beta 2000 HPE were aimed at more affluent motorists. The Toyota Celica 2000ST Liftback offered strong value at £4,223, but its persona was less overtly sporting than the Vauxhall's. Ironically, the Sports Hatch's closest rival was sister company Opel's Manta Berlinetta – just £32 more than the 2000 GLS.
The Cavalier Mk2 replaced the Mk1 in September 1981, after 238,980 units – and there was to be no three-door version. The Sports Hatch may have been short-lived, but its appearance at the 1978 London Motor Show alongside the new Carlton and Royales emphasised Vauxhall's radical image change. The era of the quasi-American, tail-finned Crestas now seemed very remote.
And the Sports Hatch appeared to make the Capri Mk3 look faintly dated by comparison. If the Ford still seemed to belong to a realm of flared trousers and Mungo Jerry sideburns, the Vauxhall anticipated a brave new world of grey loafers and owning a home video recorder.
In 1980, Autocar referred to the Sports Hatch as 'just plain nice' – a quality many owners valued. Or, to quote one dealer, it was so handsome, 'they go out of the door as soon as they come in'.
