It seems that whatever the prevailing winds affecting the wider classic car market, anything with a Ford badge seems to be immune from serious downward spirals.
The allure of the Blue Oval is understandable – after all, for many they were the true aspirational dream. I grew up dreaming not of Ferrari Testarossas, Porsche 911 Turbos, or even the Lamborghini Countach, but of the holy trinity of the Sierra RS500 Cosworth, RS200, and Escort RS Cosworth. My tastes have since changed but it’s worth noting that only the Lamborghini commands higher values on a regular basis than the Fords, excluding the infamous Iconic Auctioneers £600K RS500 from a few years ago.
Even more ‘normal’ Fords command swollen prices – the most FOTU-friendly Escort or Fiesta is worth significantly more than an equivalent machine from any other manufacturer. Even the Mk5 Escort, arguably European Ford’s abject nadir in terms of how it was received by the press at the time, will command figures ten times what you’d get for the equivalent Vauxhall.
This all makes the performance offerings from Vauxhall and Opel all the more enticing. While appreciation has grown in recent years, you can still find like-for-like cars that actually out-punch the Blue Oval babes for a fraction of Henry’s heroes. Here are five to keep an eye on.
Vauxhall Chevette
The Chevette was a true trail-blazer in the 1970s – while not the first British-built hatchback of its size, it definitely played a defining role in this market segment’s growth in the UK. For decades, the small saloon was seen as a must-have, but this Opel Kadett-based hatch was the right car at the right time. Launched just after the 1973 oil crisis, it came to the UK in 1975 as the financial pressures of the time favoured downsizing. It became very popular, becoming the UK’s favourite hatchback until 1978.
Though small hatchbacks were already imported to the UK via the Peugeot 104, Renault 5 and AlfaSud, patriotic Brits took to the UK-made Chevette with aplomb – it even outsold larger hatchbacks such as the Austin Maxi and Chrysler Alpine thanks to a potent 1.3-litre engine, light clutch and steering, and great interior space even compared to the larger Escort. Ford was completely caught on the hop, with the Fiesta only appearing a year later, in 1976.
Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1
Based on the Opel Ascona B, the Cavalier featured a Wayne Cherry-designed, Manta-aping snout that gave the first Cavalier a somewhat more sporting air than the equivalent Cortina, the square-cut Cortina MkIII. The effect was seismic – the first Cavalier was so popular in the UK that demand outstripped supply, to the point where General Motors started to build the car in the UK. The Cortina MkIII was struggling at the time – the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre engines that underpinned Ford’s fleet market had acquired a reputation for reliability problems, which meant fleet manager took to Vauxhall’s new charge their heart. The presence of a two-door fixed-head coupé with a potent 1.9-litre engine added glitz to the range. Though the Cavalier didn’t out-do the Cortina for sales success, its spacious interior, reliability and swoopy style earned it plenty of fans.
Vauxhall Astra GTE Mk2 16v
The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 shocked the world when one sold for £50k nearly a decade ago, and though prices have retreated slightly, you’d be able to buy two or perhaps three Vauxhall Astra GTE 16v for the same amount of money –despite the Astra outgunning the Blue Oval’s hot hatch hero by a considerable margin.
The first Mk2 Astra GTE carried over the same 8v engine as the original GTE and wasn’t quite the firecracker hatch the angular original was. This all changed with the introduction of the C20XE red top, which offered 16 valves, 156bhp and 150lbft of torque. Though it was 156bhp that raised the eyebrows of the motoring press, the police and car thieves, it was the torque that arguably defined the driving experience. Though massively potent – it could rip to 60mph in seven seconds compared to the Ford’s 8.2 seconds – the chassis couldn’t quite keep up. Now, some would see this as a mark against it, especially compared to the crisp-handling 205 GTI and Golf GTI, but in the UK it gave the Astra a thuggish, hooligan charm, which usually ended up with improvised remodelling efforts on street furniture throughout much of the 1980s and ’90s. This means that pitifully few are left these days, but more are being restored each year.
That’s a shame, because it delivered on what hot hatches are all about, massive grins for not huge money. Hagerty doesn’t carry a price guide for the Astra GTE 16v but the only one we found on sale (apparently just 88 are left) looked absolutely mint (albeit a Cat C 18 years ago) at £11,995.
Vauxhall Nova GTE
This angular baby hot hatch was beloved by a generation – even if most could only stretch to the less powerful but suitably sporty-looking SR model. At the car’s 1987 launch, the Ford Fiesta XR2 had amped up the bodywork additions while dropping in the 1.6-litre CVH engine from the XR3, which still used a carburettor. The Nova GTE, meanwhile, utilised fuel injection and was claimed to hit a top speed of 117mph – five more than the XR2. Ford said their XR2 was faster, but Autocar later managed to get the Nova to 60mph in 9.1 second, 0.2 seconds faster than the Ford.
The Nova’s engine was also much smoother to live with, though – and the kit and economy were much better. In that same Autocar test, the Nova beat the Ford.
Hagerty doesn’t carry prices for the Nova, though we’ve only ever seen one GTE trump the top price for an XR2, in February of this year. The only one we found at the time of writing looked as minty as its white paint and was up for auction with an estimate of £10K – half that of a comparable XR2.
Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
The story of the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton is well told – Jason Cammisa’s entertaining Hagerty video will fill you in – and the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth is a touring car legend, and just as much of a folk legend for its supercar-killing antics when modified. Both are absolute heroes, though if you compare the relative prices for what you actually get…
As much as my Blue Oval-obsessed inner eight-year-old is stamping his feet at my betrayal of Ford’s bewinged wonder, a bone-stock RS500 musters 224bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. Yes, back in the day road cars were being tuned to anything up to 500bhp but since the car became a member of the classic car glitterati, a lot of modified heroes are being returned to stock because that’s what the market likes.
The Carlton, meanwhile, offers two turbochargers, six-cylinders, 3.6-litres and 377bhp. By the time the RS500’s whaletail has flicked past 60mph in 6.1 seconds, the Carlton will have done it a whole second earlier. Despite the Carlton’s dominating performance, it still lags behind the RS500 on values significantly – the only way it does, frankly.
Bonus: Opel Manta GT/E
Our final Vauxhall … isn’t a Vauxhall. Then again, dyed-in-the-wool Vauxhall enthusiasts might argue that any Griffin-badged car after the Victor is an Opel anyway – so here it is, European GM’s Capri rival.
The Capri might have had gruntier engines thanks to its V6 models, but Capris were notorious for handling and stopping abilities often found lacking, usually heralded by violent Anglo-Saxon and a trip to a ditch. The Manta, however, was much nimbler – even though it was slightly heavier than the equivalent Capri 2.0 S, it had slightly more power and torque. The Manta could also handle the power – and it was often argued that point to point, though a V6 Capri would race away on the straights, the Opel would make it up in the corners.
However, in a turn up for the books, here’s one European GM car that’s actually outperforming its Ford equivalent. Could this be the shape of things to come for the others in our list?
Much as we love the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton – it is a Lotus, after all – it trounces the RS500 courtesy of its displacement, 3.6 litres and twin turbocharger vs 2 litres and a single turbocharger.
A more interesting Ford:GM comparison would be the ever underrated XR4i with the less charismatic Manta GT/E, even if the two models had served slightly different markets.
The earlier Opel Manta A stood comparison with a contemporary Capri, but the manual option would be the order of the day – the 3-speed automatic was hopeless.
Not sure about the Chevette s ( potent) old 1256 Viva engine! Otherwise great article. Had two Mantas , red GTE coupe gold 1.8 Berlinetta sports hatch loved them both.
At 21 I bought a 3 years old F reg 16V Astra GTE it was a fantastic car however with only 1 years no claims from my 1st car a MK4 E reg Escort 1.6DGL which the 16V Astra had 3 times the power, it was rather expensive £3600 the car was only £6 grand. I loved the red top so much after a couple of years I bought a 2 years old J reg Cavalier GSi 2000, which I loved even more, the GSi was the only car I was genuinely upset when I sold after 4 years or so. Late 80s & 90s Vauxhall/Opel made some fantastic cars . While an owner of the GTE & GSi I was also a member of the official Vauxhall performance car club. Never been in a car club since & at a period in time had 4 Saabs on the trott & still own Trollhattens finest a Cadillac BLS 2.0T.
“Stick it to Ford?” I seem to remember Vauxhall were no-show at Le Mans.