# It turns out that Vauxhall has a very impressive collection of Vauxhalls!



## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

Hey guys,

I was lucky enough to visit Vauxhall's Heritage Workshop the other day, thought people might appreciate me sharing the pics that I took while inside!




























Full gallery of images here: https://revmatch.me/2016/08/24/vauxhall-heritage-fleet-pictures/

Cheers,

Oli


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

Nice collection that. My first car was a Nova 1.3 SR.  
First pick out of that shed would be the Lotus Carlton :thumb:


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## SBM (Jul 4, 2013)

Wow!
My very fist car was a Vauxhall Chevette! just the 1.3, was always wishing I could of had an HS!

Some terrific blasts from the past there my good man and some terrific photos :thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

wd40: great choice of first car! Yeah, the Carlton seems to be quite an undervalued car when you compare it to Sierra Cosworths e.t.c - strange how most Vauxhall stuff is worth a fraction of that from Ford!

Thanks SBM! and,without relentlessly plugging my own stuff, I did a similar trip with ford a few months back, some really beautiful cars in their heritage collection too:

https://revmatch.me/2016/05/19/fords-heritage-collection-in-photographs/


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Does take you back, doesn't it?


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

I had a red E-reg Cavalier SRi


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

Braintax said:


> wd40: great choice of first car! Yeah, the Carlton seems to be quite an undervalued car when you compare it to Sierra Cosworths e.t.c - strange how most Vauxhall stuff is worth a fraction of that from Ford!
> 
> Thanks SBM! and,without relentlessly plugging my own stuff, I did a similar trip with ford a few months back, some really beautiful cars in their heritage collection too:
> 
> https://revmatch.me/2016/05/19/fords-heritage-collection-in-photographs/


Cheers mate , yeah upgraded to a 1.4 SRI after that then a cavalier sri before a cavalier gsi!. I then switched to ford and joined the RSOC. 
Had 3 Mk2 Escorts, 3 Series 1 RS Turbos, 1 Series 2 RS Turbo, 3 Sapphire Cossies and 2 Escort Cossies. Would love to visit the ford heritage collection


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

wd40 said:


> Cheers mate , yeah upgraded to a 1.4 SRI after that then a cavalier sri before a cavalier gsi!. I then switched to ford and joined the RSOC.
> Had 3 Mk2 Escorts, 3 Series 1 RS Turbos, 1 Series 2 RS Turbo, 3 Sapphire Cossies and 2 Escort Cossies. Would love to visit the ford heritage collection


Woah, quite the collection! Out of interest, if you could have held on to just one (assuming you haven't, of course!), then which would it have been?

From a personal enjoyment perspective rather than as an investment, if you know what I mean.


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## Qüiksilver-1 (Aug 14, 2006)

Nice Blog!


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Mk1 GTE in white, I may have to go have a lie down!!

My mate had a silver one, I nearly bought a black one but wanted to hold out for red or preferably white.
Never happened, left me in my 1.2 Kadett in terracotta....


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

Qüiksilver said:


> Nice Blog!


Cheers mate, try and get around to as much of it as I can.

JoeyJoeJo, I was lucky enough to get a drive in that Astra GTE (https://revmatch.me/2016/08/23/timewarp-tuesday-vauxhall-astra-mk1-gte/)

Couldn't believe how clean it was, I couldn't find a single scab of rust despite 70K+ miles - a UK-made example too.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Viva HC was my first car. Loved it, had its problems but lovely to work on. I changed the gear box the day after my first stag do in a hotel car park!!


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## staffordian (May 2, 2012)

Looked in vain for examples of the two Vauxhalls I owned; a 1966 HA Viva deluxe and an HC (in vomit beige). Suppose they all rusted away before any could be saved.

I learned to drive and passed my test in the HA; not a bad little car, apart from the mechanical unreliability and bodywork which looked more like lace than metal almost before it's first MOT was due...


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Braintax said:


> JoeyJoeJo, I was lucky enough to get a drive in that Astra GTE


Aw man, jammy b.......! Nice article.

I can still remember the test drive I took in the black and was more than 25 years ago! My second biggest car regret was not buying it.

This is as close as I got but at least it was three door!!


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

staffordian said:


> Looked in vain for examples of the two Vauxhalls I owned; a 1966 HA Viva deluxe and an HC (in vomit beige). Suppose they all rusted away before any could be saved.
> 
> I learned to drive and passed my test in the HA; not a bad little car, apart from the mechanical unreliability and bodywork which looked more like lace than metal almost before it's first MOT was due...


 sure don't make them like that anymore! Amazingly, most of the cars in that collection are sourced from private owners, although some have been subject to thorough restorations.


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## CLS500Benz (Jul 28, 2013)

The LC is uncomfortably close to the Astra GSi!










Almost looks as if its touching?

Don't see any Omegas in the pictures though sadly.


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

Darlofan said:


> Viva HC was my first car. Loved it, had its problems but lovely to work on. I changed the gear box the day after my first stag do in a hotel car park!!


You have to love how easy these cars were to work on, I remember being stunned at how quick it was to change a cambelt on a 1.2 Nova


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

vxlomegav6 said:


> The LC is uncomfortably close to the Astra GSi!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yup, they were tucked in like sardines! You're right, If they do have an Omega then I either missed it or it's out being used.


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## Rían P (Jun 2, 2014)

Absolutely class lad! IMHO, old vauxhalls are hard beat! Thanks for sharing :thumb:


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## Braintax (Aug 25, 2016)

Rían P said:


> Absolutely class lad! IMHO, old vauxhalls are hard beat! Thanks for sharing :thumb:


No worries, glad you enjoyed it :thumb:


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## asspur96 (Jan 24, 2014)

First car was a Mk1 Astra 1300 GLS 3 door KMH 500W which had the SR / GTE body kit was metallic blue and I ended up painting the arches and bumpers matt black so it looked like the SR great first car loved it only cost £15.00 to fill it to the brim !!!


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Braintax said:


> You have to love how easy these cars were to work on, I remember being stunned at how quick it was to change a cambelt on a 1.2 Nova


Too right. I changed that box faster than the headlight bulb on my 53 plate Megane!!


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

Braintax said:


> Woah, quite the collection! Out of interest, if you could have held on to just one (assuming you haven't, of course!), then which would it have been?
> 
> From a personal enjoyment perspective rather than as an investment, if you know what I mean.


It comes down to 2 in the ford camp and it would be so hard to pick between them.... Would be between either the last MK2 Escort RS2000 i owned or the second escort cossie i had in diamond white. Both were brilliant to drive in their own way. The cossie was chipped and running 380 bhp but the mk2 had twin45`s and sounded awesome too.

Think tbh i would have to plump for the Mk2 Escort from the Fords.
From the vauxhalls i would also hhave to go for the first nova sr I had. Mainly as it was my first car that I had saved hard for and as they are so different to anything you get today


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## griffin1907 (Mar 4, 2006)

I keep meaning to get to one of their rare open days. I wouldn't say no to any of those in that a garage !


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