Cam

3 mins to go and I thought I'd snagged myself a nice Chevette HSR off eBay then my laptop froze up and when I refreshed I'd been outbid but a ton.....ARRRRGGGGHHHHH
<- real tears

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-Cheve...1%7C240%3A1318

Martin-Hadland

iTrader: (2)

http://www.biddingscheduler.com/cgi-...chedule_bid.pl

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

fookin hell matey and there was me thinking i could bagsy a spin in it if you pulled off a blinder.

ah well if you send the bloke a message explaining what happened and if the bloke who won it who by my reckoning isn't a hsr man more a 1256 man doesn't pay up,you may still have a bite of the wayne cherry yet.

jacko

a mate of mine has one of these as a track car

Cam

I use bid robot but will give that a try cheers for the link Martin

Cam

Texted seller 20 secs after auction ended

Coldo

You are lucky if you ask me! 12k for that?! woooooaaafftttt. Each to their own i guess!

Alps Pacino

Do they come as standard with that twatfull kit on? i thought they just had normal arch's as standard

The Youth.

iTrader: (1)

steves isn't a real hsr, but it looks like one now have a look at his resto thread on the NYRSOC site

steve

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

fingers crossed matey the buyer got 12 grand confused with 1200 nicker and i'll still get a spin in it sometime, its a nice old thing to have and a proper bit of history.

you know he has some hs/hsr chairs for sale ????

Cam

A proper homologation car that can only appreciate as its Vauxhalls answer to the RS1800 only rarer. I could kick myself I didn't stick a 15k bid on

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

aye aye lads this isn't a golf gti post, you can't start knocking the daddy of hot hatches, them cars are rally history

Martin-Hadland

iTrader: (2)

I thought exactly the same BUT then realised if it had been a Firenza that was as rare I would be a bidder at that money... Each to their own is soooo true.

Martin-Hadland

iTrader: (2)

Cam.. Text him with the 15k bid..

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

here is what they look like dealer team vauxhall'd up

who remembers penti arikkala and jimmy mcrae and russell brooks ???

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

can some one explain the engine layout, it looks like it is offset to the passenger side, but i am guessing its not?

Cam

I saw the seats he is selling when I was there
Im covered for HS trim though as when I was doing my old HS up I wanted some new door trims as they had speaker holes but even back in 1985 they were not longer available from Vauxhall. I searched all over then had a brainwave and rang Safety Devices in Newmarket as they did a lot for DTV and boy did it pay off! 2 new complete interiors (seats/door card/carpets/steering wheeler/instruments inc centre console etc) all for the princely sum of 200 quid! The guy there threw in an HS front panel (HS one has a bolt out section) for free.

Cam

Its a 45 deg slant four same bottom end design as the old 1800/2300 motor used in the Firenza, Magnum and even Bedford CF vans!
IIRC its actually based on half a V8 design
Very similar to the Lotus slant four 2.2 motor

Cam

Now your whistling Dixie
John Nobles old unit is just a stones throw from where I am and in the day he had at least a dozen or so cars he looked after inc a couple of ex DTV works cars. The RAC rally back then was far better than all this WRC horseshit

Cam

Text sent 20 secs after auction ended

Cam

ROFL @twatfull
Yes the kit is fitted only to HSRs as std

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

yes they do all 34 of them had the same twatting kit

Chevette HSR


Successful though the HS was, it was obvious by 1979 that changes in technology and regulations meant it had to be updated; so it was that the HSR was born
The HSR kept the basic spec of the HS, but got a twin plate clutch and revised 'five link' rear axle location. A beautiful curved big wing body kit was added, improving the aerodynamics and removing unnecessary weight. Wheels grew from 6" to 7" wide, and a number of gearbox and axle options were homologated with the car in case they were needed.
'Plastic Fantastic' won on its maiden outing; and - particularly after development by Tony Pond and Wynne Mitchell - the HSR became arguably the best tarmac car of the early 80s, continuing to win well into the era of the Group B supercars.




The driving force behind many of these cars - particularly the Droopsnoot and Sportshatch - was the Vauxhall Design Centre under people like David Jones and Wayne Cherry. They turned out a series of specials, project cars and one-offs during the sixties and seventies which transformed Vauxhall's previously staid image and set the style for Vauxhalls well into the eighties.
Perhaps the best known of these are Silver Bullet, the six headlight, droopsnooted luxury Magnum estate which was Cherry's personal transport for a time; Black Magic, a Chevette HS based experiment in aerodynamics and drag reduction, with deep skirts and HSR style spoilers; and Silver Aero, based on the Cavalier Sportshatch. Fortunately, after some years languishing on the Design Centre roof, these cars were rescued - thanks mainly to Stuart Stringer's hard work - and survive to this day in the hands of DSG members.


The engine was an oversquare straight four, originally of 1599 or 1975 cc, later upgraded to 1759 or 2279 cc, and developed further in the competition cars to 2500 or 2600 cc using Blydenstein stroker kits. Most slant fours were all iron, single overhead cam with two valves per cylinder; but cross fertilization with Jensen-Healey and the Lotus 900 series engines saw the Lotus LV240 sixteen valve head used on competition cars (and some roadgoing specials), and when the Chevette HS was developed in the mid seventies Bill Blydenstein specified an alloy twin cam, sixteen valve head which was specially developed for the car. There was also an eight valve twin cam project, later abandoned.


hsr specs

Vauxhall Chevette HSR Specifications & History

Activity1980-1983)BHP@ RPM246/8400Torque (Nm)@ RPM263/5500Length Width Height3969.1673.1362Wheelbase0Weight (Kg/BPM Ratio)980 (0)TransmissionRWDEngine TypeEngine PositionEngine Capacity4Engine BoreFront LongitudinalEngine Stroke2276Engine Compression97.6Engine Valves76.2Engine Cams11.5:1Engine Carburation4Engine Electronics2 OHCSuspension2 carburatorsBody Doors2395Body Type4Body Composition3Body PanelsHatchbackBrakesSteel with glassfibre panelsFuel Tank0Wheels0Vauxhall Chevette HSR Specific Information
Official model name: as stated. First event: Cork Rally 1980, in WRC Finland 1980.
Official model name: as stated. First event: Cork Rally 1980, in WRC Finland 1980. Vauxhall Chevette General Information

This rally car is a fantastic example how things can go wrong when a rally project is not done in house and the manufacturer takes things too easy or not serious enough. It was embarrassment and a wasted opportunity.
But first to explain this model for younger or non-British fans. For model frame, I don't need an "A" or whatever generation tag for this Vauxhall/Opel, as the Chevette name only lasted 1 generation. Yet it became a classic, maybe also for this, 'there is only one Chevette'! The Chevette was Vauxhall's UK equivalent to the Opel Kadett C, but versions were slightly different, especially since for a long time the Kadett C was not available as a short, light hatchback. The Chevette was not available as a Coupé. The frame is interesting, as the Chevette was the successor of the Vauxhall Viva and the predecessor of the Vauxhall Astra. Curios here, the Viva predecessor was not simply Vauxhall's version of the Kadett B as there were design similarities with the Kadett C too and the Viva was sold alongside the Chevette for some time. Only the Viva had a proper front grill instead of the classic aerodynamic Vauxhall front as known from Chevette, Cavalier, etc..
But now the rally car:
This car (not the only time for a GM rally project) could be a perfect example for the 2 different ways of running a competition team. The French manufacturers and - more importantly for the Vauxhall Chevette - Ford at that time believe in running their sport programs in house. The competitions department can be stronger with the forceful support of the road car research and development department, in return the road car research and development can learn and profit from discoveries in tough competition. The easier way however is to hand the project to an outside independant tuner, so there is a fixed budget and no further worries and considerations. But this can be at a price with a lack of communication or even bother between inhouse departments and independant tuner, less bother for the manufacturer but also less feed back for the road product, etc..
The Vauxhall Chevette HS/HSR is a classic example of exactly these potential disadvantages of running your motorsport program through an independent tuner rather than by yourself. The basic ingredients to the car were fantastic. If it was meant to compete with the likes of Ford Escort RS and Opel Kadett (C) GT/E, it shared the same platform with the Kadett (C) GT/E but was a hatchback version of it, hence smaller and lighter. Further, while its declared opposition was running 2.0 engines, Vauxhall found a 2.3.
It still wasn't serious competition to Escort RS, Kadett GT/E and the likes. The problem was that the car was designed and run by an independent tuner, Bill Blydenstein. Nothing wrong with Bill Blydenstein, he kept his part of the job straight and designed a car that from its first rallies was promising in performance and reliability. But Vauxhall itself didn't take things overly serious it seems, or at least there was a severe commnication problem or lack of in-house expertise. Vauxhall relied on the independent preparation business and somehow, as required by every homologation, Vauxhall never built the correct according road cars. This means for Blydenstein to go ahead turning a 2.3 litre Chevette into a rally car, there had to be a minimum number of (in group4) 400 Chevette 2.3 road cars and these Vauxhall had never turned into reality. As far as Vauxhall was concerned, they handed the project to someone else and are done with it. For Bill Blydenstein it seemed obvious a small, independant tuner like him could not be responsible to built 400 road cars for Vauxhall, while the road version Vauxhall eventually turned out was not including base components that Blydenstein used on the rally car. On top of this the road car was delayed for all these misunderstandings, which for Bill Blydenstein helped to lift the blame off his shoulders by some degree. Well, the rally car was finished first, maybe he could have asked more first what was realistic for big Vauxhall. Still, it was a massive communication mess.
However the car got its homologation in the first place would be a very clever question. Fact is that at a time the Chevette should have been raking in the wins, the opposition kept complaining, event organisers kept disqualifying it, the FIA (or according institution of the time) came to re-inspect and eventually the homologation was withdrawn.
This of course was the Chevette HS. So now Blydenstein and Vauxhall came out with an evolution version, the HSR, this time with a correct homologation. The HSR is easily identified from the troubled HS by the addition of a huge glassfibre body kit. But over 2 years were basically wasted and by now the opposition caught up again. In other words, for politicals the Chevette never became the success story it so easily could have been. Pentti Airikkala won the BRC 1979 with the Chevette, but the properly homologated HSR version only debuted in 1980. Then it appeared more regularly at WRC level too, but 1980 clearly times had moved on. Still, it is easy to see that the basic idea has been brilliant. And it was often said that the Chevette, and not an Opel model, was the spiritual mother to the Ascona/Manta 400 projects, which also combined a big displacement 4-cylinder to a RWD car.

Cam

As the sign behind the venerable Mr Blydensteins desk read

"winning isn't everything....ITS THE ONLY THING"

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

do you know what i think ................???

the car i posted a pic of has cibies whacked on the front and has a cage, i wonder it its the same car on ebay ??? with the dtv castrol decals and the cage removed and the cibies too leaving the holes the seller mentioned ??

could be

also if you click the small pic of the black one i posted it goes bigggger

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

t4 and greys

iTrader: (5)

looks the same to me

foreigneRS

exactly. if you were prepared to pay Ł15k, why not just whack a Ł15k bid on it right at the beginning? then whatever happens you will get it unless someone else goes above Ł15k (i would put Ł15,051 or something so that someone elses bid of Ł15k will not get it and they would have to go Ł15,100)

RS220Turbo

I was on pistonheads this morning and saw this. Any good to you???

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/804493.htm



Sunny

Si B

iTrader: (59)

Exactly what I was thinking, and how I bid.

You don't need to sit watching and upping the bids, just put in the most you want to pay and leave it.

On top of that, he probably bid more than the Ł100 over whatever you put in - Ebay just bids a little over the next highest bidder. Chances are he may have put Ł16k on, he'll still have only won by Ł100 over the Ł12k or whatever you put in. That's how it works.

On the flip side of all that, hope you do get it, cool looking car

Pete frst

gutted for you,i know how it feels just too miss out on summit............remember seeing one of these at frosts on the south coast,had both models in, in our mexicos and 1275 gt's,those were the days..........lol

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Its the best vauxhall that was ever built.Apart from the vauxhall lotus cartlon.

stephenh500

what the fook are you on about, have you seen my V5......... NO so why isnt it real mr kell.

i think you will find that it is son

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Gutted for you to have lost out on that, VERY cool car.

I prefer them to the much more expensive escorts

The Youth.

iTrader: (1)

cos when I asked you in the pits at croft if it was a real one you answered "no I wish!!!"

hence my reply

steve

RC4

cam ,theres a mint rs1800 can only go up in value on an english site
p.m me for details

STEVEST24

Lovely car, used to dream of these when I had my first car a 2 door Chevette saloon, YNN 180Y where are you now!
As others have suggested worth contacting the seller , as bidding and winning is different to turning up and paying, as we found out selling my Mum's Escort Mk2 on eBay last year!!!

Cam

Awesome cars the RS1800 but I'd rather have 25k in the best of the best RS500 in all honesty and if and when I go for a BDA escort an RS1600 would be my preference. I've lusted after a 16 since two of my slightly older buddies each had one in the early eighties (same time I had my Chevette). We had some EPIC fun following the RAC Rally inc all getting banged up in Carlisle copshop after a bank robbery involving 2 escorts and a Chevette which turned out to be a mk2 escort, a Marina and a Cavalier!
Superb full english brekkie in Carlisle nick tho

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

good link matey,i have seen the car before somewhere and its nice its a rally car,i don't like the big wheels and prefer 13 inch by 7 or 8.
my mate is after a lotus cortina and says this could be the year he finally gets one, i noticed a resto project on ebey for 10 large and he starts thinking, anyway it had only been on half a day and is now sold.
the car needed a shed load of work but its the fact the old rally specials are still selling that proves they are good investments. i tried finding another straight lotus cortina for a comparison and i saw 25 to 50 granders, it makes a 10 grander needing work look tempting imo.

stephenh500

ste not going to split hairs with ya, but i do recall you asking if it was a 2.3...... which it is not anymore.

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

hmm Cams avatar has been ditched in favour of a real 70's mans car, i wonder if the old chevy can handle a 350 v8 donkey, i used to see v8 chevys rallying and ones with 2.0 pintos and red top 16 valvers, also used to see some advertised as lwb's.

if i do get a shovit its got to be with a hsr kit from jemisons and a set of dull silver minilights. my mate has just got a modified red top cavalier for the engine and he let me have a blast and tbh it went very well and thats the engine i would fancy in a shovit