The Vauxhall Arena was a Renault Trafic with Vauxhall badges, sold in Britain between 1997 and 2001. It was the first van to give Vauxhall a complete commercial vehicle range since the Bedford CF went out of production in 1986.
Vauxhall Arena at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall (Opel Arena in Germany) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1997–2001 |
| Based on | Renault Trafic, first generation (1995 facelift) |
| Bodies | panel van and minibus |
| Drive | front-wheel drive |
| Related | Opel Arena, and the Trafic’s Nissan and Tata derivatives |
| Range position | below the Vauxhall Vivaro that followed |
| Replaced by | Vauxhall Vivaro, 2001 |
The Arena is covered in a section of the English Wikipedia article on the Renault Trafic; German Wikipedia has a separate article on the Opel Arena.
History of the Vauxhall Arena
From 1997 to 2001 the Renault Trafic was sold in Germany as the Opel Arena and in Britain as the Vauxhall Arena. The Trafic itself had been on sale since 1980, and the Arena was the version of the facelifted first-generation van that followed the 1995 update, with a new grille, new tail lights, large double rear-view mirrors and a modern dashboard with multi-adjustable seats.
The Arena mattered to Vauxhall because it completed the range. Nick Reilly, the company’s chairman and managing director, said that the Arena marked the first time the company could offer a total commercial range since the days of the old Bedford CF, which ended production in 1986.
The Trafic of this period was used far beyond Renault’s own dealers. Its chassis and cab were the base for the Winnebago LeSharo motorhome from 1983, and the design was popular with converter companies such as Auto Sleepers and Holdsworth; Tata later built the Winger from the 1995–2001 version, and Inokom assembled a version in Malaysia. In 2001 the Arena was replaced by the Vivaro, which was developed jointly with Renault and built at Luton.
Design and features
- Rebadged Trafic: the same van as the Renault, with Vauxhall badges and trim.
- Full range: panel van and minibus bodies covered most commercial needs.
- Shared engineering: the Renault-designed platform was also used by Nissan and Tata.
- Stop-gap model: it filled the gap before the Luton-built Vivaro arrived in 2001.
Vauxhall Arena versions
- Arena panel van: the standard two- or three-seat commercial body.
- Arena minibus: the passenger-carrying version of the same van.
- Opel Arena: the German-market twin, sold alongside the Vauxhall.
- Trafic-based motorhomes: conversions by Auto Sleepers, Holdsworth and others used the same base.
The Arena preceded the Vivaro and ran alongside the smaller Combo. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Renault Trafic, English Wikipedia: Opel and Vauxhall Arena, vans and conversions
- Opel Arena, German Wikipedia: dates and market
