The Vauxhall Nova was the British version of the Opel Corsa A, launched in April 1983, seven months after the Opel. It was Vauxhall’s first true supermini, built in Zaragoza in Spain, and it stayed on sale until the Corsa name replaced it in Britain.
Vauxhall Nova at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall (Opel Corsa A on the continent) |
|---|---|
| UK launch | April 1983 |
| Opel launch | September 1982 |
| Built at | Zaragoza, Spain |
| Bodies | three-door hatchback, two- and four-door saloon |
| Engines at launch | 1.0 45 PS, 1.2 55 PS, 1.3 70 PS |
| Hot models | Nova GTE and GSi, 1.6 101 PS; Nova SRi, 1.4 82 PS |
| Rally special | Nova Sport, 1985, 500 built, 93 hp |
| Facelift | September 1987 |
| Name | Corsa was rejected in Britain for sounding too coarse |
Written from the English article on the Opel Corsa and the German article on the Corsa A; the Nova is the British-badged Corsa A.
History of the Vauxhall Nova
The front-wheel-drive Opel Corsa was launched in September 1982, and the Vauxhall Nova followed in April 1983. General Motors’ internal code for the Corsa and Nova was the S-car, a name first used for an abandoned 1970s supermini proposal that had evolved into the three-door hatchback version of the Kadett C and Chevette. The Corsa filled the gap below the Kadett D and Astra, and it followed the template of the Fiat 127, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta with a transverse engine and front-wheel drive.
The British launch came after a seven-month union dispute, caused by British workers’ anger that the car was being built in Spain rather than at home, in contrast to the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro. Import tariffs made the arrangement lopsided: cars exported from Spain to the European Community paid only 4.4 per cent, while cars going the other way paid 36.7 per cent. The Nova name was a legacy nameplate used elsewhere in the GM empire; Corsa was rejected for the British market because it sounded too much like “coarser”.
The first Novas were three-door hatchbacks and two-door saloons built in Zaragoza, with four- and five-door versions added in 1984; commercial van models were sold in some markets too. Power came from 1.0-litre 45 PS, 1.2-litre 55 PS and 1.3-litre 70 PS petrol engines, all carburetted at first, with fuel injection arriving later but never for the 1.0. The basic trim was called simply Nova, followed by Luxus, Berlina and the sporty SR with a rear-window spoiler, alloy wheels, checkered seats and a 70 PS engine.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show in May 1987 two new engines joined the range: an Isuzu-built 1.5-litre turbo diesel of 67 PS and a 1.6-litre multi-point injection unit of 101 PS, the latter badged Nova GTE before the facelift and GSi afterwards, with engine mapping by Irmscher. A 1.4-litre 82 PS SRi followed in Britain, mechanically identical to the GSi. A rare Sport model of 1985, built to homologate the car for the sub-1,300 cc class of the British Rally Championship, used twin Weber carburettors and gave 93 hp, 112 mph and 0–60 mph in 8.9 seconds; only 500 were made, all white with vinyl decals. A light facelift in September 1987 brought a new grille shared by hatchbacks and saloons and an updated interior, and for 1989 the 1.3 was bored out to 1.4 litres.
Design and features
- First true supermini: the Nova filled the gap below the Astra in Vauxhall’s range.
- Spanish build: every Nova came from Opel’s Zaragoza plant.
- GTE and GSi: the 1.6-litre 101 PS hot models.
- Nova Sport: 500 rally homologation specials with twin Weber carburettors.
Vauxhall Nova versions
- Nova hatchback: the original three-door.
- Nova saloon: two- and four-door three-box versions.
- Nova SR and SRi: the sporting 1.3 and 1.4 models.
- Nova GTE and GSi: the 1.6-litre 101 PS cars.
- Nova Sport (1985): 500 white rally specials.
The Nova was the first generation of what became the Corsa in Britain, and it replaced the Chevette at the bottom of the range. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Opel Corsa, English Wikipedia: Corsa A, Nova launch, engines, GTE, Sport
- Opel Corsa A, German Wikipedia: model background
