#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE DRIVERS#
#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE MANUAL#
#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE FULL#

The crisp throttle response promises sharp acceleration, and it doesnвЂ™t disappoint, with the raspy exhaust complementing the smooth revving Family Two. IвЂ™m warming to it quickly.ДЄs the roads clear itвЂ™s time see how well the GTE goes.

#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE MANUAL#

The visibility is also excellent, and the overall impression the GTE gives you is that, other than its heavy low-geared manual steering, itвЂ™s effortless and docile to drive, with a mature and well-engineered drivetrain.

#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE DRIVERS#

The interiorвЂ™s dark and quite sombre, the steering wheel rather upright, and the pedals widely spaced (and not ideally positioned for nifty footwork вЂ“ the high clutch and low throttle will be familiar to GM drivers of this era). Sitting snugly in the Recaro driverвЂ™s seat, one canвЂ™t help but come away with the impression that this is a grown-up car to drive. Of course, weвЂ™re motoring through the south of France, where a British-badged Vauxhall of this era is going to be as rare as a Talbot Tagora back in Luton, but itвЂ™s certainly not the rarity of the GTE thatвЂ™s entirely responsible for all of this attention. Other drivers stop and stare, and its four-square squat stance and daintiness (in modern terms) really set it apart. Today, as appreciation for 1980s metal becomes increasingly mainstream, the GTE looks as sharp as it ever did. And that gave the GTE a newly beefed-up appearance that was truly in tune with the desires of its buyers. The transformation from SR to GTE wasnвЂ™t just about its engine вЂ“ the carвЂ™s flared arches were joined by aggressive looking skirts and spoilers, all of which were body-coloured. VauxhallвЂ™s proper answer took until 1983, when the GTE was created, when those clever engineers at Russelsheim fitted a 1.8-litre 115bhp Cavalier SRi/CDi under the bonnet of the former hot-shot SR, leapfrogging to the head of the class. The 1980 Escort came with the XR3 from launch, and despite lacking the Golf GTIвЂ™s mechanical sophistication, its cloverleaf alloys, outrageous boot spoiler, lowered suspension and driver-focused interior meant oodles of showroom appeal, and Uncle HenryвЂ™s challenger sold like hotcakes from the word go. So the potential was clearly there.ДЇord, in the meantime didnвЂ™t make the same mistake. Shame, because it looked the part and handed like it was on rails. But what it lacked was a credible GTI-rivalling model in the line-up вЂ“ the two-tone SR looked the part, but it wasnвЂ™t until 1982, it received anywhere near the power to go hot hatch fighting, with the fitment of the CavalierвЂ™s 1.6-litre 90bhp Family Two under the bonnet. The Vauxhall Astra Mk1 (and Kadett cousin) actually had a yearвЂ™s head start over the Escort III on the UK market, and established itself as an impressive overall package, with lots of room, keen handling and sharp styling. The one that came the closest in those formative years was 1980вЂ™s Ford Escort XR3 вЂ“ as as we know, that really was a case of style over substance. In a few short years since the Golf GTI arrived in 1977 (and in RHD form in the UK in 1979), it had come to dominate and define the sector like no other car.

#VAUXHALL ASTRA GTE FULL#

Keith Adams drives one along the Route NapolГ©on in the South of France and comes away smiling.ДЇor those old enough to remember the hot hatch wars of the 1980s, the Vauxhall Astra GTE Mk1 was always something of a bit-part player in a crowded feature full of mega-stars when it turned up in 1983. The Mk1 Vauxhall Astra GTE might be one of the underrated hot hatches of the 1980s, but that certainly doesnвЂ™t mean itвЂ™s not up there with the best.

Vauxhall astra gte