Vauxhall Adam S: Why This Sales Flop Deserves a Second Chance

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Today on the channel, the Vauxhall Adam S - a forgotten hot hatch that failed to make an impact when it arrived - but is it time for a revival?

#Vauxhall #OpelAdam #hothatch

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[ca]

A VXR model of this little thing would have been very interesting ...shame it never happened...

[MrDavidfball]

when it was in development they were looking at names, one idea was to call it the 'New'Nova in the UK this would have been better than Adam as i doubt many UK buyers knew who Adam Opel was!

[olik]

the Adam was just very badly positioned inside the Opel/Vauxhall lineup. The Corsa gets you way more car for less money.. so most people just got a Corsa or even an Astra instead.

[fortheloveofnoise]

In America we would have killed for a sporty car that cheap brand a good looking car, tempted to buy one in the future whenIi move from the USA to Sweden.

[injinerconev]

I was a huge Opel fanboy before they got sold to Stellantis and became rebadged Peugeots. By no means perfect cars but they were doing their own thing back then. I think I lost a lot of my interest in cars after the Stellantis thing though, because I knew that was the end of crazy stuff like a zafira OPC or risky unusual models like the Adam. Sad days.

[Cincy]

I'm an American who loves full size RWD sedans, but having never seen this car before, it is quite the looker. I would take this over a Fiat, Abarth, Smart, or Scion.

[deangray]

Owned one of these since new in 2018 - 75k on the clock and it's been great fun, even more so with 16" winters on the Scottish B roads in some snow. Slightly more practical than my last car (Mk1 Audi TT) as you can at least get someone behind the passenger without them being sideways.

[izzieb]

"Hey JayEmm, do you wanna have a go with my Adam? I keep Adam locked in my garage most of the time"

[sputumtube]

Should have called it the Adam Ant - that'd get the youngsters scratching their heads!

[ConnorProsser]

I owned this as my first car in white and red. Currently at 200hp and absolutely love it. Currently have it sat on some OZs too. Probably the best car for cheap ish insurance and good power plus it weighs about a ton

[amarhadzovic]

Someone get this man in a 13'-17' Insignia BiTurbo/VXR/OPC

[JamsA]

My Ex had a look at these to replace a 500. The 500 had apparently slightly more room for rear seat passengers, so was rejected

[DangeeksC]

I had a cooking 1.4 version as a hire car for a short period of time, was working Wales at the time, while the base 1.4 engine really lacked any form of power or character the chassis I thought was actually pretty good, chucking it round some of the Welsh roads was a real riot. Glad to see the S was worth the premium after all

[drissistg]

I own its bigger brother, the Corsa S (a high spec trim apparently sold only in Germany and France after the OPC discontinuation, later rebadged Corsa GSI) and it has the same engine as the Adam S.
With its longer 6th gear ratio great for motorways, it's a nice do-it-all car while retaining some sporty feel to it when tossed around in the countryside.

[jamesthesecond]

Someone over at the Eastenders/Elstree studios has one of these parked outside the canteen. Every time I'm there it always catches my eye. Same colour/spec too.

[Jack_Dean]

I must say, I often see an Adam S on my road and I always think what a good looking car it is.

[ApurtureSci]

I've always liked the look of these, but performance on-paper looked a bit disappointing to me given the output and weight (8.5s to 62mph). A 1.4 TSI SEAT Ibiza was a second quicker to 62 and that wasn't even a meant to be a fast model (also cheaper to tax). Polo GTI or Cooper S were 2 seconds quicker. I guess it's down to the gearing? Looks like a fun car regardless!

[bertenpetrasinagl]

This car always gave AND gives me a big smile. Good review that also gives me a smile....chuckles.

[karsnoordhuis]

Recently saw one of these again irl. I kinda forgot about them but they are funky cars.

[PaulioBee]

At 46, I must be one of the oldest to own an Adam S! My daughter is only 3 though, so rear space is not a problem - yet.