The Vauxhall Story

If you like cars, or even if you don’t like cars, Vauxhall has very likely been a big part of your life. If you haven’t owned one, you’ve hired one, been driven around in one, or seen them day in day out on the streets. And for good reason. Vauxhall has been pumping out affordable mainstream cars for decades. But its fortunes have gone up, then down, up, then down, up, then down, and finally up then sort of down? over the oh, 162 years it’s been in business!

#bigcar #Vauxhall

[walka]

Lol, if you're British it's a Vauxhall, if you're Irish or European it's an Opel, and if you're American it's a GM

[CasSpell]

Vauxhall Astra
Opel Astra
Holden Astra
Saturn Astra
4 different badges, same car

[highlypolishedturd]

Greetings from across the pond. I haven't seen most of the cars you present, but I've told my British friends at work about your channel. They have stories about "I had one of those.." or "I wrecked one of those..." or "My girlfriend and I...", well, you get the point.



Your channel is well produced and presented, without absurd music or effects, which people use to try and substitute for quality. Your channel is worth watching even if one doesn't care about cars.

[seybertooth]

On one hand, the Vauxhall factory in the UK is screwed from 1st January 2021.
On the other hand it only employs three people, so no big deal (one to unpack the Opel cars as they arrive, one to remove the Opel badges and one to attach the Vauxhall badges).
Good old fashioned British engineering (not for long).

[tripsadelica]

Watching this video (brilliant, btw) made my heart hurt. It's a virtual replay of what happened to Holden in Australia, except GM US dumped the company completely, killing the factory, killing all car production in Australia and killing a 90 something year old brand in the process. In the last two years Holden went from designing and building the brilliant VF Commodore (Your VXR ) to importing the new Opel Insignia as a Commodore replacement (becoming a "sales only" company) and then retiring the brand for good. Be thankful that Vauxhall still exists as a trade name and brand. Holden didn't get to be so lucky. I actually had my fingers crossed that PSA would buy the brand and start CKD manufacturing here but it wasn't to be. And GM? Well they made it plain they want nothing more to do with RHD. Such a great pity. Holden's engineers, like those at Vauxhall, were brilliant at turning out great ideas on a shoestring budget. I still own my VF Commodore with the HF V6 made here in Melbourne. I will never trade it in. In a couple of years I will put her up on blocks, fill the engine with oil to the brim and cover her with a heavy canvas cover. My kids can then drag her out in twenty years and restore her to her full glory.
BTW...I wish you would do a story about Holden in the same way you did about Vauxhall. There's plenty of raw material out there to work with.

[mitTÜVimKonflikt]

I would love to see a "The Opel story" Video to see how much Vauxhall and Opel differed before GM made the two brands kinda into one thing. I realy enjoy your Video and geetings from germany✌️

[iEnofadov]

And the same could be said of Holden in Australia. Everyone is now just waiting for PSA to buy Holden from GM and hopefully they can then turn Holden's fortunes around.

Holden sales have collapsed in 2019 and last month marked the lowest ever sales figures for a single month and the first time the Holden brand didn't make the Top 10 selling brands in Australia. It's such a sad period of time for the once iconic Australian automotive brand. GM are just letting it slide into oblivion!

[HawklordLI]

My Grandfather had a Vauxhall in the late 50's (in Canada), he loved it.

[johnmunro]

In my 20s I had a cavalier SRI .... Loved that car. Real wolf in sheep's clothing.

[flybyairplane]

Since I lived in a colony, , BRITISH cars I knew, there was a man whom lost his LEFT ARE IN A MILL ACCIDENT AS A YOUNGSTER, , my dad said the VAUXHALL VELOX, I guess 4 cylinder, was built specially for him in AUSTRALIA, ALL controls were made to be on the RIGHT SIDE, gear shift, turn signal, park brake, light switch, etc, This in JAMAICA BWI, LATE 40s I remember those chrome pieces on the bonnet, from the radiator back to the rear of the bonnet. Cheers from NJ..USA🇬🇧🇺🇸

[ashbriggs]

Always loved Vauxhalls! I've owned many over the years. Mk2 Astra GTE and Mk3 Astra GSi will always be the cars of my childhood!

[nicholasalonzo]

Hi from Trinidad and Tobago. Its nico. I remembered when my granddad had a couple of models back in the 70s and 80s. Even before that in the 60s, which was before I was born. All were very reliable, tough and could" take a lickin",
I miss him. As a grandad myself now, all we could pass on to our children and grandchildren are, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru etc.. all Japanese cars. We do have European vehicles in my country, but they are all highend. Thanks for your great videos. Looking forward to seeing the next episode. Blessings.
Oh.... he used to " Macguiver". Them to keep them on the road. ..

[ca]

Owned a few Opel`s in South Africa when I lived there, great cars, never had any issues with the one`s I owned...the Kadett 200TS was an absolute hooligan to drive, a true Grin Machine!

[shakkers]

When notified of a new BigCar upload, my 'To Do List' changes to "... Sod everything else for 20 minutes, I'm watching it..."
This is Feelgood AutoBlog at its best.... Shakkers 🇬🇧

[BOABModels]

If you're interested in Vauxhall history, their historical collection has just gone on display at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

For me, my dad had two Vectras (he hates Clarkson) followed by three Zafiras in the late '90s and early 2000s. I've got fond memories of the cars. Thanks for the video!

[stuartleckie]

Great video!
I bought my first car, when I was 12 for the princely sum of £5! It was a beautiful HB Viva
Then as a 16 year old in 1986, I started work as an apprentice mechanic for, you guessed it, Vauxhall.
Owned a fair few, worked on, and drove hundreds of them.
1991, I headed off to try being a Rover mechanic. I lasted 2 months then changed careers 😃. Maybe should of stayed at Vauxhall
I hope they keep doing well in the future.

[joshbacon]

I remember when my dad used to have an 2009 (09-plate) Insignia Sports Tourer CDTi, and because it was the Elite Nav specification, it had all the bells & whistles - dual zone climate control, heated leather seats, powered tailgate, colour sat nav, the lot!

[TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

I have had a number of Vauxhalls and many more Fords. If you're young and buying an old car, Fords go wrong more often, but it's usually minor and you can still drive the car and often fix it yourself. Vauxhalls rarely malfunction, but when they do you'll likely require a tow truck and more money than the car is worth to put it right.

In terms of the newer ones, Vauxhalls generally look better, but Fords have the better chassis for slinging into the twisty bits.

[MrDavidJMa]

I remember my Cavalier SRi. Brilliant car!

[truxlee]

The new Vauxhall Victor design was a rust bucket in Canada anywhere that road salt was used to keep traffic moving safely during the winter months. According to some accounts, this feature was well known prior to its mass production and could have been adequately dealt with for less than a pound each in cost while the cars were being assembled. The company then made the choice to keep the money and ruin their reputation. A relative bought a new Cresta 6 cyl really cheap as they were folding tent in Canada some years later. Best trouble free car he ever owned.