Autosport / Pistonhead Show pics – (56k don’t bother)

[Kev_mk3]

Ok went along Saturday and TBH deeply disappointed. Its more trade and seems they have reduced the size of the show. Not worth £28 to get in ( glad I had a bogof on tickets tho )

 

The amount of swirl marks on “show” standard cars was un real and also there was a clio Williams on the Piston Head stand that the owner didn’t even BOTHER to clean :sad:

 

Enjoy -

 

[Paddy_NL]

the AM looks the works! thanks for posting all piccies

[Kev_mk3]

i would of had more aston pics but every man and his dog walked in my way  my mate works for Prodrive who built most of it so he is after more pics for me

[chop456]

Nice pics.

A couple o' questions:

What's a Lotus Carlton and why does it look like a Mustang front end?  Lotus/Ford project?

What's the little white bubbly thing above the orange Zonda?  Over here they were imported (from Daewoo?) by Pontiac and called the [gasp] Le Mans.

[Jules G]

Nice pics.

A couple o' questions:

What's a Lotus Carlton and why does it look like a Mustang front end?  Lotus/Ford project?

What's the little white bubbly thing above the orange Zonda?  Over here they were imported (from Daewoo?) by Pontiac and called the [gasp] Le Mans.

The white bubbly thing is a GM vauxhall/opel, Astra/kadett 2ltr 16v. GM sold all the tooling to Daewoo when the model was delisted here in europe.

The Lotus Carlton was a GM Special, big turbo on the engine and the handling was developed by Lotus.

[Brad Zarse]

Lotus Carlton was a joint venture between Lotus, and Vaxhaull (Holden/Opel) - I think the idea was a different engine, and a series of chassis tweaks by the Lotus boys - I believe the results were seriously spectacular, although in my opinion it's still a dog ugly car.

The car above the Zonda is a Vauxhall (Opel) Astra GTE.
Commonly driven by chav's, the astra boasts very little power, and generally speaking handling that resembles wobbling a spoon in porridge. This is often caused by owners who feel the need to add expensive suspension parts to the rusty bulkheads in a view to racing up and down long straight roads.  

The design was copied by Daewoo a few years ago, but surprise surprise, nobody wanted to buy one....

If you go to Swindon retail outlets, they can often be found "cruising"

[Kev_mk3]

Lotus Carlton was a joint venture between Lotus, and Vaxhaull (Holden/Opel) - I think the idea was a different engine, and a series of chassis tweaks by the Lotus boys - I believe the results were seriously spectacular, although in my opinion it's still a dog ugly car.

The car above the Zonda is a Vauxhall (Opel) Astra GTE.
Commonly driven by chav's, the astra boasts very little power, and generally speaking handling that resembles wobbling a spoon in porridge. This is often caused by owners who feel the need to add expensive suspension parts to the rusty bulkheads in a view to racing up and down long straight roads. 

The design was copied by Daewoo a few years ago, but surprise surprise, nobody wanted to buy one....

If you go to Swindon retail outlets, they can often be found "cruising"

That’s a bit low isn’t it? The GTE 16 had one of the best engines, Vauxhall / GM ever produced – the C20XE (redtop) (these where also found in calibras, cavaliers, astra GSI’s) the handling was to be desired but with a few tweaks they can be transformed. Yes a lot where killed by chavs but there are enthusiasts that have them mint still ( picture is the example! )

Daewoo did copy the plans and make there own model of the car, but most mk2 astras are now dead, but the engines live on as they get placed into novas, corsa, escorts, you name it there in it!

[Fran]

..... Vauxhall (Opel) Astra GTE.
Commonly driven by chav's, the astra boasts very little power, and generally speaking handling that resembles wobbling a spoon in porridge.

Oi!  I have had 2 Astra GTEs - the model shown in the pics (that had the fancy digital speedo thingy) and the earlier more angular version.  I make no apologies and I loved em both.  Never had a minutes trouble with either one - went like stink and didnt crash! (Second one was a company car, so dont think I didnt try!).  Pretty certain I could never have been classed as a chav either. 

F

P.S.  Good to see an old Vauxhall Viva in there too, I had my first crash (as a driver) in one of those.     - (well the front end anyway, prob a Magnum or sommat else from the back!!!  )

[Lorry]

The Astra GTE took the Hot Hatch challenge to the Golf GTi.  A Cosworth head on an Opel block gave the first 150 bhp hatch.  Very popular at the time, so soon available secondhand to the discerning Chav, and so many were wrecked leading to a good supply of over 200bhp engines to the Kit Car market.

Besides the Vauxhall, Opel and Holden variants, also known as the Pontiac Le Mans for a couple of years

If anyone has (or can find) a Pontiac plug cover for one of these engines, I would be eternally grateful

[Andy Zarse]

Introduced IIRC about 1985/6. I had a 1.3L, registered . If you're still somehow out there E 809 MEA, I just want to let you know I thought you were utter rubbish and the second worst car I've ever owned. Tinny, cheap, plastic interior and terrible seats for a bad back, why you refused to go in a straight line on the motorway is beyond me. You had a great revvy engine and slick gear change but other than that I wanted you dead. And dead dead dead is precisely what Paul Z did to his when we worked together.

[Steve Pyro]

The Astra GTE took the Hot Hatch challenge to the Golf GTi.  A Cosworth head on an Opel block gave the first 150 bhp hatch.  Very popular at the time, so soon available secondhand to the discerning Chav, and so many were wrecked leading to a good supply of over 200bhp engines to the Kit Car market.

Besides the Vauxhall, Opel and Holden variants, also known as the Pontiac Le Mans for a couple of years

If anyone has (or can find) a Pontiac plug cover for one of these engines, I would be eternally grateful

That's only a pretend Pontiac engine.

This is a proper Pontiac engine  (as featured in the car shown below)  

[Lorry]

That's only a pretend Pontiac engine..........

We know, we know, its under 250 cu in

Its odd that Pontiac used Le Mans as a model name, and even stranger that for a couple of years they badged the Astra, but its a hell of an engine for a littl'un, all due to the head


But if anyone has (or can find) a Pontiac plug cover for one of these engines, I would be eternally grateful.  It the red L shaped bit in the middle

[Kev_mk3]

That's only a pretend Pontiac engine..........

But if anyone has (or can find) a Pontiac plug cover for one of these engines, I would be eternally grateful.  It the red L shaped bit in the middle

the opel one pictured go for about £50 over here but in Germany the Vauxhall ones go for similar money!!

if you find a late red top engine it will come with a plastic "L" shaped cover with Ecotec - even tho its not!

never seen or heard of the pontiac version tho

[Andy Zarse]

was it a five door red hatchback Mr Zarse?

Yes red and it also had all fag ash holes in the seats. Have you checked that AA site Peter?

PS Did Pon'iac ever race at Le mans?

[Steve Pyro]

PS Did Pon'iac ever race at Le mans?

Only on the HA roundabout