Super Rare Vauxhall! 1990 Nova Sola soft top!
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- The Vauxhall Nova (Or Corsa A in Europe) was a hugely popular super mini through the 1980s into the 90s, but did you know they did a folding roof soft top? No, not many did, but heres one of the survivors
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Bravo to whoever retrimmed the seats, looks a quality job.
Love some 80s/90s Vauxhall content. I never knew these existed!
Ditt..........o 👍
Nova passed me by - I was too busy caught up in a world of Uno's and 205's - quite fancy a saloon nowadays to channel my inner granddad
I forgot how lovely Darrens Nova was! Great to see it again!
Thank you Trigger!
The Nova is a car I always associate with the Max Power era! so it's good to see rare versions like this one survived.
Never knew about this! Cute little car, I could see the missus bombing around in one of these back in the day instead of the 1.3L Escort that she had! They could have included a rev counter though.
Thanks for taking me back to the 90s. My first car then was an electric blue 1984 Polo coupe 1.3. That was a nippy little thing.
What an outstandingly cared for and outstanding example! Back in the 90's we had a trimming company retro fit steel sunroofs to SAABs and they all came with the BMW switches and if you pulled the trim panel off to expose the manual override the mechanism was stamped BMW.
So many of these around when I started driving (most of which were distastefully modified). 😅
This one looks exemplary from its headlamp protectors to its oh so early 90's tailgate special edition graphics.
I've certainly never seen one of these models before up here in the North but I suppose that's hardly surprising if the few sold were all in London.
I really like that steering wheel and the tasteful mods throughout this car.
10:47 'You, my friend, can go' - I will definitely be using that line next time I deign to let anyone in/out of a side road
A mate of mine had the 4 door Nova saloon when he first became a dad. It was a cracking little beast even at however many years old. It handled motorways without the slightest trouble, they took on the twisty bits as if it had just rolled off his drive. (Canterbury to Keswick trip in about 1995). Amazing machine all round.
The best era 80s and 90s for Vauxhall! What a beautiful example,good resto job!. my mate had a GTEeeeeeee! That flew!
My aunties ex husband had a Nova Merit when i was growing up, used to drive it like he stole it and i loved it, never seen a Nova Sola but this is my type of Nova on the 3 spoke Vauxhall alloys.
A excellent review as always Matt.
Heated seats were an option although I believe only in the Nordics, so that's likely a very rare button pack from a regional market car.
Can't recall ever seeing a Sola on the roads. Always thought this colour was called 'silk violet'.
It was called silk violet ! Or in the trade sick violet 🤣 frontera didn’t suit it in my humble opinion I was Vauxhall sales exec 95-98 happy days lifetime ago now glad I’m no longer in trade ! We had a silk violet 2.0i sport frontera that didn’t shift for months dealer transfered out in end thankfully ( not all dealer had frontera franchises or van franchise we were a small family owned business but had large site including body shop sadly long gone now my colleague had worked there since left school he’s still with the company that took us over but in different town now
OMG I LOVE the interior of this car! My last 2 cars have been convertibles which of course are lovely to drive on nice days but they've both had black leather interiors which soak the sun up and get incredibly hot with the roof down. I think these colors and materials would just make top-down driving more enjoyable than it already is.
A nice facelift of the original Nova / Corsa A. The SR and GSi versions looked particularly good.
The "Flair" versions got a brighter looking interior with coloured switchgear and I think even the seatbelts were coloured.
I bought one brand new in 1992 from a Vauxhall dealer in Cornwall. The sales bloke was enthusiastically telling me how it was the only one in the county and they'd managed to get it from a London dealership. It didn't have electric windows, electric aerial or heated seats. The electric roof was fantastic. Ah, whatever happened to J522KRL...
Perfect review. A car that is well known to me as well.
One little note, no Nova left the factory with power steering, not even the very late K/L reg GSi cars.
I may offer my Sting as a yang car to this once I finish my engine swap.
There were L registered Novas? Surely they must have been an unsold batch.
Never seen one of these. The Vauxhall special editions I loved were the Antibes blue cars with white wheel trims, as far as I remember there were Novas, Astras and Cavaliers released. Don’t know what options they had, but I liked the white wheel trims so much I repainted the ones I had on my red Cavalier E344 MAJ. Happy days.
Living by the Adriatic sea this is exactly the car I want to own. Practical off season, fun in the summer. Why the heck manufacturers can't make something like this today. Every supermini is so dull these days. I want it badly.. ..
I remember most of friends having the 1.3sr versions.
Most had huge sound systems, peco big bore exhausts fitted and a K&N filter for added induction sound.
I was never really into small cars so I get a Cavalier red top SRI. It was very quiet and even at 140 mph, you could still talk to your passengers without having to shout. I miss that car dearly.
My first car was 1988 Nova 1.0 base. I added various parts from the local scrappers. I loved that car.
Such a cool car! I like this boxey era - it's funny how cars went from this to curves galore!
You might almost call this sort of a resto-mod... very well thought out and seem extremly well loved. Pretty cool.
It really is, one of the most cherished cars Ive been in
As a youth I bought a Nova to replace my metro and it was a world apart. Unlike the metro the Nova didn’t go wrong and need fixing every week. Sometimes I think about getting another Nova but then remember the low geared steering, zero grip and rubbish brakes….. although if a tidy SR or GTE came up …..
I love that fabric. It’s fabulous.
You’re in Europe, too, you know.
It’s a Corsa in the rest of Europe and a Nova in your part of Europe.
‘No va’ couldn’t work in Spain btw because it means ‘doesn’t go’ in Spanish.
Very rare Indeed .
I had a Cherry Red 1994 Peugeot 205 Junior 1.1i and I felt quite proud of its visibility, space, comfort and handling.
However, I was ever so guilty of coveting my next door neighbour's blue 1991 Nova 1.4 SR.
That’s the facelift Nova which came out in 1991. I had a 1990 version on a G plate, it had the same wheels though. J plate ran from August 1991 through to July 1992.
I thought the facelift was 1990 model year so G Reg crossover early august 89 G plates were pre facelift then late august onwards after factory reopened after summer were facelifts
@@elvetwilliams9013 The facelift came out autumn of 1990 very few of which were delivered before 1991 which by then was an H plate. I bought a 1.4SR factory fresh in late March 1990 G357 GSC which was pre facelift.
My first car was a 1987 Nova 1.2 Club! I fitted those alloys and that mk2 dash! It was awful in many ways but I adored it and I would buy another in a heartbeat. They’re a handsome little car - especially with those square arches. That Pioneer is absolutely gorgeous ❤ I fitted the Digital dash from an Astra GTE and Astra GSi steering wheel. Fabulous times. Wonderful video Matt!
Yeah I had 1987 Nova club as well and it had it's radio stolen! The rust around the arches were crazy and the windows use to not slide down gracefully and you had to push up the glass yourself😂
Had 3 Novas many years ago, 1.0L 1.2 merit and a 1.3SR …the wheels and steering wheel , seats on this one featured are the the SR ones, the Tartan is correct on the interior, The clock binnacle is a standard one, the SR upwards had revs/ oil pressure and voltage meter additionally, this one is a lovely example of a gem.
Facelift ones lost the volt meter and oil pressure gauges same as they’d done with facelift mk2 cavalier replaced with just warning lamps in the spaces where gauges had been
Amazing car! My nephew crashed in to the back of another car driving his Mum's Nova. He contacted me to check it out. He thought I could buff out the damage! Both wings where bent in, as was the bumper and the front of the bonnet! Told him to go home and confess. Turned out he was meant to use it very locally, he didn't. In fact, his Mum and Dad had driven past the accident 40 miles away. He is now the Principal of a Primary School.
Well Done Matt. Excellent commentary /description and i have to put my hands up and say i didn't know these things were on the go back in the day. Wouldn't have minded hav'n a go. Thanks for vid .👍 Later
I had a silk violet Nova GSi. Loved the colour, the alloys, the steering wheel and the 6 dial dash.
Nice Nova! Still a quite fresh looking design. I'm amazed it still has a carburettor, over in the Netherlands the facelifted Novas always had fuel injection as far as I know.
I think the 1991 H 1.5TD I had for 6 years was probably my favourite car ever. Fun, economical little rocket ship.
This video takes me back Matt. My sister had a 1.2 although it didn't have the currant bun roof and I forget the trim level. That was a great honest car that went well, handled OK and was comfy. I think she sold it in the early 2000's after I sold her my Fiesta 1.25 not long after I relocated many miles away. Many thanks for sharing and bring back some fond memories.
Blimey... that mobile phone looks exactly like my first one, an NEC P100! Cool car too! (Although probably not at the time 🙃)
A colleague had a blue SRi Nova when i was working in Halfords in the early 00's, the hazard button trick does work! mind you his was bought from a pub so had probably had it done several times!
Cool car i would like the pioneer stereo from it that is cool as well .The seats are superbly trimmed.
My Mam had a Nova back in the day. Oh how this video brought back memories
My friend had a 1.3 Nova Sr and I had a 1.3Astra merit. They were great wee cars and loads of fun. More than fastvenough for a 19year old in those days. I miss my astra, top notch sardine tin that it was
Had Nova SR on an F, bought it for 50 quid, put a new battery tray in which cost me 6 quid and MOT'd it. Sold it month later because I thought the insurance was so dear (they did have a horrendous nickablity, practically open them with a lolly stick!!). Kicking myself now though!!!!! 🤦🤦🤦
Great looking car that and nicely built. I had the exact same tartan fabric in my old D reg ('87 I think) Astra Sri.
I can just see a lad hanging out of the roof a full chat raving on motorway oi oi
Great to see. I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of the styling of the Nova back in the day but it looks really good now, particularly the facelift version with the more modern nose. So neat compared to modern superminis.
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When I’ve had my driving lessons every one got the new Corsa B and me a Corsa A diesel. After my mom’s car, my first car was a Corsa A 1.0, a great simple car.
My sister's first car was a post face-lift Nova. Similar colour & even the interior I instantly recognised.
Hard to believe the first of the Novas is almost 40 old now .About time car design went back to basics
Great video. My first car was the vauxhall nova 4 door saloon Spin variant. K Reg. 1.2i petrol engine. Wish I still had it. Was a great car but I was foolish enough to scrap it for free with my london Borough. Common issue with these was the gear selector box would slip out of 2nd gear. The mot technician would comment what a lovely car it was. The model featured here is very rare from the seems.
Silk violet colour ! I remember fondly my mates mum taking delivery of a 1.2 Luxe + 5 door in silk violet - central locking, electric front windows, BBS style x spoke alloys I loved it but his dad didn’t and only kept it less than a year and traded in for a 1.1 205 GL with no such luxuries 😂
Who else wanted to see the sunroof close?! Nice little car though, given the choice of Nova, Fiesta or Metro this is the one I'd choose. Where brakes are concerned though i find modern brakes almost too fierce, like driving a Citroen DS!
They didn’t like the word ‘Corsa’ so they called it the ‘Nova, No Va, No Go’ 🤣🤣🤣. Awesome vid as always mate.
I had a 3 door nova with the Isuzu 1.5TD engine, mine was the pre face-lift model though, replaced it with a Peugeot 205 GRD.
Fantastic car and example of a Nova. This chap owns the Carlton you did earlier I think. Was the T-shirt a deliberate callback to the Corsa B review from last year? Love it if so. Interesting that you found a difference in the gearbox. Although that Nova with the Carb has the extra 10bhp missing in my Corsa B you drove! 😎
Yeah, that new catalytic converter took quite a bit of power away I think, though I think the engines had different head designs as well which also had an effect.
I’m going to say this was based on a Luxe or Luxe+ model. Clearly heaps of aftermarket trimming, steering wheel leather, seats and speaker mods have been fitted to this car, but all done very neatly indeed.
Single point injected catalyst engines would have been an option on the these non-sporty early Mk2 Novas at the time, in lieu of carby models.
Yes, you are correct, complete interior retrim, including the steering wheel, and the door pods.
I had a 91 Mk2 1.4SR back in 96, and loved it. It was rust free when I got it, but started to bubble on the arches and doors a year later.
Yes, I fitted a Janspeed exhaust, Cavalier alloys, k&n, 6x9’s, door speakers and a Rockford sub!
Oh my god I want that car
We have spoken about it...
I don't just love that car, I'm In love with that car!
What an excellent little car! The Nova was on my list as first car, as was the Fiesta. I went for something more interesting and troublesome though. A Peugeot 104…!
Well every day is a school day didn't know these existed 😮
My first car was a 2CV . My wifes first car a Nova thou 👍😊
Surely the Astra was Vauxhall / Opels first FWD transverse engined motor? The original Nova was a bit miserable inside - I never liked them, although they became a bit of a ‘must have’ car amongst the boy racer brigade. The facelift, with its revised dash was a big improvement though, as was the 4 door saloon and 5 door hatch version.
I love watching your content especially the cars that we never got in Australia like this one.
I’ve never heard of a vauxhall until like two years ago!
Very cool. Didn't even know it existed. Had an SR Nova It was an improvement over my fiesta super sport which I love to but was nowhere near as good. Nova was a brilliant car. Miss the interior big time 👍
Nova td was one of the best nova’s
Simply lovely 👌🏻
There was never anything wrong with exposed hex black screw heads !!! Loving this Sola.
Just a pity you didn't show the sunroof in action
I see a lot of mk 2 VW Polo in the front end of this car, Especially the windscreen and front doors (with the same style quarter lights) look very similar to the VW Polo of the same era...
Wife had a Corsa in same colour rare colour ahe loved it!
I'm surprised that isn't an injected one, my J reg Nova was a single point injection 1.2i.
My first car was a Nova 1.2i Saloon Spin on a J reg (late J July 92). Only 8yrs old at the time, but already pretty rusty!
And the hazard switches were really annoying, mine kept breaking and wouldn't turn off, had 3 new ones from Vauxhall at the time.
I remember the gearshift too, really woolly, loads of play.
Another good video Matt 🚘🚙🚗⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👏👏👏
Loved that era of Vauxhall ❤
Lovely wee car matt
If it's J-reg, then it's 1991-2.
Slightly surprised at the 5-speed gearbox in a 1.2 - I hired a J-reg 1.2 one weekend in Summer '92 and it was only a 4-speed. Magnificently powerful as well - 45bhp - because of detuning when they started fitting catalytic converters in '92. I never did more than 50mph in it so it didn't matter, but it wasn't a car for the open roads with such short gearing and lack of grunt.
My 1st car was a Nova (in red) back in the 90s, It had a killer sound system and from what i remember was a nice smooth drive, I only had it for a month as a load of weed chuffing chavs decided to steal and set fire to it in a field, I only ever got the number plates back from the Police and the sad news of what had happened to it
Might be misunderstanding but did he say it was replacing the chevette or the kadette in Europe? Is that the engine or the car because the kadette kept going for a few years after I believe
Reminds me a lot of the Nova Diamond I had - same colour and wheels but earlier interior. BTW, minor point but I think you meant to say Ellesmere Port, not Halewood.
yes, caught up in the moment
I dont recall the Nova "Webasto" edition, but there was others so equipped at the time, must have been a push by Webasto to reintroduce them into the general publics consciousness! Being a Fiat lover, I remember the Fiat Cinquecento "Soliel" having one (& it was an option on the later Seicento), as well as the Citroen Saxo, the Mazda 121, the K11 Nissan Micra off the top of my head, I think the was even a Mk3 Fiesta available with one?
The colour is Silk Violet. Technoviolet was BMWs gorgeous late 90s purple.
The speaker pods in the door cards are additions; standard fit was 4" dual cones in the dash!
The door pods are indeed a modification, mid range speakers live there now and tweeters behind the dash grills. Bass in boot, because, it is a Nova.
@@Daz_Stap I used to put speakers in the parcel shelf. On the earlier cars it was quite a solid affair, the later ones needed reinforcing. Happy days!
This has those as well!
What a spec. Just needs a c20LET and 6 dial dash
Very nice 👌🏼 but are the driver and passenger seats the wrong way round ? I noticed the seat lift on the inside of the driver seat. I swear I’ve seen one of these, quite recently too, I can’t remember where as I drive all over the country for my job. My auntie used to have a white GSI, before that she bought a brand new C reg red 205 GTI, albeit the 1.6 but hey ho. She kept that until buying the Nova. Those arches 😍
Edit… Her GSI was J reg.
they have seat lifts on both sides, so are the right way around!
What a gorgeous little car!
I'll buy the recaros.
Why does the driver's seat have the handle on the inside (by mats left elbow)?
So the seats can be tilted from either side.
A Choke, I thought this age of Nova were fuel injected albeit single point? I had a 1.4i from the same year.
It's weird that in the UK convertibles & full length sunroofs are so common, In Australia where we largely have better weather for it both are very rare, the only local market Ford I can think of is the Mazda based a Capri, & the only Holdens were the Calibra & the Vectra which were full badge engineered imports.
i suspect its too hot/harsh to use a soft top in Australia?
@@furiousdriving Possibly, although the same would be true of the dry states in the US.
I thought I was the dogs bollox in my C reg1.3SR with NovaDose body kit and TSW Venom wheels
Preferred these over the fiesta.
That 1.2 petrol was also used in the mk1 and mk2 Astra (and opel kadett versions) in poverty spec. And the engine is I believe an old opel design.
Only the later updated nova range featured the base model 1.0 petrol (carb only) engine and turbo diesel option and fuel injection did eventually arrive on the 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 petrols.
Point to add, the first gen corsa in U.K….was generally slower than those injected novas…even tho the corsa had newer engines because of catalytic converters, emissions tuning, and a safer but heavier body shell. The safety aspect of the new car was something Vauxhall made a lot of noise about in the day….pictures of corsa’s being rolled etc.
Ive also heard about a Novas hazard light switch starting the engine. Weather it does or not I don't know.
Yes, it does work in so much as it switched the ignition on so you can bump start the car.
However, the way around this is to add a resistor to the back of the switch to prevent it.
@@Daz_Stap thanks for that. So now I know.
Had a couple of Novas in the 90,s and an N plate Cosa 1.2 spin in the same colour as the car in this video. Sure it was called silk violet metallic??
also available on the mk2 astra convertible
@@chriscringle7740 saw the same colour on the frontera as well.
No those pull out head units were all similarly hidden under the passenger seat…🤣
New one on me ! I thought they just had a glass pop up sunroof.
Hi,
Was the hazard button story real?
Yes indeed it was.
Great review.
My first car was a k reg nice 1.2i limited edition called a snap had a four speed gearbox😂 loved it though made it into a Gsi rep
6:34 Yep, remove the hazard warning lights switch and pop it back in again, upside down and lo and behold, the ignition comes on. Now it's just a matter of bump start.
Allegedly, it is also possible on the Corsa B as well, I would have never known that you can pull out the switch, it looks like it just stays in, surley it would have been fixed by then.
However, if you add a resistor to the back of the switch, it removes this loophole.
@@Daz_Stap You could also take the hazard switch with you when you park, or get an automatic.
Awesome v log never knew these existed
Vauxhall only made a limited number of these cars, hence why they are so rare.
Had a nova flair
Basically a pretend SRi by the time I’d put alloys on it
Trouble was it got crashed into about 6 times
Great upload mate 👌👌