Tampa Florida here...watching to distract myself..wife and I lost our home staying with daughter and son-in-law and 8yo grandson...nice work as always sir.
God bless, sorry you've been affected so badly. I know it'll be the personal items that can never be replaced. At least you are alive and safe. Again God bless.
However as a 51 yr old, who has never previously been remotely interested in engines. I find this compelling to watch! Much better than netflix prime or bbc
I've got a Calibra that iv owned since 2017 Need to sell it now ,due to lack of funds . I just hate advertising cars these days due to so many wasters .
@@astravanmk2I've had a few vauxhalls over the years including Nova ,corsa , cavalier, chevette Calibra . Currently own my super reliable astra G van 1.7 dti that iv owned for 14 years and my Calibra 16v . Owned all the fords too ,I don't follow the ford & Vauxhall rivalry I love both . If I had the funds I'd have another Capri MK2 or Cortina MK3.. Nice MK2 van ,I had a light blue one many years ago👍
@@astravanmk2 Good man . I don't get the rivalry some people have . Anyway I'm looking forward to Ben sorting the Capri he has . It's a shame the Nova is a bit too far gone , although could be done ,other than the underneath it don't look too bad tbf
@@compostcorner5934 our nova is in dry storage. I’m hoping to recommission it next year. I’ll hopefully get back on with my Astravan next summer. I’m looking forward to the next instalment on the Capri too.
I had a Red Nova SR 1.4 H Reg. It smoked a bit so i stripped the engine down and put new shells, piston rings, valve stem seals and i used a glaze buster for the 1st time on the bores. Ran like a dream after......happy days
Ben, I’m watching in S Florida, where we dodged another bullet this week. My first hurricane here was Andrew in 1992, but luckily I wasn’t directly impacted. As I’ve mentioned to you before, UK weather can suck sometimes, but it’s very rarely life threatening. Keep up the good work. An expat from Southend-on-sea.
The son called time on the memory of his deceased father but his ghost was never going to let you have that car........ Time takes away both man and metal but your enthusiasm is admirable 👍
I commented a while ago hoping u would find a Nova ....and shouted hell yeah when I saw ur vid...not gonna lie when u mentioned lowering it and max power n alloys I got a chub on.....then cryed when u looked under it ....such a shame ...what a emotional roller coaster. Brilliant video brother 👍😀👍
Nice video. Currently mid way through restoring a Nova GTE i picked up a few months. ago, been off the road since 2010. Fortunately dry stored, and not too bad underneath. The rear chassis rails were gone like this one, but my front end/strut mounts are fortunately sound. I was reslly lucky and picked up french Nova with no papers locally very cheap, with a mint underside, so have grafted on the rear chassis legs from the donor shell. Should be on the road in the next ferw months all going well, honestly can't wait, total dream car for me. Great video, shame this one is so rotten, enjoyed the C reg Granada video a lot too. I love 80s, ordinary cars that cease to exist on the roads anymore. Subscribed!
Thanks Ben for another great video. I myself had a Nova a later facelifted model the SRI, very rare at the time and even more so now. It was a 1992 model and it is still on the road somewhere!
To see this car run so sweetly after 28 years was pretty amazing. What was even more impressive for me though, was your 90’s lunch time snack , eating one of those crisps, then a sweet to follow was very brave 😂.. Great content as always❤.
My very first car I owned was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit. E reg so a year older than one in this video, and in beige colour, but interior was identical. I had the OEM steering wheel. This video brought back fond memories 🙂 I don't miss the manual choke though on cold mornings! 😂
So many memories came flooding back. I had a white 1997 D plate 1.0 basic Nova as my first company car. Had it 1 month and somebody drive into me head on when I was doing 60mph. Car written off as roof bent like a banana & it was around 18 inches shorter, but my girlfriend & I both walked away unhurt! Was replaced with a red one that was a luckier car. My mum had a C plate 1.3 GL that was very posh for the time with central locking, electric windows, 4 speaker cassette player, alloy wheels, rev counter, 5 gears & a velour interior. Mate had a black 1.3 SR, loved this car as very smart. Happy days 😊
The reason those crisps didn't taste right is because you have to go through the ritual of "Let's get this out onto a tray; Nice!", then everything tastes fine, somehow... :P
another great video from the tasty classic archives, unfortunately you can’t save them all, but you can give it a good go another great old vauxhall going to the vauxhalls in the sky
In NL this brand is called Opel. Nicknamed sloopel. Sloop is the junkyard. So it's word play for junkcar. They used to say that they rusted through the moment you drove it of the dealership lot. I've got a Toyota starlet from 1991 still going strong. It has some rust but not too bad. Recently got a new APK the MOT from the Netherlands. Brakeline was bad , wheel bearing and exhaust. In t he last 3 years I've replaced shocks in the back, downpipe, radiator, other wheel bearing and tires. And of course oil. Pretty economical and reliable car. There are still many driving around here. But the older P8 model is getting a bit rarer. Love that car! More fun to drive than 2000 and up cars.
@@markmurray5659 the GTE was really quick, he had it mapped, back then it was playing with the brain of the car. Unsure what stage it was. I His SR was a nippy thing, around town. In my experience he never really opened the SR up. You?
No way I am passing a video on a Nova, my first car - bloody hell we had some adventures. Funnily enough I traded it in for a 2.0 Granada. Your channel is becoming my life story.. haha
Right from the very start I know this is gonna be a great video. I used to sing those lyrics in my Vauxhall Astra 1.8 SRi 😆✊🏻 class ☺️👌🏻 As Mike from the Streets once said “It was sposed to be so eeeeeasy” 😆😆😆
I drove a Shove-It once. I couldn't believe that a 1.3 could be pretty much out of puff at 60mph. It honestly felt like a step up when I jumped into a Hillman Avenger which was quite a lot older. But we all have soft spots for different cars of our youth and I like to see people driving ordinary cars of the time. Anyone with a big enough cheque book car drive an expensive Triumph Stag convertible, but the cars I really appreciate are the Chevettes, Avengers, Sunbeams and the likes.
happy for you. work on gravel for years. then i got married. she talked me into moving into town. 40 years later i'm talking to a box on friday night. waiting for company. i've sunk.
That takes me back! B576VCR Was my first nova, white with red interior, spent more on sills and back panel repairs than I bought it for but to me it was the world! 😂
up until about this time last year i owned a mk2 cavalier estate which i brought for an old gent from southampton back in 2012 and the registration number was B 748 UCR which is pretty close to your old nova i was diagnosed with a life changing health condition which meant i could no longer maintain her and she was sold to another vauxhall fan who would be able to look after her which i could no longer do so sadly
I remember seeing those Nova's (Opel Corsa's) all over Germany in the mid 80's when I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base!!! Cool little car! The rust monster had 28 years to munch on that poor car.
Ben, only just started to watch this episode. I had a White Nova SR on an E plate, brand new in 1987 and 1297CC. In 1988 they did fuel injection on the SR but I bought a Black Nova GTE ex Demonstrator (1989) with Irmscher Body Kit. I had the GTE for 11 years; loved it.
I was looking forward to your next video all week and watched this from beginning to end, couldn't tear myself away! You're one of the best channels on RUclips, content/concept is great and you are a such a good presenter - funny and likeable (pity Top Gear is over, you'd have made a great presenter of that). Lots of memories of Novas and this brought took me back to my teens.
In bed with the dreaded Covid, couldn’t believe it when the Nova appeared on the channel. It’s cheered me right up ! Continued Love for my favourite RUclips channel !!!!!!
Loved this Ben !! I served my time on these cars !! Little tip when running the car with air filter off block that little vacc line that attached to air filter housing as it will idle better mate … such good memories Ben 👍
Another great video reminded me of my nova merit 1.2 saloon F62 GNB bought new from the long gone motorama Rochdale paid £6600 .The clock and head rests were one of the extra features available for the merit. Great memories.
Ben, how about finding something like a cheap 1.8 or 2.0i Astra, or 1.8t golf, cutting the shell off, and grafting the Nova on top? Would be hopefully some good content for the channel, and a bit of fun along the way.
i knew a amazeing guy ,who had a nova he dropped a calibra and running gear into it ,cut the floor and built the pipes in abox running the length of the car ,so no pipes hitting speed bumps ,fibre glass wings and bonnet and fibre glass door skins ,looked stock but a sleeper ,novas nice light easy to work on great vid
I'm no engineer, but my first car in 1995 was a 1986 Nova 995cc (or a granny's car as my friends called it!) so it's great to see the engine at least being brought back to life here. The indicator relay sounded exactly the way I remember it. I wonder if it's the bio-ethanol content of modern petrol that meant the idle screw needed adjusting? "Poor thing, I can feel it getting lighter as well as I go over the bumps as the chassis disintegrates" 😆
That is so cool to see! The econo Chevy Nova we had in the States was totally different. It was more of a square sedan thing. It looked just like a Pontiac that was out at the time. Over here, we could not believe the Nova went from a cheap muscle car (placed under the Chevelle) to an ecoco box!
Love the temp fuel, like a drip in a patient! I worked in the car business in 1989/1990, attached to a Vauxhall garage, the Nova was a little beauty, the GSE was up there with XR2's, and i drove the new 1.5TDI Nova which was like a rocket!!! Such a good car!
Loved that drive around at the end Ben, we see a lot of fettling on your videos so it's great to see some external shots with these beauties on the move, great camera work, the engine sounded so sweet. I'm sure seeing it on the move, living and breathing hydrocarbons flying, rust falling, chassis dissipating, must have given the owners' son a smile. 😍 Wow almost a third of century later and Ben brings the old girl back to life! Oh well, I was looking forward to that road trip down to the south of France.
Brings back memories of my red Nova 1.0: dating 1983 IIRC. Got repalced by a Nova A3 (1992) as they were lots of fun … good old times. I hope this is an episode of a longer series of restuaration and some modding
Amazing little 1.2 lumps! I had a few Novas back in the 90s. Last one was a 1984 1.2L Saloon complete with the very rusty boot floor! I paid 250 quid for it in 1998, it was a real smoker with unknown miles as the mile counter was stuck on 119k, broken petrol gauge also so I just filled it up each 200 miles on the trip mile counter thing. I black hammerite painted the whole body under the doors making it two tone black and blue. I put clear indicators on the front and Astra GTE alloys on it. The valve stem seals were shot so I just cleaned the spark plugs each 2k miles. It only needed a 70 quid full exhaust and a clutch cable in 18 months. I traded it in on a Metro GTA and got the 250 quid back as part exchange. The only free motoring I ever achieved!
@@martinhunt6004 my mum had a 1.2 nova saloon back in the day . It was a way better car than I realised after I'd driven it ,nippy and good to drive. The 1 litre bog standard nova was pretty rubbish though ,my Mrs had one back in the 90's
Ah this takes me back. My dad bought a 1.2 Vauxhall Astra merit same colour and trim as this in 1986 which was his first ever brand new car, happy times. Shame this was too far gone. Great video as ever Ben. Can't wait to see the next. Keep it up.
Kind of amazing (and kind of a testament) you could touch a plastic under the bonnet without it disintegrating. My cousin's Punto is 15 years younger, but last year she called me because it wasn't running right (and she knows I used to sell automotive diagnostic tools). Clear vacuum leak and I spotted the culprit (cracked T-piece near the bottom of the intake) almost right away. As I tried to gently move the rest of the stuff (coil / injector wires / other vacuum lines ) out of the way a lot of the fixings just disintegrated!! Anyway, after temporarily taping it up, the new T-piece and various tape and ziptie bodges seem to be holding up. Not proud, but the alternative was a whole new intake; a job I wasn't confident in taking on.
I built a 2.0 16 valve nova - put engine in it out of a cavalier GSI - absolute flying machine - used to do 150 mph and race Porsches BMWs and other cars ! My nova was fast but an absolute rust box - was welding it up every day lol
My sister used to have an Opel Corsa 1.0L (same car, older type cast iron engine carried over from the Kadett) . We were once visited family 150 miles away. On out way back we fueled up and as soon as we did and i tried to drive off... SNAP... clutch cable broken. I didn't feel like getting road assistence so i started the car in 2nd gear and set off and floated the gears to 4th. We managed to get home perfectly fine. No biggy as it was mostly motorway driving. Later my sister's Corsa was stolen. A few days later it was found and recovered by the police with the engine running and dumped on somebody's driveway. The police told us that these cars are VERY easy to open up and hotwire. To prevent this from ever happening again i installed a secret hidden switch that would deter any future attempt to steal it.
Hi I started my own specialist cars business at 20 years old I was a nova SR specialist . I started with one SR on a B plate in white and worked my way up to 10 cars in stock.I carried onwards for 30 years with various marks. The novas got be started. 😊
Love the old Novas. The idle jets are the two with slots on the top of the carb. Unscrew and use the air line to blow through them. One main jet the other idle.😊
Vauxhall's Nova was a real winner of a car in its day. Back in 1994, I passed my driving test in a red Nova SR with a 1.4 petrol engine, G547AOR. It went like the clappers compared to the first car I bought afterwards, an Escort 1.1 Base.
My first company car, a C Reg '85 Nova Merit in red. So, this bought back some good memories. Fitted a Saisho stereo from Dixons and yes, cut holes in the rear shelf for the speakers😊
I agree Ben GM made a solid 8v ohc engine, I had 3 cavaliers & an astra over the years and never had any engine issues, strong & robust units, sorry to see the nova bow out.
Wow an old Vauxhall Nova. They were great little cars the young lads used to stick all kinds things on them to make them look sporty. Another great video Ben.
New subscriber and instagram follower here. I've been catching up with the back catalogue of videos as well as the newer ones. I do like your presentation style and you also remind me of me but 30+ years ago. I used to buy and sell old cars as a hobby and to bring a few pennies in. It was the 80s so I'm talking Cortinas, Capris, Granadas, Marinas, Avengers etc. Good times! Its nice to sit back in a comfy armchair now though and watch someone else getting cold, wet and dirty!
Thank you for making such a child friendly video (no swearing etc) because me and my 9 year old son are watching this for bedtime! :)
Tampa Florida here...watching to distract myself..wife and I lost our home staying with daughter and son-in-law and 8yo grandson...nice work as always sir.
God bless, sorry you've been affected so badly. I know it'll be the personal items that can never be replaced. At least you are alive and safe. Again God bless.
Good luck over there mate.
I hope you’re family are ok and keeping safe. Nice to see British comedy and humour being enjoyed overseas.
I feel for you all. Thankful you’re safe. 🙏
So sorry to hear about your home. Hope its not too long before its restored or replaced.
McCoy's should have gone on ebay unopened, worth more than the car! 😂
Polo mints are worth more
My thoughts exactly
Absolutely. Could have funded the rebuild of this nova 😆
U took the words out of my mouth I once saw an empty crisp packet sell for £80 think it was walkers
@@MampsUK what was the flavour?
However as a 51 yr old, who has never previously been remotely interested in engines. I find this compelling to watch! Much better than netflix prime or bbc
First manual car I ever drove was my dad's Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit. This brings back some memories!
Maximum respect for fully sending the McKoy 🙂
@@mbk649 I'm still alive 3 days on 👌🏼
@@tastyclassicsyou better be sharing. ;)
😂😂😂😅
HAHA, THIS!! I was expecting a cautious safety-nibble but no! He just lobbed it in complete! 😂😂 I was both shocked and impressed in equal measure.
Ancient potato chips and candy, can't find quality entertainment anywhere else😂😂
Dougie from once driven forever smitten would be all over this, love old vauxhalls need to get a cav and a calibra going
I've got a Calibra that iv owned since 2017
Need to sell it now ,due to lack of funds .
I just hate advertising cars these days due to so many wasters .
I have an Adam Slam from 2013, love it
Dougie would love this.
he did a mk1 cav
@@ambivalentonion2620 Ah yeah I forgot that one but I meant a MK3 lol
I love our nova. They are such fun little cars. Vauxhalls of this era are my absolute favourite.
@@astravanmk2I've had a few vauxhalls over the years including Nova ,corsa , cavalier, chevette Calibra .
Currently own my super reliable astra G van 1.7 dti that iv owned for 14 years and my Calibra 16v .
Owned all the fords too ,I don't follow the ford & Vauxhall rivalry I love both .
If I had the funds I'd have another Capri MK2 or Cortina MK3..
Nice MK2 van ,I had a light blue one many years ago👍
@@compostcorner5934 I love all cars of the 60’s 70’s and 80’s and 90’s I’m not biased towards any brand.
Same here ,Can't beat the oldies , they had character.
I too have owned vauxhall and fords and more , including a triumph spitfire and Hilman Imp
@@astravanmk2 Good man .
I don't get the rivalry some people have .
Anyway I'm looking forward to Ben sorting the Capri he has .
It's a shame the Nova is a bit too far gone , although could be done ,other than the underneath it don't look too bad tbf
@@compostcorner5934 our nova is in dry storage. I’m hoping to recommission it next year. I’ll hopefully get back on with my Astravan next summer.
I’m looking forward to the next instalment on the Capri too.
I had a Red Nova SR 1.4 H Reg.
It smoked a bit so i stripped the engine down and put new shells, piston rings, valve stem seals and i used a glaze buster for the 1st time on the bores.
Ran like a dream after......happy days
Cool name
Eat them eat them! hold your nose and down the lot yummy crisps yum yum are they mature cheddar 😂
Nice car the H reg was the first 1.4 SR pre are 1.3
And Bully's special prize a Vaxhall Nova.More useful than winning a speed boat😂
“Congratulations you’ve won a speedboat”
But I live in West Midlands, the most furthest point from the sea.
Ben, I’m watching in S Florida, where we dodged another bullet this week. My first hurricane here was Andrew in 1992, but luckily I wasn’t directly impacted. As I’ve mentioned to you before, UK weather can suck sometimes, but it’s very rarely life threatening. Keep up the good work. An expat from Southend-on-sea.
And or houses are build from real bricks and mortels and not from wood like in the usa
UK weather sucks 'most' of the time, not just some of the time. At least you have glorious 'real' summers. Keep safe mate!
just go home weirdo it rains everywhere swear to god you florida folk cant handle a bit of rain
One of the best channels on RUclips, keep up the great work!
My first car. Mine was a hatch back rescued from a scrap yard.I loved Lucy. RIP.
Best RUclips channel by far I love seeing these old cars brought back to life
No flies on Dicky! Busted immediately 😂
The son called time on the memory of his deceased father but his ghost was never going to let you have that car........
Time takes away both man and metal but your enthusiasm is admirable 👍
I commented a while ago hoping u would find a Nova ....and shouted hell yeah when I saw ur vid...not gonna lie when u mentioned lowering it and max power n alloys I got a chub on.....then cryed when u looked under it ....such a shame ...what a emotional roller coaster.
Brilliant video brother 👍😀👍
Now you’re talking my kind of language, love these cars 😊
Nice video. Currently mid way through restoring a Nova GTE i picked up a few months. ago, been off the road since 2010. Fortunately dry stored, and not too bad underneath. The rear chassis rails were gone like this one, but my front end/strut mounts are fortunately sound. I was reslly lucky and picked up french Nova with no papers locally very cheap, with a mint underside, so have grafted on the rear chassis legs from the donor shell. Should be on the road in the next ferw months all going well, honestly can't wait, total dream car for me.
Great video, shame this one is so rotten, enjoyed the C reg Granada video a lot too. I love 80s, ordinary cars that cease to exist on the roads anymore. Subscribed!
Haircut and a nova in 1 vid, my weekend is sorted 👌🏻
Belter👍. The enthusiasm and graft you put out on these cars is brilliant it really is,thank you
Got no clue about cars but 75 mins into this and i'm hooked, such a great presenter and really enjoying seeing life slowly come back to this thing
That McCoy was about 90% rot. Fair play for chucking it straight in!
Got a cavalier myself. Golden era of Vauxhalls late 80s
Sadly, rust never sleeps. It acts as a reminder to enjoy every moment whilst you still can.
Thanks Ben for another great video. I myself had a Nova a later facelifted model the SRI, very rare at the time and even more so now. It was a 1992 model and it is still on the road somewhere!
Sham pain super Nova.
Or larger and crisps Merit.
Release Date: 13 May 1996, same year the car got abandoned
Best RUclips car channel by far 👍
To see this car run so sweetly after 28 years was pretty amazing.
What was even more impressive for me though, was your 90’s lunch time snack , eating one of those crisps, then a sweet to follow was very brave 😂..
Great content as always❤.
My very first car I owned was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit. E reg so a year older than one in this video, and in beige colour, but interior was identical. I had the OEM steering wheel. This video brought back fond memories 🙂 I don't miss the manual choke though on cold mornings! 😂
My exact same first car, but like this in red. E808NJX - hated the choke
Aaaaahhhh, my first car was a Nova. Back in the day it was either Nova or Fiesta as first cars. 6x9’s on the parcel shelf…bangin’
So many memories came flooding back. I had a white 1997 D plate 1.0 basic Nova as my first company car. Had it 1 month and somebody drive into me head on when I was doing 60mph. Car written off as roof bent like a banana & it was around 18 inches shorter, but my girlfriend & I both walked away unhurt! Was replaced with a red one that was a luckier car. My mum had a C plate 1.3 GL that was very posh for the time with central locking, electric windows, 4 speaker cassette player, alloy wheels, rev counter, 5 gears & a velour interior. Mate had a black 1.3 SR, loved this car as very smart. Happy days 😊
Insane. A “will it run” video that doesn’t involve fully rebuilding a carb before it starts.
The reason those crisps didn't taste right is because you have to go through the ritual of "Let's get this out onto a tray; Nice!", then everything tastes fine, somehow... :P
Steve the legend
Wasn't expecting a steveMRE reference here 😂
another great video from the tasty classic archives, unfortunately you can’t save them all, but you can give it a good go another great old vauxhall going to the vauxhalls in the sky
My sister's first car. She was traumatised to tears when she had to get rid because of rot. I buzz off your hard work, cheers 👍👍
My son is restoring a nova VAN NOW THAT IS RARE
I had a nova van diesel. Great Isuzu engine
1.5td is a beast
In NL this brand is called Opel. Nicknamed sloopel. Sloop is the junkyard. So it's word play for junkcar. They used to say that they rusted through the moment you drove it of the dealership lot. I've got a Toyota starlet from 1991 still going strong. It has some rust but not too bad. Recently got a new APK the MOT from the Netherlands. Brakeline was bad , wheel bearing and exhaust. In t he last 3 years I've replaced shocks in the back, downpipe, radiator, other wheel bearing and tires. And of course oil. Pretty economical and reliable car. There are still many driving around here. But the older P8 model is getting a bit rarer. Love that car! More fun to drive than 2000 and up cars.
My mate had a 1.3 SR then a White GTE. 1.0 novas were flying machines 100 mph. Looking forward to this!
What do you think is better SR or GTE
@@markmurray5659 the GTE was really quick, he had it mapped, back then it was playing with the brain of the car. Unsure what stage it was. I
His SR was a nippy thing, around town. In my experience he never really opened the SR up. You?
No way I am passing a video on a Nova, my first car - bloody hell we had some adventures. Funnily enough I traded it in for a 2.0 Granada. Your channel is becoming my life story.. haha
Right from the very start I know this is gonna be a great video. I used to sing those lyrics in my Vauxhall Astra 1.8 SRi 😆✊🏻 class ☺️👌🏻
As Mike from the Streets once said “It was sposed to be so eeeeeasy” 😆😆😆
😂😂 absolute choons
Who doesn't love the Vauxhall Nova? Nearly had one as a first car, and I ended up with a Vauxhall Chevette!
My first car was a Vauxhall Chevette - in peagreen.....I mean Lincoln green :) The pea green love machine they called it in sixth form!
@@vondoomgaming1224 I had one in NHS blue! 🤣
@@TheFlixFiles You have to appreciate the single mid mounted speaker and fold the rear seats down and you had a double bed, for.....fun! 😁
My first car was a Chevette too 😊
I drove a Shove-It once. I couldn't believe that a 1.3 could be pretty much out of puff at 60mph. It honestly felt like a step up when I jumped into a Hillman Avenger which was quite a lot older. But we all have soft spots for different cars of our youth and I like to see people driving ordinary cars of the time. Anyone with a big enough cheque book car drive an expensive Triumph Stag convertible, but the cars I really appreciate are the Chevettes, Avengers, Sunbeams and the likes.
happy for you. work on gravel for years. then i got married. she talked me into moving into town. 40 years later i'm talking to a box on friday night. waiting for company. i've sunk.
Great video It be really nice to see it restored 😊😊😊😊
That nova IS awesome. Keep restoring it. It’s worth more love. Omg you have a capri! Delicious
That takes me back! B576VCR Was my first nova, white with red interior, spent more on sills and back panel repairs than I bought it for but to me it was the world! 😂
up until about this time last year i owned a mk2 cavalier estate which i brought for an old gent from southampton back in 2012 and the registration number was B 748 UCR which is pretty close to your old nova i was diagnosed with a life changing health condition which meant i could no longer maintain her and she was sold to another vauxhall fan who would be able to look after her which i could no longer do so sadly
I remember seeing those Nova's (Opel Corsa's) all over Germany in the mid 80's when I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base!!! Cool little car! The rust monster had 28 years to munch on that poor car.
Ben, only just started to watch this episode. I had a White Nova SR on an E plate, brand new in 1987 and 1297CC. In 1988 they did fuel injection on the SR but I bought a Black Nova GTE ex Demonstrator (1989) with Irmscher Body Kit. I had the GTE for 11 years; loved it.
I never had a GTE but my mate did and I remember it being absolutely superb!
I was looking forward to your next video all week and watched this from beginning to end, couldn't tear myself away! You're one of the best channels on RUclips, content/concept is great and you are a such a good presenter - funny and likeable (pity Top Gear is over, you'd have made a great presenter of that). Lots of memories of Novas and this brought took me back to my teens.
12:15 Ashens would be proud
Indeed , Ashens would try it too 😂
@@cryptmonkey4628 Ashens would do what he usually does and nibble a tiny microscopic fragment and say 'it tastes like rot' 😂
@ but still he takes one for the team 😂😂
My first car, Nova 1.2 in silver..... Second car, Nova 1.3SR in white with a knocking engine and paid for with my first bank loan!
Grew up in scotland around the max power days....pure nostalgia im 37 now but still think there really cool looking
In bed with the dreaded Covid, couldn’t believe it when the Nova appeared on the channel. It’s cheered me right up ! Continued Love for my favourite RUclips channel !!!!!!
Loved this Ben !! I served my time on these cars !! Little tip when running the car with air filter off block that little vacc line that attached to air filter housing as it will idle better mate … such good memories Ben 👍
Omg the crisps lol 😂
I would keep them lol I oddly collect vintage items like this.
The fact you managed to get it started and driving is beyond impressive
Keep up the good work man! Loving the videos and the Patreon👍🏻
Thanks Lee!
Pass me driving test in red nova in 1991....cool little car nippy 😊
"If you know what's going to happen to me, let me know in the comments." Actual LOL
Another great video reminded me of my nova merit 1.2 saloon F62 GNB bought new from the long gone motorama Rochdale paid £6600 .The clock and head rests were one of the extra features available for the merit. Great memories.
Ben eating that crisp was impressive. What’s going to happen to you? Probably death by McCoy toxic syndrome 😂
You probebly grow a red beard
Ben, how about finding something like a cheap 1.8 or 2.0i Astra, or 1.8t golf, cutting the shell off, and grafting the Nova on top? Would be hopefully some good content for the channel, and a bit of fun along the way.
Fuck yes
The old temperature gauges in those Vauxhalls always seem to be near the red but didn’t boil. Good solid drives!
Had a 1986 SR, Loved that car, The acceleration to 60 mph was unbelievably quick
That tune - such an earworm! Can't get it out of my head now!!!!!
i knew a amazeing guy ,who had a nova he dropped a calibra and running gear into it ,cut the floor and built the pipes in abox running the length of the car ,so no pipes hitting speed bumps ,fibre glass wings and bonnet and fibre glass door skins ,looked stock but a sleeper ,novas nice light easy to work on great vid
I'm no engineer, but my first car in 1995 was a 1986 Nova 995cc (or a granny's car as my friends called it!) so it's great to see the engine at least being brought back to life here. The indicator relay sounded exactly the way I remember it.
I wonder if it's the bio-ethanol content of modern petrol that meant the idle screw needed adjusting?
"Poor thing, I can feel it getting lighter as well as I go over the bumps as the chassis disintegrates" 😆
My first car was a black Nova SRI 1.4. I know this car doesn't get a lot of love but I absolutely loved it.
That is so cool to see! The econo Chevy Nova we had in the States was totally different. It was more of a square sedan thing. It looked just like a Pontiac that was out at the time. Over here, we could not believe the Nova went from a cheap muscle car (placed under the Chevelle) to an ecoco box!
I believe the 80s Chevy Novas were actually rebabranded Toyota Corollas.
just made this 55 year old very happy..
ben, never change the style of your presenting, it makes the vids as awesome as they are! really enjoyed the podcast with steph too!
Love the temp fuel, like a drip in a patient! I worked in the car business in 1989/1990, attached to a Vauxhall garage, the Nova was a little beauty, the GSE was up there with XR2's, and i drove the new 1.5TDI Nova which was like a rocket!!! Such a good car!
Loved that drive around at the end Ben, we see a lot of fettling on your videos so it's great to see some external shots with these beauties on the move, great camera work, the engine sounded so sweet. I'm sure seeing it on the move, living and breathing hydrocarbons flying, rust falling, chassis dissipating, must have given the owners' son a smile. 😍 Wow almost a third of century later and Ben brings the old girl back to life! Oh well, I was looking forward to that road trip down to the south of France.
Ahhh the nova, memories of just finishing school and lads getting their first car
Brings back memories of my red Nova 1.0: dating 1983 IIRC. Got repalced by a Nova A3 (1992) as they were lots of fun … good old times. I hope this is an episode of a longer series of restuaration and some modding
You are a star. We had a Diesel version its fantastic.
Thank you for rescuing that pretty little car.
Amazing little 1.2 lumps! I had a few Novas back in the 90s. Last one was a 1984 1.2L Saloon complete with the very rusty boot floor!
I paid 250 quid for it in 1998, it was a real smoker with unknown miles as the mile counter was stuck on 119k, broken petrol gauge also so I just filled it up each 200 miles on the trip mile counter thing. I black hammerite painted the whole body under the doors making it two tone black and blue. I put clear indicators on the front and Astra GTE alloys on it. The valve stem seals were shot so I just cleaned the spark plugs each 2k miles. It only needed a 70 quid full exhaust and a clutch cable in 18 months. I traded it in on a Metro GTA and got the 250 quid back as part exchange. The only free motoring I ever achieved!
@@martinhunt6004 my mum had a 1.2 nova saloon back in the day .
It was a way better car than I realised after I'd driven it ,nippy and good to drive.
The 1 litre bog standard nova was pretty rubbish though ,my Mrs had one back in the 90's
Ben sounds 2 me like the idler jet is blocked u can remove the 2 brass jets from the top use a bristle from a wire brush and or air good luck 😊😊!!
Ah this takes me back. My dad bought a 1.2 Vauxhall Astra merit same colour and trim as this in 1986 which was his first ever brand new car, happy times. Shame this was too far gone. Great video as ever Ben. Can't wait to see the next. Keep it up.
Kind of amazing (and kind of a testament) you could touch a plastic under the bonnet without it disintegrating.
My cousin's Punto is 15 years younger, but last year she called me because it wasn't running right (and she knows I used to sell automotive diagnostic tools). Clear vacuum leak and I spotted the culprit (cracked T-piece near the bottom of the intake) almost right away. As I tried to gently move the rest of the stuff (coil / injector wires / other vacuum lines ) out of the way a lot of the fixings just disintegrated!!
Anyway, after temporarily taping it up, the new T-piece and various tape and ziptie bodges seem to be holding up. Not proud, but the alternative was a whole new intake; a job I wasn't confident in taking on.
I built a 2.0 16 valve nova - put engine in it out of a cavalier GSI - absolute flying machine - used to do 150 mph and race Porsches BMWs and other cars ! My nova was fast but an absolute rust box - was welding it up every day lol
My sister used to have an Opel Corsa 1.0L (same car, older type cast iron engine carried over from the Kadett) . We were once visited family 150 miles away. On out way back we fueled up and as soon as we did and i tried to drive off... SNAP... clutch cable broken. I didn't feel like getting road assistence so i started the car in 2nd gear and set off and floated the gears to 4th.
We managed to get home perfectly fine. No biggy as it was mostly motorway driving.
Later my sister's Corsa was stolen. A few days later it was found and recovered by the police with the engine running and dumped on somebody's driveway.
The police told us that these cars are VERY easy to open up and hotwire.
To prevent this from ever happening again i installed a secret hidden switch that would deter any future attempt to steal it.
Hi I started my own specialist cars business at 20 years old I was a nova SR specialist . I started with one SR on a B plate in white and worked my way up to 10 cars in stock.I carried onwards for 30 years with various marks. The novas got be started. 😊
Love the old Novas. The idle jets are the two with slots on the top of the carb. Unscrew and use the air line to blow through them. One main jet the other idle.😊
Vauxhall's Nova was a real winner of a car in its day. Back in 1994, I passed my driving test in a red Nova SR with a 1.4 petrol engine, G547AOR. It went like the clappers compared to the first car I bought afterwards, an Escort 1.1 Base.
My first company car, a C Reg '85 Nova Merit in red. So, this bought back some good memories. Fitted a Saisho stereo from Dixons and yes, cut holes in the rear shelf for the speakers😊
I remember when the roads where full of Novas, nice that this one has not be scraped (even if for parts)
haha yes mate! That tune brings back some memories!
Ben I love ya thanks for doing a vauxhall nova I had 4 of them in the past
Always good to see a red Nova. My very first car was a red Nova followed by a grey 1.4 Nova SR. The SR was an absolute rocket. Great vid!
I agree Ben GM made a solid 8v ohc engine, I had 3 cavaliers & an astra over the years and never had any engine issues, strong & robust units, sorry to see the nova bow out.
The front of the Nova brought back memories of weeks/months I spent looking for a decent classic mini (9/10 had rotted out rear subframes.)
What a Beauty had a couple Novas back in day so much fun and memory's
Wow an old Vauxhall Nova. They were great little cars the young lads used to stick all kinds things on them to make them look sporty.
Another great video Ben.
New subscriber and instagram follower here. I've been catching up with the back catalogue of videos as well as the newer ones. I do like your presentation style and you also remind me of me but 30+ years ago. I used to buy and sell old cars as a hobby and to bring a few pennies in. It was the 80s so I'm talking Cortinas, Capris, Granadas, Marinas, Avengers etc. Good times! Its nice to sit back in a comfy armchair now though and watch someone else getting cold, wet and dirty!
I literally listened to the Nova song last week. A song that will forever live Rent free in my head
My mates had novas, i had my escort, fun times. Loved the times when cars were easy to repair.
If that parcel shelf doesn't have 6 by 9 holes its probably worth more than the car! Great video, cant wait to see it on the road!
We had an '87 Nova 1.2 saloon with huge boot in early '90's when boys were very young and it did us well for many years.A great lttle car!
I had F448 ROU 1.3SR Nova, wish I had somewhere I could have stored it back then. Nice to see a 3 door Nova has survived 👌🏼