Registration - OPF 10W

Chassis No. - 76KY155882

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 34,581

Those of a certain age will remember when our UK roads were peppered with Cavaliers – the Griffin’s answer to Ford’s all-conquering Cortina. Well, not any more they aren’t and, according to one source, ‘OPF 10W’ is probably the only 1981 example that’s currently road registered, while the three other survivors are currently on SORN. So, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about a rare car here that, we’re sure you’ll agree, deserves a suitably caring new home. Notably tidy throughout, it combines white bodywork with ‘unmarked’ red cloth interior trim. It is good to note that the Vauxhall was Ziebarted when new and that the vendor currently rates the 2.0-litre engine, automatic gearbox, four-door bodywork and upholstery as all being in ‘good’ order. At just 34,581, the indicated mileage is also pleasingly low and this time-warp saloon is now available complete with its original Philips radio/cassette player. An interesting proposition for the increasing number of enthusiasts seeking modern classics.

Vauxhall’s Cavalier was marketed across three generations from 1975 to 1995. The sale car is an example of the first incarnation that had a seven-year lifespan. It was effectively a restyled version of the contemporaneous Opel Ascona and competed head-on with the Ford Cortina and Morris Marina of the day. There was the choice of four different capacity engines from 1256 to 1979cc mounted north-south and driving the rear wheels. Trim levels went from L via LS and GL to the top of the range GLS. Though not as strong a seller as the Cortina or even the Marina, the Mark 1 Cavalier nevertheless notched up nearly 250,000 sales in the UK and did much to enhance Vauxhall’s reputation of the time.

In summary:

• Thought to be the only 1981 LS currently on UK roads
• A lovely apparently unmolested example
• Ziebarted from new