good news re GTM 420Y!

[Mark1GTE]

i just got a pm on vxlscc from total vauxhall saying they want to do a feature on GTM when i`ve got it back to the way i want it.that gives me something to aim for now and make the hard work that`s ahead of me seem worthwhile

[Delmastiff]

Nice one Mark.

[Jason]

That'll make the journey seem that much better Mark.....

I'm sure it'll be nothing short of stunning when you've finished with it mate, and probably deserving a feature even without it's colourful history.

[Suicide]

The whole world's gonna think there's loads of Mk1 Astras about the amount of magazine features going on

[Dougie_SRi]

I don't fooking hang about these days heh heh.

[Mark1GTE]

lol i take it your the same dougie then who sent me the pm then m8.nice one cheers.you get around a bit i`ve seen you posting on vvoc aswell.i`ll give you a shout when i`m happy with the car but i`m a bit of a perfectionist and i`m trying to go for as much originality that i can get so i`m not going to rush things.for the moment i`m still in detective mode trying to get as much history and photos that i can muster so that i can see all the detail of the car prior to restoring it back to as near as possible it`s spec in 1984.i`m using billing 2006 as my yardstick for now so hopefully it will be ready in time as it isn`t knackered mainly just needing some minor cosmetics and a fresh new paint job along with some minor mechanical work then getting the detail of the livery etc sorted out so it`s very possible for having it ready by next year.i`ll keep you posted.

[Dougie_SRi]

What's the engine spec on the car? I realised yesterday I had no idea what it was other than a 1.8e.

[Delmastiff]

Yes Dougie it's a standard 1.8e. As it was racing in Group N, it is near standard in every respect, full interior, standard running gear etc. Allowable mod's were roll cage, seats and harnesses I think but I'm sure Mark will confirm.

Lee

[Mark1GTE]

yes dougie lee is correct it is in group N form which is the showroom class.the exact modifications allowed are very limited indeed which makes this little giant killer all the more interesting as in very nearly standard road form it managed to achieve 6 class wins in one season and even achieving 21st overall ( 120 cars entered ) on the lombard rac rally ( a round of the world championship ) when up against some monster machinery in the form of the now imfamous group B rally cars like the quattro,metro 6r4,manta 400,205 ti16 etc so no mean feat to be such highly placed on an event that was held over 4/5 days and took in over 2000 miles and it achieved first in class on the rac rally very nearly leading the whole event until it had a minor off that cost it the lead but it soon regained the lead back shortly afterwards.

the modifications allowed were only safety mods with no performance mods allowed so it`s been fitted with a roll cage,uprated suspension to cope with the rough stages,uprated brake pads,fire extinguisher and harnesses but basically that was it it still had it`s carpets,headlining,seats ( we think standard gte recaros but were still unsure of this for now,it may have had rally seats as it has now but this has still to be confirmed ) etc fitted and even run on standard gte alloys.the only other change was the addition of sponsors decals.here is a vauxhall gte advert from 1985 below ( i think this is brian wiggins applying the stickers,still to be confirmed but it would make sense ) detailing it`s spec but obviously this isn`t my car in the advert they are using this car to basically show that a standard gte could very easily be transformed to win rallies as GTM 420Y did just that.to qoute a press report from 1984 "It seems highly unlikely that any other showroom standard car will be able to match the Astra GTE on any of these demanding events".over the years some things have been altered as it has rallied since parting company with brian wiggins/gm dealersport competeting in the ancro championship and the network q rac rally apparantly even tony jardine the formula 1 commentator was the last to drive her in anger in the 90`s at some point so some of the spec has been altered i.e the seats,livery etc but we believe the cage hasn`t been altered as it is now deemed illegal in todays rally rules due to a bar under the dash but this just adds to it`s originality if i`m to return it back to 1984 specifications.


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[Dougie_SRi]

Standard discs and calipers? They must've been brave if the mk1 brakes were anything like the mk2 Cavs were.

Have you tried explaining this car to an insurance company yet? That'll be fun no doubt.

[Mark1GTE]

all done and dusted m8 it was no trouble i supplied all these adverts and press reports etc and got a gauranteed valuation and fully comp with breakdown cover for the princely sum of £122.00 for the year

[Mark1GTE]

now that over 20 years has passed i don`t think anyone will mind but i`ve been told the car had a couple of cheats fitted to help it.i.e behind the ashtray it had a bias braking valve to help it stop which wasn`t allowed hence it was hidden lol and also the anti roll bar was cut in half and a threaded collar was fitted so that it looked like it had one but after scrutineering it was removed to allow the front suspension to work independantly,and it also had a wider track with the addition of longer bottom arms and track rod ends which wasn`t noticed,crafty but effective lol