Group 1/Group A Vauxhall Astra/Opel Kadett- BTCC and DTM

[Roger_NL]

Yes mate, i know that picture... (you've copied those pictures from my photobucket haha.)
Already checked those colour codes... BUT...
This is for a UK based car and those colours were different from a German/mainland car. Also de dimensions are different from a Mainland car.

[Big Pat]

Sorry about that... Could it be that the variations in colour are down to the mixer not being used to the BS colour charts? Sometimes, we fans are nitpicky about colour whereas the original builder/painter may have just said "Bah... Close enough!"

[Roger_NL]

no sorry mate.. Thanks for thinking with me..

And about the colours... i've got a lot of photos, and you can see immediately wich is the Original works colour and wich are aftermarket. (for example, way to bright yellow and blue)

[chunterer]

Resurrection time!
Peering through some utube vids od the 1992 CIVT Italian turismo series, I was marvelling at the Alfa vs M3 scraps when what popped into view very clearly to the rear of the field at the 5th round in Imola than none other than what appears to be a works GMDS liveried Astra/Kadett.

The car is clearly LHD but the livery (and the wheels it's running for that matter) looks remarkably like the type that the DCRS cars of the 1989 BTCC?

See here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDVVge7AN54

at around 9.55...

Could it be one of the 2-3 Dave Cook run cars unaccounted for after the 1989 season?

[KA]

That's a good find!

There are a couple of other Astras/Kadetts in that race, but the one you mentioned definitely looks as if it's in the DCRS/Vauxhall paintjob.

I had a look at the 1992 results on touringcarracing.net ,and sure enough, the 'New Team SRL/Paon Motorsport' car of Giancarlo Naddeo is listed as an Astra, rather than a Kadett.

A quick play with Google image search brings up something even better- a photo from the 1993 season of Maurizio Pilastri's Team Capanelle car found on an Italian forum, where it's described as:

'La Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V ex BTCC preparata dal Team Capannelle e pilotata da Maurizio Pilastri nell'ambito della classe "A2" del CIVT 1993.
Nel corso del precedente anno 1992,la vettura in questione era stata invece preparata da Michele Paon,ed era stata pilotata da Giancarlo Naddeo nel contesto della classe "S2" del Super Turismo Italiano'

(I don't read Italian, but a Google translation of that is that the car is an ex-BTCC Astra prepared by Team Capannelle and driven by Maurizio Pilastri run in the 'A2' class of the 1993 championship, the car was previously run by Michele Paon for Giancarlo Naddeo in the 'S2' class in 1992')

Note it's still got the Astra 'GTE' badge on the front grille, rather than an Opel-style 'GSi' badge...

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...astri1993.jpg/

As you say, it's clearly LHD, but could have been converted when it went to Italy- although one of the 1989 DCRS cars was always LHD anyway...the ex-rally car that Louise Aitken-Walker started the season with, before it was passed on to Jeremy Rossiter as the third car from mid/late season.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6061/6...17805a467e.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/11kcfae.jpg


There's nearly 50 pages of late 80's/early 90's Italian touring car discussion and pics on the Italian forum where that pic turned up, so maybe there's more out there...There are certainly pics of some of the other CIVT SuperTurismo Kadetts

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by KA

That's a good find!

There are a couple of other Astras/Kadetts in that race, but the one you mentioned definitely looks as if it's in the DCRS/Vauxhall paintjob.

As you say, it's clearly LHD, but could have been converted when it went to Italy- although one of the 1989 DCRS cars was always LHD anyway...the ex-rally car that Louise Aitken-Walker started the season with, before it was passed on to Jeremy Rossiter as the third car from mid/late season.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6061/6...17805a467e.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/11kcfae.jpg

Thanks KA, it was definitely one of those times when you see something and it doesn't immediately register and then a few seconds later you stop and think "hang on a minute!?!"

I reckon you're right that this car is the ex LA-W/Rossiter car, the livery and wheels of the '92 car are almost exactly as in the '89 pic.... Buying one already LHD would no doubt have been preferable as well.

[DarrenH]

the BTCC shells were prepped by dave cook. engines by John Dunn (in the pre swindon years)

i know this thread isnt about group A rally cars, but they were plucked from opel production line and converted by MATTER motorsport in germany. i think the reason some were LHD with german reg plates was due to homologation. UK didnt get the gte 16v till summer 88, knocking on for a year after the european gsi 16v, then didn't hit the rallying scene till october 88. Additionally, despite the Ellesmere port being "home of the astra" in the UK, all the gte16v shells for UK market were produced at the opel factory in Bochum, west germany, due to using the new design opel floorpan. GMDS had their own headquarters in milton keynes where the rally cars were prepped, i have pictures inside and out of the premises but as its not on topic will leave that be.







this last picture was at the Jim Russel race school at donnington (you can see the snake of standard 16vs in the background used exclusively at the school). John Cleland and (late) Dave metcalfe swapped cars for a fun test/shake down/interview kind of thing

[DarrenH]

i've never been able to find a picture of the BTCC engine bay. this is a picture of malcom wilsons group A rally car.

rally cars used bosch motronic 1.2MS, engines built by swindow race engines, standard crank and rods, modified pistons, cylinder head/cams heavily modified. 220bhp@8000rpm. btcc engines use sequential lucas injection (same as fitted to metro 6R4) with different cam grind and slightly higher output (as you'd expect for circuit racing) 225bhp@8000rpm



gearbox was 6 speed x-trac item (magnesium casing oooh!) plate diff and driveshafts also x-trac, lobro cv joints. suspension was fabricated by pilbeam. rally cars used standard type compound crank rear beam, btcc cars (allegedly although i've never seen them) homologated semi trailing independant rear arms like the later cavaliers.

[chunterer]

Thanks for the additional insight Darren

Looking at the pics again, Cleland's car does look very well made and set up doesn't it?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Thanks for the additional insight Darren

Looking at the pics again, Cleland's car does look very well made and set up doesn't it?

Dave Cook and his team always did a proper job...

[DarrenH]

a few stills from the 89 review (pretty poor quality due to vhs)

John cleland, i think thats john morris golf gti behind.



rare glimpse inside





this ones my favourite, john c giving the royal wave to (i think) phil dowsett in the group D corolla for holding him up slightly

[pimmy]

Originally Posted by DarrenH

this ones my favourite, john c giving the royal wave to (i think) phil dowsett in the group D corolla for holding him up slightly

That's actually the Maserati, a car two classes above the Astra. Shame we don't have drivers like John anymore.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by DarrenH

The third picture is a different car to the first two - the rear rollcage forms an 'X' across the middle which isn't present on the other two pictures.

Which may help to answer a question from much earlier in this thread.

Originally Posted by KA

The rallycar was developed into more of a 'proper' race car over the season, until Louise eventually got a new 'race' spec Astra (was this a brand new car, or did Cleland get the new chassis, with Louise taking over his early-season car?)
http://www.vwmotorsport.com/download...01989%20WM.JPG

You can just make out the difference in rollcage design in that picture, so looks like Cleland did swap cars at some point.

[DarrenH]

Originally Posted by pimmy

That's actually the Maserati, a car two classes above the Astra. Shame we don't have drivers like John anymore.

i thought the maserati was all red livery, corolla was white with red/silver side stripes like the picture?

Originally Posted by redshoes

The third picture is a different car to the first two - the rear rollcage forms an 'X' across the middle which isn't present on the other two pictures.

Which may help to answer a question from much earlier in this thread.



You can just make out the difference in rollcage design in that picture, so looks like Cleland did swap cars at some point.

well spotted ! and it fits with the chonology as the picture with the X bar was taken after the season had ended.

[DarrenH]

better quality version of the cleland/walker silverstone picture from page 1

[KA]

Originally Posted by redshoes

The third picture is a different car to the first two - the rear rollcage forms an 'X' across the middle which isn't present on the other two pictures.

Which may help to answer a question from much earlier in this thread.

You can just make out the difference in rollcage design in that picture, so looks like Cleland did swap cars at some point.

That's a good spot! The Silverstone pic clearly shows Louise in #58 with the 'X'- style rollcage, and Cleland's #56 without the 'X'.

The Aitken-Walker/Rossiter LHD ex-rallycar seems to have had a third configuration of cage, with a single diagonal brace
http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/1989btcc/gte1988.jpeg

Originally Posted by DarrenH

i thought the maserati was all red livery, corolla was white with red/silver side stripes like the picture?

At the risk of dragging the thread well and truly off-topic, the Maserati was red with a blue stripe and Campari sponsorship for Nick May in '88, but IIRC wasn't it red with a white stripe and Nokia(?) sponsorship for Tomas Mezera and Vic Lee in '89?
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8439/7...2672ba2f_b.jpg

[DarrenH]

HWR motorsport vauxhall belmont from 1991 season. i guess this sidestepped supertouring regs as the 4 door belmont is much longer than the hatchback. (same length as the estate in fact)

ultimately barrel rolled at silverstone, i think thats a young matt neal/Godfrey hall in the M3

[S griffin]

That was Godfrey Hall

[DarrenH]

bit more info care of autosport magazine. it says the season started with 4 cars, 2 dave cook cars, louise in her converted rally car (converted by dave cook) and tony lanfranchi in the prod saloon monorep astra. Tony was simultaneously running the car in 1989 production saloon car championship.

At round seven, which supported the british grand prix, Louise had a new car, a pukka race car, and her old car was put in the hands of Spax shock absorber boss and experienced racer Jeremy Rossiter

[DarrenH]

picture at round 8 or 10 brands hatch, after the rossiter/louise car swap

note car 57 is rossiter, now in left hand drive ex rally car !



louise in car 58, proper DCRS car



enjoy

[DarrenH]

few more of john

[DarrenH]

John taking the chequered flag at the last round, silverstone october 8th, and with it overall championship title