For sale by auction on Saturday 24thNovember 2012 with Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit, Weybridge, Surrey.

When the Cavalier was first shown at the 1975 London Motor Show at Earls Court, it was a genuine surprise, catching the media and buyers off guard. The stylish saloon and coup© combination was soon attracting rave reviews, hitting the market in the dying days of the Mk3 Cortina. Initial road tests were also complimentary; What Car Magazine said in a group test with the Ford Cortina and Morris Marina, 'Vauxhall's version of the Opel Ascona has helped put the previously ailing Luton firm on the road to recovery - and it's easy to see why. The Cavalier is a good handling, sport saloon aimed directly at the Cortina...' The magazine went on: 'As far as driver appeal is concerned, the Cavalier must be one of the best - perhaps the best - conventional saloon at the price. Its steering is accurate and responsive at all times, and it is not too heavy at parking speeds. Its cornering ability on smooth roads is excellent, although the well-located rear axle can hop about if the surface is poor. The ride may be a little firm for some tastes, but the ride/handling compromise is near perfect.' Buyers certainly liked it, but that caused problems itself. Early availability was poor, with dealers clamouring for stock while the waiting list grew. With production limited to a shared factory in Belgium, this was always going to be the case until production at Luton was prepared and the Victor FE (now known as the VX range) wound down. In the end, the Luton plant came on stream in 1977, also seeing the arrival of the 1256cc car. Eric Fountain, Vauxhall's Manufacturing Director, drove the first British Cavalier off the production line on 26 August 1977 - and immediately after, the supply problems eased. And this removed the Cavalier's main barrier to mass-market success.

This top of the range 2 litre Cavalier GLS Coup© Automatic has only had two owners from new and has covered less than 1000 miles since 1995, with a total mileage of 79,600. Finished in white with the original red velour interior, the vendor has described the engine and gearbox to be in excellent condition throughout and driving beautifully when warmed up. This Vauxhall is supplied with a V5C registration document, the old V5 registration document showing the ownership change, an MoT test certificate from 1995 with the mileage of 78,707 and second MoT certificate dated 2006 when the mileage was 79,547. Also supplied is the original handbook. This car is from the period when the Vauxhall designers were showing the Opel designers the way forward.

http://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2012-11-24/car/1979-vauxhall-2000-cavalier-gls.aspx