Vauxhall Firenza
The Vauxhall Firenza was produced by Vauxhall 1970-1975. It was derived from the Vauxhall Viva HC, but had significantly different from the sedan coupe body with two doors.
The Firenza it was first with 1159-cc four-cylinder OHV in-line engine with 1598cc four-cylinder OHC in-line engine. Later both machines 1256cc, 1798cc or were drilled. In all models, the engine was installed in front and drove the rear axle. The independent front suspension consisted of double wishbones and coil springs, rear drive axle had trailing arms and coil springs also.
1973, decided Vauxhall that their rather dull model range a refresh would require, and developed a version of the Firenza, the (Performance High) was officially called "HP", but was widely known for his dramatic aerodynamic nose under the name "Droopsnoot" (hangs snout). The muzzle is made of fiberglass and contained Cibié headlamps, which were protected by panels made of shatterproof glass. The car reminded very much of the Renault Alpine A310, and he had the same headlights.
At the same time the normal Firenza model was renamed with a flat snout in Vauxhall Magnum Coupe and the name Firenza was used exclusively for the HP version. This car was an exciting styling approach for Vauxhall, and there was certainly different opinions about it. The engine was a 2.3-liter variant of the 4-cylinder OHC engine series, which was very strong torque and 131hp developed (96 kW). We used many parts of Blydenstein Racing: He had 175er Stromberg carburettors, a highly integrated camshaft and free-flow exhaust manifold. The car was designed by an American designer, Wayne Cherry and had a very low drag coefficient for this time. The chassis has been revised and lowered, revised the brakes and installed a 5-speed ZF transmission. All this led to a much stronger (albeit louder) drive than the standard model. One other unusual optional vehicle were his aluminum wheels from AVON that were designed so that they tire safely stopped at a flat tire on the rim. The Firenza was the first production vehicle to be started this technique. All series Firenza were painted in the same color – "Silver Star Fire" – and had a mostly black interior with silver gray, fabric-covered seats. A somewhat dubious equipment detail was the handle for the front passenger, which was attached to the instrument panel in place of the glove compartment.
The car was a design highlight for Vauxhall, but also a sales flop. It was presented with a lot of advertising expense on the occasion of a special race at Thruxton in Hampshire and of known drivers such as Gerry Marshall and Barry Williams down. Barry Williams also won the race. Nevertheless, it has been difficult given the currently rampant oil crisis, with so uninhibited gas mileage cars for sale, even if the aerodynamic snout fuel consumption already significantly reduced because about 30 BHP were less required to reach the maximum speed. This fact, in conjunction with some difficulties with the production line made sure that production and sales remained low. Probably only 204 were built, far less than the targeted 30,000 copies. This very small quantity was natural for Vauxhall a disaster, but that meant that this vehicle a estimated classic was what his survival better than the backs of some common production vehicles that were manufactured at the same time and are now harder to find. A well-known owner of a Firenza HP was the British footballer Luther Blissett.
The Firenza was very successful in the 1970s in racing for production-based vehicles, especially in the "Old Nail" and "Baby Bertha" versions that drove Gerry Marshall with great success.
Despite the low production figures, there were the aerodynamic qualities and the styling of the "Droopsnoot" in other new Vauxhall models of the 1970s again: The Chevette, Cavalier and Carlton said. You can view the Firenza as a styling prototype for these vehicles. His influence can be seen from the fact that Ford Escort Mark II RS2000 for his and for the Sierra 1982 a similar appearance to chose. These vehicles were again in the 1980s, often copied by other manufacturers. Thus, the Firenza HP today looks much less unfashionable than many of his contemporaries.
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