125-473: The Ford Sierra is a mid-size/ large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982–1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen , Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors. The Sierra had its debut at the 1982 British International Motor Show in Birmingham , shortly followed by
250-659: A Chrysler until Peugeot took over the European operations of Chrysler ) had tailed off by 1981, while British Leyland was winding down production of the Austin Ambassador hatchback and Morris Ital saloon and estate in preparation for the launch of any all-new car (which would be sold as the Austin Montego ) by 1984. Popular foreign competitors at the time included the Renault 18 , which had arrived on
375-604: A vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars . "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in the European car classification. Mid-size cars are manufactured in a variety of body styles, including sedans , coupes , station wagons , hatchbacks , and convertibles . Compact executive cars can also fall under
500-523: A 1.8-litre turbodiesel. The turbocharged 2-litre RS Cosworth engine featured on all three Cosworth versions of the Sierra; the three-door rear-wheel-drive hatchback, the rear-wheel-drive saloon, and the four-wheel-drive saloon. The sporting model XR4i utilized the 2.8 engine with mechanical fuel injection (Bosch K Jetronic) coupled to rear-wheel drive (1983–1985) and to four-wheel-drive as XR4x4 (1985–1987). There were visual differences and alterations between
625-724: A Vauxhall nameplate from the 1970s), and Cadillac Cimarron . In the United Kingdom, the new Cavalier was a huge success and challenged the supremacy of the Ford Cortina as the company car of choice. Indeed, it went on sale only a year before the Cortina was discontinued. By 1982, Ford and Vauxhall had an effective two-horse race at the top of this sector on the British market, as sales of the Talbot Alpine (previously
750-672: A coupe/sports hatch version of the Ascona C/Cavalier Mark 2 was never engineered. However, the early to mid 1980s saw the decline of coupe models on the British market, with British Leyland not replacing the MG B when it closed the famous MG factory at Abingdon in 1980, and even the Ford Capri (a top-ten seller in Britain as late as 1980) had no immediate successor after the end of production in 1986, as Ford felt that there
875-624: A demonstration model with one style on either side was displayed at a Sierra design exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but the one-pillar design was not launched until 1984. The three-door Sierra was later dropped in the UK after just two years, only to be revived for the Cosworth version. Production of the 3-door Sierra continued in continental Europe, including after the Sierra range
1000-475: A facelift for the Sierra at the start of 1987 helped Ford build a wide lead at the top of the large family car sector as nearly 140,000 Sierras were sold that year, while Cavalier sales fell below 100,000. By the time the second generation Cavalier was discontinued to make way for the third generation model in October 1988, the Sierra was almost twice as popular. It was Britain's second best selling car (behind
1125-459: A few minor visual differences. The second generation of Cavalier, launched in 1981 and produced until 1988, was launched simultaneously with the identical new generation of Opel Ascona, which was sold across the world in various guises on the GM " J-Body platform ". The third and final generation of Cavalier, launched in 1988 and produced until 1995, was based on the first generation of Opel Vectra with
1250-534: A five-speed as option but standard on the 2.3D and 2.3 V6. At a time when the rival Vauxhall Cavalier was offered with a five-speed, this led to some critics commenting that the Sierra was somewhat underpowered. In the mid-1980s, many smaller cars (some even two segments smaller) featured five-speed gearboxes as standard. The chassis, however, was more sophisticated than the Cortina/Taunus, with fully independent suspension on both axles. The rear suspension
1375-546: A limited choice of petrol engines were available for the Van. This variant was never sold in the UK, although some were produced in right-hand-drive for the Irish market . During its lifetime, the Sierra was available with a wide range of petrol engines: Two diesel engines were available: 1300, 1600, and 2000 engines all had a 4-speed manual gearbox ; a 5-speed manual gearbox was optional with 1600 and 2000 engines, and standard with
SECTION 10
#17327760034761500-417: A limited run of 10% of the initial production, therefore this would be 500 cars. This was known as an 'evolution' model. Ford employed Tickford to help with the development. The Sierra RS500 as it was known sported a small additional rear spoiler, and larger front chin spoiler, extra cooling ducts for the engine, brakes, and intercooler. The placement of the additional cooling ducts is where the foglights seen on
1625-492: A restyled Sierra was launched for the 1988 model year and a four-door saloon version was added to the range – this was marketed as the Sierra Sapphire on the UK market. The front end was completely revised, with the biggest difference being the indicators now positioned above the bumper and to the side of a new headlight design. While the grille again remained blanked off, the UK, Irish, and South African versions of
1750-511: A single lens. For the 1985 model year, all the lower-spec models, except the base model, adopted the Ghia's and XR4i's front grille and headlight treatment. However, the second lens of the lower-spec models had no actual light within it. On the Ghia and XR4i this lens contained additional high-beam lamps. The South-African XR8 model's front end was similar to the XR4i's but featured a small grille between
1875-637: A very large following. In 1987, Ford introduced a four-door saloon (marketed in the UK as the Sierra Sapphire), which was sold alongside the hatchback and estate until the Sierra was replaced by the Mondeo in early 1993. The last Sierra rolled off the production line in December 1992. The Sierra Cosworth line-up switched to a saloon body style with a four-door arrangement in January 1988, aptly named
2000-476: Is a large family car that was sold primarily in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The first generation of Cavalier, launched in 1975 and produced until 1981, was Vauxhall's version of the General Motors 'U-Car' - essentially an Opel Ascona B / Opel Manta with
2125-619: Is basically a Cavalier GLS coupé 2-litre with the hard roof replaced with a soft top leaving a T-bar for strength. The floor pan was also strengthened. The Silver Aero, Wayne Cherry 's design concept, is often considered the ultimate Cavalier Mark I. This was a one-off prototype built in 1980, based on the Cavalier Sportshatch. The car was displayed at the International Car Show at the NEC in October 1980. The plan
2250-773: The Calibra , the first Vauxhall coupe since the original Cavalier coupe was discontinued in 1981. The Calibra was the official replacement for the Opel Manta , which had been discontinued in 1988, and was also sold on continental Europe under the Opel Brand. Plans for the Calibra to be imported to the USA under the Saab brand never materialised. The Vectra name was not adopted at this model change as Vauxhall feared reviving memories of
2375-583: The Escort III two years earlier, in that its conventionally styled saloons of the 1970s would be replaced by hatchbacks with advanced aerodynamic styling. Ford had confirmed during 1981, a year before the Sierra's official launch, that its new mid-range car would carry the Sierra name, signalling the end of the Taunus and Cortina nameplates after 43 years and nine generations, or 20 years and five generations respectively. In September that year, it had unveiled
2500-473: The Ford Cortina , or even the sales figures attained by British Leyland 's Morris Marina (which sold well throughout the 1970s despite being widely condemned in the motoring press) but it at least managed to help Vauxhall regain lost ground in a market sector where it had declined during the first half of the 1970s as Victor sales slumped. It also helped repair Vauxhall's image, which had been hit hard in
2625-593: The Ford Cortina Mk II had been replaced by the Ford Cortina Mk III in 1970, but in the eyes of the all-important company car fleet managers the newer Cortina never quite matched the earlier car for reliability, notably in respect of problems with its cable clutch and with camshaft wear in the 1.6 and 2.0 litre ohc units. The traditionally very conservative fleet market was therefore particularly receptive to Vauxhall's new Cortina challenger. At
SECTION 20
#17327760034762750-582: The Ford Escort ) in 1984 and 1985, and at its peak, this version of the Cavalier came with the choice of 1.3 or 1.6 L engines derived from the smaller Vauxhall Astra (also sold as the Opel Kadett ), while for 1983 a 1.8 L engine was launched, which had electronic fuel injection. A diesel of 1.6 L was added about the same time, while the 1.8 L was supplemented by a 2.0 L for
2875-710: The Ford Escorts nor the Datsuns in the overall championship . After a four-year gestation period, the new front-wheel drive Cavalier was introduced on 26 August 1981. Unlike the previous generation, the Cavalier II had no styling or engineering difference from its Opel sister the Ascona C , differing only in badging and trim. On its launch, it offered class-leading levels of fuel economy and performance which had previously been unseen in this size of car. Sales began
3000-662: The Ford LTD II and the Plymouth Fury . A comparison test by Popular Science of four intermediate sedans (the 1976 AMC Matador, Chevrolet Malibu , Ford Torino, and Dodge Coronet ) predicted that these will be the "big cars of the future." By 1978, General Motors made its intermediate models smaller. New "official" size designations in the U.S. were introduced by the EPA , which defined market segments by passenger and cargo space. Formerly mid-sized cars that were built on
3125-597: The Ford Orion in 1983 to fill the gap in the saloon range left by the Cortina. Ford found that customers were more attached to the idea of a saloon than they had expected, and this was further addressed in 1987 by the production of a saloon version of the Sierra. In the UK, this model was called the Ford Sierra Sapphire . This differed from the other Sierra models in having a traditional black grille, which appeared only in right hand drive markets. During
3250-531: The Omega two years earlier), hence the new car would carry the 'Vectra' nameplate. Vauxhall however with its strong brand loyalty in the UK, elected to keep the Cavalier name. Soon afterwards, development also began on a new coupe which would share the same underpinnings as the hatchbacks and saloons, but would use a different nameplate and feature completely different styling. The final generation Cavalier went on sale on 14 October 1988, being Vauxhall's version of
3375-570: The Opel Vectra "A", again available as a saloon and hatchback. There was no estate version in the Opel line-up, and as this design was not going to be sold in Australia, there was no prospect of Vauxhall turning to Holden for a replacement. Early plans for an estate model exclusive to Europe to be developed never materialised. During 1989, however, the Cavalier's floorpan did spawn a new coupe -
3500-820: The Vauxhall Cavalier in MK2 form during 1984 and 1985, and then from 1990 until its demise by the MK3 Cavalier. Nevertheless, it comfortably outsold its second key rival, the Austin Montego , which was launched in April 1984. Between 1985 and 1988, the Sierra faced fresh competition in Europe from the likes of the Renault 21 and Peugeot 405 , while Japanese carmaker Nissan was producing its Bluebird model in Britain from 1986. Early versions suffered from crosswind stability problems, which were addressed in 1985 with
3625-526: The "Azure" and "Chausseur". The final European made Sierras rolled off the production line in December 1992 as the Genk factory was switched over to Mondeo production. The Sierra was Ford's answer to the success of the General Motors "J-car" ( Vauxhall Cavalier in the UK ), which had been launched in 1981 with front-wheel drive and a hatchback body style to complement the saloon. Unusually in its sector by that time,
3750-575: The "Project Toni" code name, the nameplate Sierra derived from the Spanish word for mountain range . The car was primarily manufactured in Belgium and the United Kingdom, although Sierras were also assembled in Cork, Ireland, Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa, and New Zealand. By 1978, Ford Europe was working on a new mid-range model to replace the Cortina/Taunus during the early 1980s, working under
3875-471: The 'Sapphire', again with rear-wheel drive, before the four-wheel-drive version replaced it two years later. The Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth was based on the second-generation variant of the Sierra model, having a different front and rear fascia compared to the first-generation Sierra. The same turbocharged 2-litre Cosworth YB engine found itself present in the Sapphire RS Cosworth as found with
Ford Sierra - Misplaced Pages Continue
4000-550: The 1.3 engine and in Scandinavia the car came with Manta-style headlight wipers. Vauxhalls were at one time sold alongside Opels in Europe (mostly in countries where memories of the German occupation brought about resistance to German cars) but Vauxhall announced they were pulling out of the 11 other countries where they sold cars on 6 December 1979 and export sales stopped entirely in 1981, allowing General Motors to concentrate on
4125-480: The 1256 cc version, assembled at Luton and using engine and transmission already familiar to Viva 1300 owners, broadened the range. At that stage the 1584 cc Cavalier and the 1979 cc which had joined it were still being imported from Belgium, but in due course these, too, started to emerge from the Luton production plant. The commencement of Cavalier production in the UK also helped ensure that supply for
4250-401: The 1600 Economy engine, the 2300 and 2300 Diesel. An optional 3-speed automatic transmission was available with 1600, 2000 and 2300 engines. The 2.0 V6 and 2.3 V6 versions of the Sierra were dropped at the end of 1985 and the 1.3-litre was discontinued in 1986. A carburetted 1.8 and a fuel-injected 2.0-litre petrol engine were added at Geneva 1985. In 1990, the 2.3-litre diesel was replaced by
4375-517: The 1980s, however. All Cavalier saloons shared most of their bodywork with the Opel Ascona but had the slanted nose of the Manta to give them the distinct "droop snoot" front end. The coupé also had a front air dam. Despite being the same car mechanically, the Opel Ascona was sold alongside the Cavalier in the United Kingdom until 24 July 1981, when GM decided to phase out duplicated models with
4500-483: The 1982 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. Sales began on 15 October 1982, replacing the Ford Taunus TC3 ( UK : Ford Cortina Mark V). Its aerodynamic styling and the absence of a saloon/sedan configuration was such that many conservative buyers (including company car drivers) did not prefer its design. A saloon/sedan model debuted in 1987 with the introduction of the facelifted Sierra. Designated internally under
4625-660: The 1987 model year. Perhaps surprisingly, it was narrowly beaten to the European Car of the Year award for 1982 by the Renault 9 , with third place going to the Mark II Volkswagen Polo . This model was produced as a two-door or four-door saloon and five-door hatchback. An estate version followed in October 1983, based on the Holden Camira wagon with rear body panels imported from Australia. It
4750-517: The 2.3 L Vauxhall Slant-4 engine , for use in a future high-performance variant, but the proposals did not get past GM Europe management, and as a result the larger-engined Cavaliers were exclusively powered by the Opel CIH engine. It was revised in 1978, as the 1.9 L became a 2.0 L engine and the 1.3 L OHV engine from the Vauxhall Viva and Vauxhall Chevette was used to create
4875-509: The 2.8-litre Cologne V6 engine using the same Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical injection system used since 1977 in the Granada, and since 1981 in the Capri, but it was replaced in 1989 by the new more efficient 2.9-litre Cologne V6 engine, with electronic fuel injection. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine also became available with the four-wheel-drive system after the 1987 facelift. In February 1987,
5000-662: The ATE ABS system as was customary only on the Sapphire GHIA models at the time. These limited-edition vehicles were available in only two colours, namely red and white. Uniquely, the South African market also saw the introduction of a 5.0-litre XR8 between June 1984 and 1988. A limited number of 250 Sierras were made for the purposes of homologation, as this model was the premier Ford used in Group-A racing. The XR8
5125-656: The Ascona at the newly refurbished Opel plant in Antwerp , Belgium . Shortly after its launch, the Cavalier was tested by What Car? magazine and received a much higher rating than the Ford Cortina Mk III and Morris Marina against which it was tested. However, the Cortina was less than a year away from replacement, and January 1976 saw the arrival of the Chrysler Alpine (the British version of
Ford Sierra - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-436: The British market and was not reputedly a reliable or well-built car. The original Cavaliers were available as two and four-door saloons, and with a two-door booted ( three-box ) coupé body as used for the Opel Manta . The cars came with a choice of 1.6 and 1.9 L inline-four cylinder Opel CIH engines in the saloon: only the 1.9 L engine was available in the coupé. Vauxhall engineers built Cavalier prototypes using
5375-538: The British market in December 1978. The MK2 Cavalier also debuted in the same year as the MK2 Volkswagen Passat . Following the British public's reluctance to embrace the Ford Sierra 's radical styling in 1982, the Cavalier overtook the Sierra in sales and outsold the Sierra in 1984 and again in 1985, although the Sierra had comfortably outsold it in 1983. The Sierra narrowly outsold it in 1986, and
5500-459: The Cavalier Mark II to be launched was the Cavalier Calibre. Based on the SRi130 with styling from Aston Martin / Tickford and the bodykit, sports suspension and exhaust being produced by Irmscher , it was a limited production run of only 500 cars. The car came with a very high specification including a trip computer , Recaro seats, power windows and power steering . It cost around £13,000 when released in 1987. Vauxhall sold 807,624 examples of
5625-455: The Cavalier for the next two years. Mirroring changes being made to the Opel Ascona C, an updated Cavalier debuted in late 1984 (for the 1985 model year) which saw all models gain the "eggcrate" grille from the CD model, modified rear lamp clusters with darkened detailing, new steering wheels, larger steering column stalk switches, upgraded equipment, new upholstery options and different instrument graphics - some of these changes came direct from
5750-408: The Chevair in the South African championships. A Group 1 car with a tuned 2.5-litre version of the Chevrolet engine, as well as a Group 2 car with a Lotusesque DOHC 16-valve Vauxhall 2.3-litre engine were campaigned. They developed 90 and 175 kW (122 and 238 PS) respectively. A Chevair driven by Tony Pond won the 1979 Duckhams Rally. Despite a further victory in 1979 they could not threaten
5875-430: The Family II engine became available on CD, SRi and GLS trim, whilst the availability of the fuel injected 1.8L unit was extended down to L trim. The SRi model was now available with the uprated 20SEH engine, which had 130 hp (97 kW) and could exceed 120 mph (193 km/h). This had the same engine as the Astra GTE 8v (20SEH), though it was more powerful owing to a better exhaust route. The last version of
6000-405: The Netherlands, crashed his Sierra XR4x4 in 1988 in the city of Leiden where he attended the university as a student. In 1985, at the Geneva Motor Show , the four-wheel-drive Sierra XR4x4 was shown as a derivative of the XR4i. It had two viscous differentials with two thirds of the power directed towards the rear wheels. It was originally available only as a three-door hatchback; the bodywork had
6125-448: The Opel brand in the United Kingdom and merge remaining dealerships with those of Vauxhall. The Opel Manta (and Monza) remained available, giving the Opel brand a "sports" position in Britain until the Manta was finally discontinued in 1988. That the Manta was sold alongside the MK2 Cavalier in the 1980s gave rise to the curiosity that the previous generation Ascona/Cavalier was effectively being sold concurrently with its successor, since
6250-420: The Opel brand in these markets. In RHD markets such as Ireland , Cyprus and Malta , the Vauxhall brand was also dropped, with Opel becoming the main GM marque. Holden also looked at taking the U-Car but they declined as they found that the prototypes they had tested were not suitable for the roads in the outback without extensive modifications. Trim levels: Special Edition: The higher-end models of
6375-446: The Probe III concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show , hinting at what the new car would look like when the final product was unveiled 12 months later. After the sharp-edged straight-line three-box styling of its predecessors, the Sierra was nicknamed "the jellymould". The shape served a purpose though, producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over the boxy outgoing Taunus's/Cortina's 0.45. This aerodynamic design
SECTION 50
#17327760034766500-426: The Sierra cab and engines, replacing the previous Cortina/Taunus-related model. The Sierra and Sapphire continued to be given minor updates for the remaining years of production. The 1990 model year cars featured new smoked rear lamp lenses and a general upgrade to equipment levels across the range. All petrol engines were available with the option of a catalytic converter , before their adoption became compulsory at
6625-413: The Sierra from the Cortina and Taunus was the second time that Ford had changed its saloon-based line-up into a hatchback-based one following the launch of the Escort Mark III in 1980, and before the introduction of the Scorpio (known as the Granada Mark III in the UK and Ireland) in 1985. However, like the Cortina and Taunus before it, the Sierra was available as an estate . The company launched
6750-423: The Sierra managed nearly 160,000 sales in Britain, outsold only by the smaller Escort. Ford had also launched the more conservatively designed Escort-based Orion saloon that year, which found favour with buyers who would otherwise have been the Sierra's target customers. In West Germany , it proved popular from an early stage; within months of its launch, it was reportedly achieving treble the number of sales that
6875-406: The Sierra was its closed front panel — where typically a grille was located, later found on the 1985 Ford Taurus . The air intake was situated below the front bumper , making the Sierra a so-called ' bottom breather '. The headlights were integrated in this front panel while the indicators were mounted in the bumper within a combined unit with the foglights. However, this set-up was present only on
7000-404: The Sierra was still rear-wheel drive . It was also a strong competitor for other rivals of the early 1980s, including the Talbot Alpine , Peugeot 505 and Morris Ital and the Citroën BX , but by 1988 it was competing with a host of new rivals, including the third-generation Vauxhall Cavalier ( Opel Vectra ), Rover Montego , Peugeot 405 , Renault 21 and Nissan Bluebird . The switch to
7125-404: The Sierra's exterior design, its drivetrain was conservatively engineered, retaining rear-wheel drive and the same engines and transmissions as the Cortina/Taunus which were effectively 12 years old as they were first used on the TC1/MkIII generation in 1970. Much of this was done to appease the important fleet market which was wary of complexity. However, there was much modification; for example
7250-497: The Simca 1307, which had recently been voted European Car of the Year ). In Britain, demand for the Cavalier initially outstripped supply, one of the factors in General Motors making a decision soon afterwards to add the Cavalier to its British as well as continental production lines in August 1977. The first Vauxhall Cavalier to be assembled at Vauxhall's Luton plant was driven off the production line by Eric Fountain, Vauxhall's manufacturing director, on 26 August 1977, after which
7375-515: The Taunus had been attaining – though in West Germany, the Taunus had not been quite as popular or iconic as its Cortina equivalent had been in Britain. It was later in the Sierra's life that the styling began to pay off; ten years after its introduction, the Sierra's styling was not nearly as outdated as its contemporaries, even though all major competitors were newer designs, though the Sierra had been tweaked on several occasions and many new engines had been added. The most notable changes came at
7500-446: The Vauxhall apart., with the interior also having no differences from the Opel sister car except for badging and trim. The new models bore a strong visual resemblance to the 1973 OSV (Opel Safety Vehicle) project which had been seen in West Germany two years before. Van, pick-up and estate versions were also on the drawing board, but the MK1 Cavalier was ultimately never produced in these bodystyles, though prototypes were constructed to
7625-500: The XR4i and XR4x4, such as coloured bumpers, the removal of the 'biplane' rear wing and alloy wheels as seen on the Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1. There was also a 2.8-engined Ghia Estate in some markets, and from 1985 until 1987 Swiss customers could buy rear-wheel-drive 2.8-litre powered GL and Ghia models with five-door hatchback or estate bodywork. The Swiss (and Swedish) market engines produced marginally less power, as those countries had particularly stringent emissions standards. Output
SECTION 60
#17327760034767750-485: The addition of aerodynamic nolders (small spoilers) on the rear edge of the rubber seals of the rearmost side windows. These shortcomings saw a lot of press attention, and contributed to early slow sales, when it was outsold by its key rival the Vauxhall Cavalier in 1984 and 1985. Other rumours that the car's design could hide major crash damage (in part true, as the new bumper design sprang back after minor impact and couldn't be "read" to interpret major damage) also harmed
7875-403: The autumn of 1987, with a major facelift and the addition of a 4-door saloon (UK: Sapphire). As other manufacturers adopted similar aerodynamic styling, the Sierra looked more normal. At its peak, it was Britain's second best selling car in 1983, 1988 and 1989, and was still Britain's fifth best selling car in 1992. Its best year was 1989, when more than 175,000 were sold. However, it was outsold by
8000-412: The best normal production engine fitted to the Sierra. At the top of the range, the 2.3 GLS quickly gave way to a 3.0 GLX flagship model (producing less power but more torque than the XR6) and that was the end of the Cologne in South Africa, even the station wagon receiving the 3.0 V6 Essex. By 1985, the Sierra had become the largest Ford model in this market, following the demise of the Granada . Towards
8125-496: The bigger engine being considered much smoother running. A later (1978) version with the Ascona front was sold as the "Chevrolet Ascona", with Vauxhall's 1.3 litre engine from the Viva . The Chevair was first introduced in November 1976. The 2.0 was called De Luxe and the 2.3 received the GL moniker. Both models were available with a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic, with the better equipped GL being recognizable by having headrests, Rostyle wheels, and chrome trim bordering
8250-401: The car met demand, and consequently its sales figures increased so it was now a constant presence in the top 10 best selling cars in Britain. The timing of the Cavalier's United Kingdom launch was well-judged. The United Kingdom tax system meant that sales to company car fleets comprised a larger proportion of the overall market – especially for middle-weight saloons – than elsewhere in Europe:
8375-433: The car's reputation. This reached near-hysterical heights in its early months on sale, with UK press making a report that Ford would reintroduce the previous Cortina model out of desperation. These reports were swiftly denied by Ford. However, sales began to rise during 1983, and it finished as Britain's second best selling car behind the Escort. After being outsold by the Cavalier for the next two years, it regained its lead of
8500-452: The codename "Project Toni". Although still popular with buyers, the outgoing Cortina / Taunus was essentially a 12-year old design by the time of the Sierra's launch; despite the TC2 shape being launched in 1976, and the mildly reworked TC3/Mk5 three years later, both were merely a reskinned version of the 1970 TC/Mk3 with few major mechanical changes in that time. Ford's future model policy and styling direction had already been shown with
8625-420: The country's sixth most scrapped car of the last 30 years, with just 6,343 (fewer than 1%) still on the road. The only car to cease production after the Cavalier Mark II, and which disappeared at a greater rate, was the Skoda Estelle (which was withdrawn from sale in 1990). By December 2009, that figure had fallen to a mere 1,289. Trim levels The "i" suffix stands for Fuel Injection . Special editions By
8750-416: The early 1970s by build quality and reliability issues surrounding cars like the Victor. Nearly 250,000 were sold, though by December 2009 just 373 remained. The Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 was also sold with left-hand drive in some European countries, including Denmark , Netherlands , Belgium , Norway , Italy , Sweden , Finland and Switzerland , alongside its Opel equivalent. The Coupe was available with
8875-432: The end of 1992. For the 1991 model year, the dashboard was updated with a new surround that mirrored the look of the new-generation Escort and Orion. The "low-series" instrument cluster was dropped - all trim levels now used the "high-series" version, with an analogue clock replacing the tachometer on base specification models. 1992 saw the final updates, with new steering wheels and the introduction of run-out models such as
9000-661: The end of its production life, the Essex was modified again – the standard carburetted version was tuned to produce 110 kW (150 PS; 148 hp) from 1991 to 1993, while a fuel-injected version was available from 1992 to 1993. Fitted to the Sierra as the 3.0i RS (replacing the XR6) and to the Sapphire saloon as the Sapphire Ghia (replacing the 3.0 GLX), the fuel-injected Essex put out around 117 kW (157 hp) and
9125-490: The engine itself was not new at all. Similar to the Ford Granada , Ford used an "Indenor"-engine which was designed by Peugeot in the 1950s. While the Granada was offered with 1.9, 2.1, and 2.5 diesels, the Sierra unit had a displacement of 2.3 litres. This rather outdated engine was replaced in 1989 by an all-new, 1.8-litre turbodiesel, developed by Ford itself. The Sierra had a four-speed manual gearbox as standard, with
9250-411: The engines were fitted with breakerless ignition, improved carburettors and the option of fuel injection, whilst 5-speed transmissions were now available. Most competitors were already switched to front-wheel drive around that time. Ford claimed however this set-up was required to offer V6-engines, which had to contribute to the Sierra's driving comfort. New for the Sierra was a diesel engine , although
9375-536: The entry-level Cavalier 1.3 variant. At the same time, a three-door hatchback known as the Sports hatch (also seen on the Manta) was added to the range. There were plans for a five-door hatchback version to be launched, but this bodystyle was never produced on the first generation Cavalier, although at this time hatchbacks still only accounted for a small percentage of sales on larger family cars. That would change during
9500-450: The extent that a road legal Cavalier Van can be seen in an early episode of UK TV show Minder , the exact same car used in the production being pictured at. In the meantime, estate versions of the smaller Chevette and Astra, as well as the larger Carlton, would be launched to compensate for the lack of a Cavalier estate. To begin with, the Mark I Cavalier was produced principally alongside
9625-651: The first Sierras produced for the British market, but his car was wrecked in a crash on the M4 motorway in Berkshire soon after he bought it. He escaped from the crash uninjured. In 1986 the founder of the Williams Formula One team, former racing car driver and mechanic, Sir Frank Williams crashed whilst driving a rental Ford Sierra in France, rendering him tetraplegic . Willem-Alexander , then Prince of
9750-571: The first time in fifteen years, Vauxhall began exporting cars in LHD to other European countries, with Cavaliers badged as Opel Vectras, which was a boost to GM's confidence in its once-troubled British division. In place of the Mark II Cavalier's angular exterior was a more rounded appearance, reflecting the change in styling tastes throughout Europe at this time. There was also a new economical 1.4 L petrol engine. The biggest changes to
9875-724: The following month. Its engine was manufactured by Holden 's Fishermans Bend , Australia factory. This model was part of GM's family of compact J-cars , along with the new Opel Ascona, the Australian Holden Camira , the Brazilian Chevrolet Monza , the Japanese Isuzu Aska , and the North American Chevrolet Cavalier , Pontiac Sunbird , Buick Skyhawk , Oldsmobile Firenza (which made use of
10000-525: The full-size cars of a decade or so ago ... best sellers include Ford Torino , Chevrolet Chevelle , AMC Matador , Plymouth Satellite ..." The domestic manufacturers began changing the definition of "medium" as they developed new models for an evolving market place. A turning point occurred in the late 1970s, when rising fuel costs and government fuel economy regulations caused all car classes to shrink, and in many cases to blur. Automakers moved previously "full-size" nameplates to smaller platforms such as
10125-496: The headlights. The rear lights of the Ghia, as well as the very early XR4i's, were the same shape and layout as other models, but featured tiny horizontal black strakes on the lenses to give the impression that they were smoked. The car was replaced by the Mondeo in Europe in April 1993, though stocks lasted for about two years afterwards. The Sierra remained a popular second-hand buy and common sight on British roads until well beyond
10250-479: The large single-piece rear windows rather than the design with an additional pillar as used on the XR4. The XR4x4 had a single rear spoiler instead of the distinctive biplane unit used on the XR4 but did receive unique alloy wheels. A five-door version was added soon thereafter. A four-wheel-drive estate became available with this drive train at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show, but with Ghia rather than XR4x4 badging. This version
10375-435: The life of the car, two different styles of 3-door body were used; one with two pillars rear of the door, looking very much like a modified 5-door frame, as used on the high-performance XR4i; and a one-pillar design used on standard-performance 3-door hatchbacks and also at the other end of the scale as the basis for the very high-performance RS Cosworth . At the time of the car's launch, both styles were already envisaged, and
10500-434: The longer hood and "droopsnoot" nose from the Manta B, albeit without the air slots between the headlamps, whilst the rear fascia would be altered with the license plate moved below the bumper and an applique panel between the rear lamps with "VAUXHALL" spelled out in large letters similar to existing models. In the end to keep costs down, the different nose, designed by Wayne Cherry , was the only obvious styling feature to set
10625-549: The low cost of petrol, and the popularity of the old Cortina XR6, a Sierra XR6 was later launched, featuring the old Essex, initially producing 103 kW (138 hp). Versions were LX, GL, and GLX; the Ghia trim level was not available for the South African market except on the Ford Sapphire, the saloon version. As the 2.8/2.9 Cologne was never launched in South Africa, the venerable and popular Essex V6 remained
10750-408: The market sector in Britain during 1986, and a refreshed range (with more engine options as well as the introduction of a saloon) enjoyed a surge in sales from 1987, though the MK3 Cavalier finally outsold it in 1990. Even in 1992, the Sierra was still Britain's fifth best selling car. It was nicknamed "the salesman's spaceship" on account of its status as a popular fleet car in Britain. In contrast to
10875-600: The mid-1980s, General Motors had started developing a new model to replace the J-Car models in Europe (its American, Australian and Japanese divisions would instead be replaced by different designs in due course) by the end of the decade. Opel, in developing the Ascona C/Cavalier II replacement had already begun a policy of retiring its legacy model names (a process that had started with the Rekord being replaced with
11000-522: The mid-size category. The automobile that defined this size in the United States was the Rambler Six that was introduced in 1956, although it was called a "compact" car at that time. Much smaller than any standard contemporary full-size cars, it was called a compact to distinguish it from the small imported cars that were being introduced into the marketplace. By the early 1960s, the car
11125-598: The mid-size market for decades. Mid-size cars were the most popular category of cars sold in the United States, with 27.4 percent during the first half of 2012, ahead of crossovers at 19 percent. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on the combined passenger and cargo volume, mid-size cars are defined as having an interior volume index of 110–119 cu ft (3.1–3.4 m ). Vauxhall Cavalier The Vauxhall Cavalier
11250-414: The mid-size market segment as the line of cars themselves kept increasing in size. By 1965, these GM "A platform" mid-size models matched the size of 1955 full-size cars. During the 1970s, the intermediate class in the U.S. was generally defined as vehicles with wheelbases between 112 inches (2,845 mm) and 118 inches (2,997 mm). Once again, the cars grew and by 1974 they were "about as large as
11375-462: The motoring press, and like its predecessor was the catalyst for another surge in Vauxhall sales. In 1981, just over 33,000 MK1 and MK2 Cavaliers had been sold in the UK, although it was still Britain's seventh best selling car. A year later, sales more than trebled to over 100,000 cars as Britain's fifth best selling car. In 1983, it attained more than 127,000 sales (some 7% of the new car market) and
11500-508: The much-maligned Vauxhall Victor , whereas the Cavalier was a generally well received product and had helped boost Vauxhall's sales and reputation. Early Victors had been viewed in some quarters as excessively corrosion prone, but the Victor was becoming a very distant memory by this stage: the Vectra name would eventually appear on a Vauxhall in 1995, when the Cavalier was finally replaced. For
11625-434: The newly introduced saloon version featured a unique shallow black grille between the headlights. That apart, all specifications of the Sierra now shared a common front end, unlike the original line-up. The side windows were made slightly larger with the corners made sharper to increase outward vision. The rear lights were replaced with slimmer but wider models containing separate stop lamps. The saloon got similar rear lights to
11750-565: The original smooth front. The 1.6 Kent continued almost unchanged during the 9-year life of the Sierra/Sapphire, while the 2.0 Cologne was revised several times, being fitted to the Sierra 2.0 GL and GLE and later to the stripped down Sierra 2.0 LX and Sapphire 2.0 GL and GLE models. It eventually even received fuel injection in the Sapphire 2.0GLi, boosting the power from 77 kW (103 hp) to 85 kW (114 hp). Mid-size car Mid-size —also known as intermediate —is
11875-521: The previous Sierra RS Cosworth had an option to remove and refit the aforementioned foglights. A larger turbocharger and intercooler was fitted along with an extra set of injectors, so instead of the standard four injectors it was built with eight, although in road trim these extra injectors did not function. These modifications produced 227 PS (167 kW; 224 hp) in road trim and around 550 hp (410 kW) in race trim. They were very successful in motorsport and are highly tunable road cars with
12000-669: The range featured an upgraded dashboard with tachometer, four-spoke steering wheel and Rostyle wheels. The Chevrolet Chevair in South Africa was a variant of the Cavalier/Ascona, featuring the grille of the Opel Manta and a four-door body. The engine choices were different, consisting of a 2.0 and a 2.3 litre pushrod four. (These were both versions of Chevrolet's 2.5-litre four ). Outputs were 56.7 and 63.4 kW (77 and 86 PS; 76 and 85 hp) respectively, with
12125-535: The recently introduced Kadett E/Astra Mark 2 . Engine options were further expanded, with the fuel injected 1.8L engine now being available on GL trim. Late 1986 saw the range updated for the second time before its eventual replacement by the Vectra A/Mk3 model in 1988, with new body-colour front grilles and rear lamp clusters revised again in a style similar to the larger Senator model together with further improvements to equipment levels. A new 2.0L version of
12250-510: The revised hatchbacks, though not interchangeable. The rear end of the estate did not change during the Sierra's lifespan. The interior was slightly modernized. Also new to the range was a new 1.8-litre "lean burn" petrol engine, which proved to be one of the most popular choices in the Sierra range. The XR4x4 was now based on the five-door hatchback body style and featured different front and rear body-coloured bumper styling, along with wider side rubbing strips. The RS Cosworth, from January 1988,
12375-679: The same platform, like the AMC Matador sedan, had a combined passenger and cargo volume of 130 cubic feet (3.68 m ), and were now considered "full-size" automobiles. Cars that defined the mid-size market in the 1980s and 1990s included the Chrysler K-Cars ( Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant ), the Ford Taurus , and the Toyota Camry , which was upsized into the midsize class in 1991. The Taurus and Camry came to define
12500-661: The same production span. Cavaliers for the UK market were predominantly built at Vauxhall's Luton plant, but were also built alongside their Ascona/Vectra sister models at Opel plants in Continental Europe. Launched with a 1,896 cc engine as a 1976 model in November 1975, the Cavalier was a restyled version of the Opel Ascona B which had debuted three months earlier in West Germany . The Ascona/Cavalier
12625-422: The second generation Cavalier between 1981 and 1988. By December 1989, it was the third most common model of car on British roads, although these government statistics mostly calculated each car by its generation rather than by different nameplate, with pre and post facelifted versions of an unchanged basic design (for example the Ford Sierra ) being counted separately. In August 2006, Auto Express named it as
12750-500: The second quarter of 1989, was known simply as the "Ford Sapphire". Versions sold in South Africa were available with the 1.6 ( Kent ) and 2.0 (Pinto) four-cylinders, 2.3 V6 (Cologne) or 3.0-litre V6 (Essex) petrol engines. While the Cortina MkV in South Africa had retained the old 3.0 V6 Essex engine, the Sierra was initially given the new 2.3 V6 Cologne motor, this being fitted to the top-of-the-line model only. However, owing to
12875-521: The three-door Sierra. In South Africa, the Sierra range featured both the five-door hatchback and station wagon bodies and production began at the Silverton (Pretoria) plant in January 1983. The restyled Sierra range differed from its European equivalent by featuring the traditional grille of the Sierra Sapphire saloon on the hatchback and wagon, though later, the grille would feature on these models in Europe. The saloon, introduced in South Africa only in
13000-571: The time, British Leyland was facing criticism for the lacklustre design and doubts about build quality and reliability surrounding its cars, especially the Morris Marina and the smaller Austin Allegro . The Cavalier was launched around the same time as Chrysler's Alpine , which featured a more modern front-wheel drive hatchback layout and was voted European Car of the Year for 1976, but it would ultimately fail to meet sales expectations on
13125-439: The top-of-the-line "Ghia" trim as well on the later introduced XR4i sportmodel. The other Sierra models had a more traditional front end with a two-bar grille between the headlights, being unpainted on the base model. These models had the indicators in the bumper as well, although being slimmer but wider and without the foglights. Both the Ghia and XR4i had wide headlights with two lenses while the other models had smaller lights with
13250-529: The two-door and converted by Hammond & Thiede in Germany, was subsequently offered. The Thatcher government in the United Kingdom created a tax break at 1.8 L, with any company car having a larger engine than this attracting higher personal benefit taxes, thus effectively giving the Cavalier an advantage over its rivals soon after its launch. On its launch, the MK2 Cavalier was well received by
13375-486: The wheel wells. During 1978 a more luxurious Berlina version arrived, available only with the automatic transmission. It received new "mag-style" wheels, tinted windows, velour upholstery, and a twin exhaust tip. By July 1978 the outputs were quoted in ISO ratings; this meant that the stated power dropped from 77.5 to 63 kW (105 to 86 PS) for the 2.3, while the 2.0 was no longer listed. In early 1980 an updated variant
13500-502: The year 2000. In Europe's largest auto-market, the magazine Auto, Motor und Sport published, in December 1982, a three-way road test comparison involving the Sierra and its obvious competitors, the recently upgraded Volkswagen Passat and Opel Ascona ( Vauxhall Cavalier Mk II in the UK). The Sierra tested in 1982 outranked both the Passat and the Ascona. The significance of this result
13625-536: Was 148 PS (109 kW) in 1985 and 145 PS (107 kW) in 1986. In the Mark II Sierras the 2.8 Cologne engine was replaced by a 2.9-litre version. Both the 2.8/2.9-litre engines gave 150 PS in uncatalyzed trim. The well known Cosworth model was powered by a turbocharged 16- valve 4-cylinder engine known as the 'YB' which was based on the Ford Pinto block. The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
13750-454: Was better equipped and without the sporting edge of the hatchbacks, and was also available with an automatic transmission. The four-wheel drive allowed for an extra margin of security on slick or snowy roads, while retaining the car's rear-wheel-drive comportment. The original rear-wheel-drive XR4 was quickly taken out of production after the XR4x4 arrived. The XR4x4 originally came equipped with
13875-515: Was built on what GM called the U-car platform - which was essentially a stretched version of the T-body used in the smaller Kadett C/Chevette. The Cavalier was originally intended to have its own bodywork and interior design. However, GM management stopped its development six months away from the car's intended release and decreed that it used the Opel Ascona body and interior almost unaltered, but with
14000-497: Was essentially carried over from the Granada, with trailing arms and coil springs mounted on a tubular subframe which also provided location for the final drive/differential housing driving the axle shafts. The front suspension dispensed with the Cortina/Taunus' double wishbones in favour of a scaled-up version of the Fiesta and Escort/Orion's layout with MacPherson struts, lower locating arms, and anti-roll bars. One striking feature of
14125-542: Was fitted with the 302 ci engine from the US Ford Mustang , and the Borg Warner T5 heavy-duty transmission. Front brakes were AP Racing four-piston calipers on 280 mm discs. Maximum power is 209 PS (154 kW) and a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) was claimed. The XR8 is easily recognized by having four cooling slats between the headlights, whereas lesser versions were sold with
14250-462: Was given a facelift in 1987, but this was never offered in the UK. After 1987, the Cosworth used the four-door saloon body style instead. A 5-door van based on the estate, known as the Sierra Van , was introduced in 1984, which, unlike similar car-derived vans, retained its side windows. The back seat was removed and the metal cargo floor was extended towards the front seats. A diesel engine and
14375-580: Was highlighted more than three decades later, in February 2015, when the magazine reported that no Ford model had beaten a Volkswagen under their road test criteria since the Sierra's "victory" in 1982. The Sierra missed out on the 1983 European Car of the Year award, ending second behind the Audi 100 . Just before he became leader of the Labour Party in 1983, Neil Kinnock became the owner of one of
14500-418: Was introduced in 1986 as a three-door hatchback, with a 2-litre DOHC turbo engine producing 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) and a top speed of 150 m.p.h. – a speed normally found only in sports cars from prestige brands like Ferrari and Porsche , at much higher prices as well as with less practicality. At the time Ford wanted to compete in Group-A touring cars and therefore eligible to produce
14625-467: Was introduced. The De Luxe was dropped. The 1980 model can be recognized by a new grille with somewhat larger openings, new wheels, and new wraparound bumpers in black plastic. Chevrolet badges were removed from the car, as GM South Africa were phasing out the Chevrolet name in the country. The Chevair was replaced by the front-wheel drive Opel Ascona in South Africa in 1983. GM South Africa also rallied
14750-525: Was key for reducing fuel consumption according to Ford, and was even used as compensation for the V6-engines. The interior was more conventional, taking a page from BMW by its dashboard, angled to the driver. Sales were slow in the first months – aggravated by heavy discounting by Ford dealers of surplus Cortina stock from the autumn of 1982 on, with more than 11,000 new Cortinas being registered in 1983. However in 1983, its first full year of sales,
14875-636: Was not sufficient demand in Europe for a new sporting coupe to be launched. This was largely due to the rising popularity of "hot hatchbacks" and sports saloons including the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Vauxhall, from 1978 until 1979, offered the Cavalier coupé in a convertible format called the Centaur . Only 118 of these were made and fewer than 30 were believed to have survived by 2007. The cars were developed by Magraw Engineering and sold through Vauxhall dealerships on behalf of Crayford . The Centaur
15000-530: Was now based on the newly introduced saloon body style and featured another style of front bumper as well as the black grille which was found only on UK versions of the saloon bodystyle. The RS Cosworth received more power and four-wheel drive from January 1990. In addition, a roller cam engine was added in 1987 to prevent excessive wear to the cam. From 1988 a pickup called the P100 was produced in Portugal using
15125-623: Was originally only available with the 1.6 S engine in Base, L, and GL models, and proved a slow seller. For 1985 the diesel was also made available, but the Estate still only represented about 7 percent of Cavalier sales in 1985 and 1986. The slow selling two-door saloon was dropped from the Cavalier range by October 1982 and the Birmingham Motor Show , although it remained part of the Ascona range in other markets. A convertible, based on
15250-513: Was renamed the Rambler Classic and while it retained its basic dimensions, it was now competing with an array of new "intermediate" models from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. The introduction of the 1962 Ford Fairlane was viewed by consumers as too close to the compact Falcon in size and performance as well as too close to the full-sized Ford models in price. It was the introduction of General Motors " senior compacts " that grew
15375-419: Was the fourth best selling car, although it still trailed behind the new Ford Sierra . For 1984 and 1985, however, it was Britain's second best selling car, with more than 130,000 sales each year, comfortably outselling the fifth-placed Sierra. In 1986, it was narrowly outsold by the Sierra, which then underwent a major facelift and became available as a saloon for the first time, and gained a wide sales lead over
15500-412: Was the most powerful Sierra/Sapphire version sold in South Africa, excluding the small number of XR8s built for homologation purposes. At the end of production a limited edition of 150 vehicles designated as 3.0i RS which based on the saloon (Sapphire) body was produced with some slight engine tweaks which resulted in a power output of 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp). This vehicle was also fitted with
15625-478: Was to offer existing Sportshatch owners and buyers to upgrade their car to the Silver Aero spec. The car has a 2.4-litre turbocharged engine which produces 150 bhp (112 kW; 152 PS). Orders were taken, but not enough to warrant production, and the car remained a one-off. The original Cavalier was a relatively strong seller in Britain, even though it never quite matched the runaway sales success of
#475524