Opel Vectra , Vauxhall Cavalier, Holden Vectra and Chevrolet Vectra!

(Opel Vectra)

The Opel Vectra was one o’ them cars that hung onto that 1980s look all the way up till ‘bout 1995. You could get it with a 1.7, a 2.0, or even a big ol’ 2.5-liter V6 — not bad for a car that wasn’t much bigger than a possum on stilts.

One time, back in the year 2000, I got a ride all the way up to Norefjell in a Vectra. Now, that car was at least five years old by then, but I was real impressed it had one o’ them fancy digital thermometers showin’ the outside temp. See, my old man was drivin’ around in a crusty ol’ Ford Sierra at the time, and he’d just swapped out his ‘85 Toyota Carina for a dang Citroën Berlingo — and neither of ‘em had no outside temp readout.

Even though it was dead o’ January, the coldest it got was only ‘round 17 below (that’s Celsius, mind ya) past Sokna. Most places out there usually hit -20 or even -30 that time o’ year, but this trip was downright mild. Temps stayed steady between zero and -12 most o’ the way.

Now that spot west o’ Sokna, where it dipped to -17 — they rerouted Highway 7 out that way not long ago. These days, the place is more famous for folks claimin’ they get short o’ breath and swearin’ they seen UFOs out in their cornfields. Danged attention-seekin’ fools if ya ask me. Probably been watchin’ too many X-Files reruns and drinkin’ moonshine too early in the day.

1995 Opel Vectra. Now this baby’s ready to be pimped out proper — throw some shiny 1980s-style chrome on the grille, slap a raccoon tail on the antenna, hang a wünderbaum from the mirror, tint them windows blacker than midnight in a mine shaft, and don’t forget the rear window blinds — y’know, them fancy little slats folks used to put in for no good reason ‘cept to look cool.



(Holden Vectra på bildet over)


(Opel Vectra)

(Chevrolet Vectra Soth-amerika)

 (Opel Vectra)

(Vauxhall Cavalier England)

Kommentarer

Legg inn en kommentar

Populære innlegg fra denne bloggen

Hyundai Galloper/Mitsubishi Pajero!

Bilde
(The Galloper version of the Pajero was produced with an 80s design all the way until 1997. You can import this from overseas, and it can be decked out with a winch, wide tires, and lights in the grille.) (Back in the early '80s, folks on the homesteads were drivin' Mitsubishi Pajeros like that. The grille looks a lot like my old man's Mazda) Hyundai Galloper and Mitsubishi Pajero , rolling since 1982 and rocking that '80s design until '97. Mitsubishi Pajero, a beast of a car that I've always seen as a ghostly presence from the days of high cigar-fueled swagger in the '80s, with all those yuppies and whatnot. I remember a girl in elementary school, a few years older, whose mom cruised around in a Mitsubishi Pajero. She was a doctor in the local clinic, living the good life. They also had an '80s version of the Mercedes T, so no hardships there. Fast forward to the 2000s, on a trekking adventure with your folks all around Asker and Bærum. Obsessively cha...
Les mer

Pivco City Bee, Think City, Buddy Electric and Kewet Buddy!

Bilde
Well, shoot, these cars might've been the ones I oughta kicked off this blog with, considerin' we're talkin' about Norwegian rides and brands cooked up right here in Norway. First laid eyes on a Pivco City Bee back in '95 at Hunderfossen, but reckon the first time was on that Newton kids' show on NRK back in the early '90s. Our own Morten Harket, bless his heart, supposedly snagged himself one of them cars, maybe just to breeze through them toll booths for free? Either way, it turned into a solid PR stunt for them two Norwegian brands, Harket and Pivco City Bee. Pivco City Bee supposedly hit the scene in the early '90s. By '94, the first proper prototypes were supposedly ready, just in time for the Lillehammer Olympics. Come the late '90s, somewhere between '95 and '98, seems like a handful of 'em got sold here in Norway. Sadly, today, despite Norwegians bein' all crazy 'bout cars, there's only three left! Two teal ones, o...
Les mer

Fiat 131, Tofas Sahin, and various successors!

Bilde
Fiat 131 , also known as the Mirafiori, 2000 TC Sport, and 131 Abarth, was a remarkably popular taxi model in Pakistan, India, the Middle East, and even featured prominently in Sahara-based films from the '70s and '80s. Surprisingly, I never knew that this particular model was licensed and produced by manufacturers in these developing countries. It wasn't until recently that I discovered these cars were manufactured until as late as 2010 in Turkey, Egypt, and Ethiopia by Turkish Tofaş, Egyptian NASR, and Ethiopian Holland Car (also known as Holland DOCC). The Fiat 131 was also produced by the Polish FSO Polonez, or Polski Fiat, where it was known as the Fiat 131p, with the 'p' denoting Polonez or Poland. The original Fiat 131 was produced from 1973 to 1984 by the main Fiat company as the successor to the Fiat 124, remaining in production for over a decade. It paved the way for models like the Lada 2107/Lada Riva, Lada 2105/2104, Lada 2106/2103, and served as the pre...
Les mer