Thank you. Hope it lived up to the hype! For anyone else wondering, every Monday Jonny and his friend Richard Porter do a podcast called Smith & Sniff. shows.acast.com/smithandsniff
I laughed out loud at Jonny's reference to what I will call "the shelf of severe triggering". The only thing saving it from me rebuilding it, is the distance from the front of the Ascona should anything fall off it/ it collapse.
My Dad bought a red 405 years ago, there was 2 red ones at the dealership. 1 was a 1.6 and the other was a 2.0 Mi16, he was sold the MI16 by mistake and thought he had the 1.6 until he was in the pub ran by a rally family and they said it to him, he thought they were pulling his leg. Ended up being the 2.0 and he kept it as well.
I could’ve watched another hour of that. So unassuming, but excellently clued up on all the cars that matters. NI is obviously well known for motorbike road racing and rallying, and the two Opel race replicas and Scoobs demonstrate that for this chap, but to find the original body shell of his mum’s car? Brilliant.
The man's got every Nova left in NI, props from county Derry, and for the size of Ireland we have a great amount of class cars. Thanks Johnny, and I hope/know we treated you well!
Yep, we'll have to see how we're fixed in ten years,probably won't be to bad up north,but the south are realy pushing the EVs and penalizing the petrol power.
Honestly, one of my favourite videos Jonny has ever done for the Car Cave playlist!!! I love 70's Opel's, 80/90's Vauxhall/Opel's! This is literally one of my dream garages!! Thanks Jonny amazing 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Can't get enough of these episodes, I genuinely look forward to seeing what you'll put up next. Keep up the good work Jonny, you've absolutely found your niche here lad!
Had a Nova Sport many years ago, absolutely loved it, favourite car I ever owned, not the fastest or best but that twin carbs soundtrack is awesome. Great collection. 👍👍👍👍
I had a 200i rep in the 90's, except mine was a GTE with the engine work to make it a 200i and reworked Koni suspension to suit. It absolutely flew along, the harder you drove it the harder it went round corners.
I watched this with a smile on my face all the way (and a slight stifffy during the Ascona 400 section 😁😋). My second car was a '77 Manta, I fookin loved that car, broke my heart when it broke the engine. I've always had love of old Opels since and always, always hankered after a 400 of either Manta or Ascona variety 🙂
Growing up, my dad had mk1 Cavaliers and Ascona B's but my absolute favourite was his mk1 Cavalier 2000 sports hatch, I used to love driving it... happy memories on this video!
I miss my Manta GTE. A red hatchback with Burberryesque Recaro interior. Built like a tank. I truly loved that car and still think about it regularly just like that posh and superhot girlfriend from my youth.
Johnny, you have surpassed yourself here! I have a long time love also of all things Opel related having once been the owner of a show winning Manta GT/E which was an Exclusive replica but with a difference! It also had a genuine full Opel Blitz interior. I was an avid member and supporter of the Manta Owners club if anyone knows what happened to D221HUE please pm Mr. Unbelievably in 1993 I was offered a genuine Opel Ascona 400 (in a very sorry state) but as there was no Internet back then (and I was not earning much), sourcing parts for it was darn near impossible and I passed on it. A huge regret still to this day!! A good friend of mine has a genuine i200 and its mint! Keep up the good work Mr Smith!
They've definitely chosen a theme and ran with it for that lot of metal, lovely to see although it does feel like they're hoarding all the remaining Nova's for them selves! His mum's 5dr Nova is only the third one I've ever seen that very light green that my 3dr was, a very rare colour apparently. Had those wheel trims but mine was a 1.4 Luxe so had a brown dash with a yellow/tan cloth.
Had an 86 1.3 and replaced it with a 90 1.4. Both bought new. The 1.3 was the better drive: revved better but cam was shot by 50k. Great fun down a country lane, not massive power but only weighed about 875kg from memory. Only regret was not buying a Sport when they came out. Still have the roadtests. Happy days !
24:44 Out of all those cars I absolutely adore that Galaxy blue Nova SR! I had one exactly the same back in the day, a 1992 - K Reg, one of the cars I really regret selling 😢
What I found interesting being South African that our cars were rebadged as Chevy Cavalier and never had a Nova but had the Opel Kadett in the Nova shape also Opel Corsa . The Arizona Sun M3 is just peach , really enjoyed this episode , well done for the find Jonny.
First car was a Nova SR, loved that car. Also owned a Mk2 Astra SRi and a Manta GTE. This car cave really brought back some fond memories. More please!
Keeyarr that culchie accent lol I'm originally from NI and hearing that accent takes me way back. Adrian just needs to make it a museum for him and his father's cars. There would be a lot of interest for sure! Another cracking video Jonny thank you. Ps I had a 1987 Nova Club that was full of rust! The keep fit windows used to fall down as well haha
And there’s me only wanting 1 nova!! Thanks for the look at all your nice cars, I’m only down the road form you if your selling one, but I think your like me and sellers remorse is a hard pull to swallow 😂
Cor! I'd like a Carlton GSi 3000 too!! My favouraite car on this video was the Ascona in the back corner of the big shed, but the blue one in the small shed did look mighty fine too.
As much as I love the Irish accent. I am having trouble picking up this guy. As a non native English speaker I feel that I listen him faster than he speaks hahaha if that makes sense. Great one again Johny.
It's great to see a car cave that's almost 'everyman attainable' in terms of individual car values, fuelled by pure nostalgia and a desire to keep those almost forgotten heroes alive... Great work, Jonny, as always 😎
Like we used to read storybooks in childhood...like there was a man who had a cave filled with gold, jewels...i say this a video for us men, an Irish man who has a cave of good old rare cars and every car has different story.. Bring more of these videos..i have many playlist of different videos...every playlist is of these type of videos...so this video completed my breakfast..
Excellent show Jonny. Living in Northern Ireland as I do it's nice to see home getting featured on your programme. I take it that was recorded when you were doing the road trip in the electric Cupra as I recall you saying you visited Northern Ireland as part of the trip. I would like to have seen the diesel Nova that was at the wedding for the craic as I know of someone who used to have one.
Now I know where all the bloody Nova's are! 😂 this was brilliant. Same as me, remember my early days been run around in a 1 litre c-reg then a F-reg Nova, later buying a j-reg for myself as a 1st car.
An Ascona is the first car I remember my dad owning. I loved the look of them. It was red with this weird rubber spolier on the boot lid. My mother hated it and made dad take it off. I've never forgiven her for that ;)
Perfect!! Out of all your Car Cave episodes this is the one that resonates with me the most. My first car was a mk1 Cavalier GL which I built up from the best bits of four Asconas and Cavaliers, that car took me all over England. Then moved onto Manta B's and Cavalier Coupés, then the GTE's.
Some great stories, all my kind of stuff, really enjoyed this one Jonny so massive Thanks to you and Adrian for sharing the stories and his car collection.
Back in the very early 80's my late uncle had a 2.0SR Ascona in bronze. It was a super cool car and I loved it when he gave me a lift to school. Since then I have had an affinity with Vauxhall and Opels. What made this all the more impressive was my uncle traded in his Reliant Regal for the Ascona. Needless to say I turned down his kind offer of a lift when he had the Regal.
What a genuine bloke. Brilliant that he’s not just saving super expensive cars, but relatively innocuous ones like the 405. We had an almost identical one in silver back in the day, it was nice to see one again. However that shelf shall haunt my dreams for a while I think.
That Ascona 400 rep is stunning. I like a Manta but the earlier car is a cleaner, more classic shape. I always used to lust after a white Ascona that an old guy drove locally to me in the '90s. It was mint. I hope it didn't go to scrap.
Love an Ascona, earliest car memory Dad’s blaze orange Ascona on Rostyle steels, Lucas spotlights. Walter Rohl’s Ascona 400 being the last rwd WRC championship winner ❤
It's funny how we can all relate to old cars even if you are not interested in cars they take you back to the good old days. A car for every generation
I love that silver Ascona, my father had 3 b Kadetts and then one of these Asconas in yellow when I was a child. The driver's door couldn't be opened from the outside and my father had to wack the starter motor with the jack handle every time it had been sitting for more than a day but I loved the look of that car
What a fantastic collection, as a Ford Enthusiast, my preference would be old skool fords back in the day but I can now appreciate all these lovely Vauxhall's especially watching the once driven channel, my favourite in the collection either that Corsa Sport or the Nova Sport, non vauxhall favourite has to be that 405.
Hey Johnny, great episode...it's been a few years since I owned a nova but had a few since the late 80s. I've been looking for the perfect person to purchase a E16SE engine complete with ecu and loom that runs a 1.3sr cam sitting in my garage waiting waiting for the perfect owner
Oh Jony, I so love all your programmes! I can't drive and never will be able to drive, as I am severely disabled. However, I can indulge my passion in your programmes and others. Also in my diecast model collection! My favourites are your 'Barn Finds.' You seem to stop at nothing! You must go home with lots of scratches and torn clothes! However, it must feel so satisfying! Your excitement is very obvious and catching!
great show! i think i remember the white 400 when it was black and i will never forget a friend taking me out in a proper 400 rally car for a blast one late night coming home from the arena disco in armagh.....brings back great memories,i had a mk2 gte astra,mate had a mk2 16v and the other had a sri,we were vauxhall mad.i think theres a good few mantas tucked away in the armagh/down part of ireland
Loved the Novas, but they were all later than the ones my wife and I had. 1984 1.0 Nova Base, 1985 Nova 1.2 Swing, 1987 Nova 1.3 SR, 1988 Nova 1.2 Star, 1989 Nova 1.6 GTE, all in Carmine Red.
Love these cars so much, especially as an American who never or rarely saw Opels of this era. Would be so epic to post up to cars and coffee in something so cool, rare and quirky. Keep 'em coming!
My dad had a diesel 405 Estate in that same red. I loved it as a kid. Was such a good family workhorse. It randomly caught fire one day during the firefighter strikes. A green godess came to put it out.
Great video with bringing back lots of memories, some better than others. I used to love nova’s, I had three yellow SR nova’s and then ended up with a red 1.3 GL up until October 1992. Unfortunately nova’s were definitely not made very strong as todays cars are. Because on the 5th October 1992 mine tried to kill me 😂. I had a to cut out of the boot of mine while the engine and passenger front wheel lay on top of me. Hitting a tree 4 foot wide at 80 mph made it crumple like a coke can. Still lovely looking cars back in the day
All such rarities now. Fair play, and would be great to see the 5 door one shown again when restored… great story behind it. What was an even rarer sight was the 5 door saloon Novas. Not even sure if any exist anymore.
I had a flashback to 1980, when I drove a 1972 Ascona A, with 1,6, tuned to 160 hp. Well it was a proper rally car, and impossible to drive it under 3000 rev. What a car, maybe my best car experience. It drove like a rocket. Maybe I was a little bit crazy at that time, but what a car. I have driven many cars after that, many fast and expensive cars, but that car is still my favorit.
I am searching for the same car I had forty years ago. A 1976 Audi 80 LS with the Scirocco engine, a 1,5 with 85 hp and originally sunroof. I have searched for ten years, and I can't find a 85 hp with sunroof. 870 kg and as fast as a Golf GTI to 50 mph. On snowy roads, it could turn whichever directions you wanted with the handbrake. Would love to rebuild it with a 150 hp modern 1.8. If I could find one with a factory sunroof, I would be pleased.
Some lovely memories of my youth, had several Novas amongst dozens of Vauxhalls also a great 405GL 1900 petrol the same as the one in the advert which was a fantastic car that I picked up for £4k at a BCA event. Happy days
Thanks: long time without seeing such cars... I married in a base model red 1989 Opel Corsa (1.2L). It was my first car, bought new. I replaced it after 190000km with a Corsa B Sport 1.4L 16V. Great memories with both cars.
We had a gold opel ascona 1.9 back in the day and when I seen this what struck me was how small they are. Also had a silver vauxhall carlton that generated a static charge equivalent to a bolt of lightning.
This was a stonking episode and took me right back to my younger days, I knew someone with an Opel Manta GTE with the girls face decal on the bonnet and another friend had a pristine 1990/1 black with red trim Vauxhall Nova SR.
Great collection. My mum had a duck egg blue Ascona when I was a kid in the early 80’s. I had 3 Nova’s including an SR as my first cars when I was 17. Good memories and I’d love that 8k mile SR. What a find. 😎
Love it, my first car was a bronze Nova SR. When i was 15 my mate had a matt black Manta all body kitted we used to go to car meets and CB radio meets back in 87/88.
This reminds me of the time we followed the RAC Lombard Rally in 1986 or '87 I think (?) with a bunch of pals. We were in a mate's dad's 2.3 Ghia Sierra which was quite the rocket ship back in the day. We were driving like lunatics (or so we thought) trying to get to the next stage, but got smoked by a yellow Nova rally car ( reg: BAT 79) who pissed off a BWM police bike. The latter did a U-turn and made off in hot pursuit but alas retired with their tail between their legs. Nova 1 - Plod 0. Classic.... Great video as always.
Being born in 1965, my first car was a ford Escort mark 1 estate, replaced it with a Vauxhall Cavalier Coupe 1900GLS that I was so proud off aged 18😢happy days
