1975 Vauxhall FIRENZA

The current owner, a Firenza enthusiast, bought the car a couple of years ago after a long search to add to his extensive car collection. He’s continued to tweak and improve the car since buying it but given how little he’s been using it, he’s decided the time is right to pass it on to another enthusiast.  

The previous owner had had the car professionally restored in 2009, about 5000 miles ago, including a full strip-down, welding in all necessary repair panels, full repaint and what appears to be a full re-trim. The restoration caught the eye of Retro Cars magazine who completed a 6-page feature detailing the works. The article is photographed and in the Documents section of the Gallery for you all to read. The level of detail is impressive.

The Silver Starfire paintwork is in exceptionally good condition and is possibly better now than it was when it left the factory. The finish is deep and smooth and even, and the panel shutlines are tight and uniform, no mean feat and a sure sign that the bodywork restoration was as meticulous as it was thorough.

The exterior chromework is in good condition, wearing its hard-worn patina with a nonchalant cool; in fact the car’s restoration has been brilliantly judged, with an obvious emphasis on retaining the car’s history wherever possible but not letting that be used as an excuse for not bothering to replace or restore badly worn or unsightly components.

The period, black and silver number plates are a lovely touch and really set the car off, and the recessed, enclosed headlights – which are, interestingly, shared with the Renault Alpine A310 – are in fine fettle, as are the toughened glass covers.

The Avon safety wheels were expensively refurbished in 2016, being properly painted and diamond cut, as per the factory finish. They now sport matching new Uniroyal tyres, all of which have good tread.

The brake calipers were properly electroplated in 2015 and the underside has been professionally painted and undersealed. This is a car that has had all the right work done and, more importantly, done properly.

The only minor issue is a single rust bubble on the offside door (about an inch in diameter, in the lower front corner) which will need treating in the near future to avoid any long-term issues. Oh, and the chrome on the fuel filler cap isn’t perfect and the glass in the door mirrors is slightly tarnished. (#firstworldproblems, eh?)

The black and grey sports seats are in excellent condition (we presume they were retrimmed at the time of the restoration – they look that good), as is the grab handle that sits in lieu of the glovebox that was fitted to lesser cars. Trim panels are straight and warp-free, components are correct and undamaged, the dash top has no cracks etc.. The period, deep-dish steering wheel is also all present and correct and wears a delightful patina.

As do the gear knob and some of the minor controls; while some classic car enthusiasts prefer a concours finish, we prefer to let a vehicle wear its history with pride. Cars are, after all, meant to be driven and owning something that isn’t brand new is so much easier to live with and enjoy than a 100-pointer that you’re too scared to use for fear of reducing its value…

The boot floor is completely rust-free – and just take a look at the electroplated bracket that holds the (recently restored) wheel in place! Anyone that takes the time to get little details like that right can be trusted to get the big stuff right too.

Having said that, a few of the screw heads that hold some of the interior trim in place are rusty, so we’d be tempted to spend an evening in the garage replacing them if it were ours. Doing so would be hugely therapeutic and make a little difference to the look of the cockpit.

The engine has had a lot of time and money expended on it in order to get it running as well as it does. And it does run very well indeed: the most recent rolling road session shows an impressive power output of 117.8bhp and 120lb/ft of torque at the wheels. (The power output at the flywheel will be around 130bhp.)

The owner tells us that the car is being sold without mechanical fault, something a quick visual inspection would appear to support. The engine bay and underside are in fabulous condition, being neat and tidy without being OCD shiny.

We at The Market have custody of this car during the auction, and it is just collecting admiring glances, both for its looks, and for that rorty 1970’s exhaust note. We are pleased to state that the engine was always starts instantly, drives well and is clearly properly set-up.

The car comes with a thick folder of invoices, bills and miscellaneous paperwork and a quick calculation shows that the best part of £15,000 has been spent on it in the past decade or so.

The online MOT history check show that it did fail its MOT in 2013. For an inoperative horn. As you might have gathered, this is not your average Vauxhall Firenza.

Please visit the ‘Gallery’ section of this listing where you will find photographs of these invoices along with other paperwork to support our claim that this car has an impressively comprehensive service history. Also in the Gallery are nearly 90 photos from all over the car, top to bottom.

Dedicated observers of the classic car market will have noticed the price of fast Fords has now risen beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest enthusiast. While those who bought at the bottom of the market will be congratulating themselves, this state of affairs has left the rest of us wondering what the Next Big Thing might be.

Well, we think that fast Vauxhalls might just be one of them. While the blue oval might have captured the enthusiast market first, the griffin can’t be far behind; after all, in period, you were either a Ford or a Vauxhall man, and the marque you supported seemed to have more to do with what car your parents drove than any real (or perceived) difference in engineering integrity or build quality.

Which makes the Vauxhall Firenza HP Droopsnoot spectacular value; at a time when we are seeing the price of a decent big-engined (and very common, relative to the Droop Snoot) Ford Capri fetching some way north of £30,000, the £18-20,000 we expect this car to sell for is a positive bargain. Yes, that’s not loose-change but it is always worth buying the very best car you can afford as they’ll provide the most satisfying ownership experience in the long-term, as well as being the safest place to keep your money.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen with us near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.