Why was the Nova Sport Made?
In 1984 Vauxhall used the Nova 1.3 SR for rallying but were coming up against stiff competition from Peugeot/Talbot and also Skoda. With this in mind Vauxhall needed a new approach for the “up to 1300cc” Class. In order to be more competitive Vauxhall teamed with GM Dealer Sport to come up with a “Homologation Special” an official approved special. The rules stated that a road-going car had to be produced for the Public to buy in no less than 500 units, and so, the Nova 1.3 Sport was born.
Involved in making Vauhall’s rally dream a reality were; Steve Thompson Cars (Opel & Irmscher UK dealer), Weber UK, Ashley Exhausts and ENEM Cams of Sweden. Together these important parties came up with all the components that made the Nova Sport that little bit different.
The Sport Pack boosted the original 13SB engine found in the standard 1.3SR, from 75 BHP to 93 BHP when the cam was fitted. 0-60 MPH was reached in 8.5 seconds, around 2 seconds faster than the standard car.
Nova “Sport Pack” Kit
Once the Sport Pack was officially approved, all the parts were fitted to a Nova 1.3 to create a Nova Sport. Some kits were also fitted to Nova 1.3 SR models to boost power to match the Sport. Vauxhall were now able to put in healthy times against the other rivals in the 1300cc Class. The Nova Sport was exactly what Vauxhall needed in Motorsport.
Probably one of the best known Nova rally cars from the period, that featured the Sport package, is A681DNT. Piloted by Harry Hockley and then later by a young Colin McRae the car was able to compete at the very top of the rallying field, and as we all know, later in his career Colin went on to become WRC World Champion.
Colin McRae’s Car in Action
Colin McRae’s Car on show
Some road going Sports did go rallying but the majority remained as road cars, luckily for us. 502 Sport models were produced, plus a handful of extra Sport Packs fitted to other cars, which could explain the reason why some cars over the years have had all the right components but don’t appear on the “original manifest” that Vauxhall Motorsport and Heritage centre use to confirm a Sport’s authenticity.
