"General Motors was a late entrant to the hot-hatch market waiting until 1983 - but when it did turn up to the party, it did so with an amazingly effective weapon. The original Cavalier SRi-powered 115bhp car was just about perfect in every way - and easily a match for the all-conquering Golf GTi.Even in cooking form, the Astra was a great handling car, but when fitted with wide, low-profile tyres, lowered suspension and gifted the excellent 1.8-litre 'Family Two' engine, it was transformed into a flying machine. The GTE arrived in 1983, and within a few months received a close-ratio gearbox – to answer the only criticism of the launch cars, their too-high gearing. Yet, not long after, the Mk. I GTE made way for the aerodynamic Mk. II version.
This excellent Mk. I Astra GTE has only covered 20,700 miles from new. Supplied by Heron, Slough to Mr. Dillion of Anglesey, North Wales, it appears he sold the car to someone who lived near to him and then purchased the car back again. Around 2015 the car went to Northern Ireland returning to England in 2019. Purchased a few months ago by a specialist company who supply vehicles to the film and television industry, to complement other 1980’s cars in their possession and to be used in period productions based in the 1980’s. This lovely Mk. I Astra finished in silver with the original grey interior still has all the correct stickers under the bonnet. Supplied with a V5 registration document, an MoT test certificate which expires in January 2023, old registration documents, spare keys and the original hand books. As an ’80s hot hatch, an early GTE offers the best of both worlds – the ultimate grip of a P6-shod XR3 and the solidity and fun of a Golf GTi. A truly underrated challenger of its time.
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