ROAD TEST: VAUXHALL NOVA

Single-point injected 1.4 is a cheerful unit and makes the Nova seem more spritely than the figures suggest.

in the case of the Vauxhalls by a characteristic ticking sound from that hard-working injector.

This particular example, which has since found a new home via the Brightwells auction last month, is an unusually well preserved example, complete down to the original Radio Passport card and although it may not be the frantic GSi it’s every bit as entertaining in its own way.

I’ve driven many examples of the go-faster Novas over the years including several highly modified examples with the ‘red top’ 16-valve Astra engine, but I can’t remember the last time I encountered a standard bog-basic example like this.

First impressions are of a real nononsense design, a car produced to be both cheap yet modern and functional without being austere. The door handle and indeed the door itself lack the solidity of a contemporary Polo but the general construction is a step up from the Metro and the Fiesta, although the interior is something of an acquired taste. The facelift brought in a smoothed-off dash design which may have been more modern in appearance but which also has something of a Lego feel to the chunky switches.

After a futile search for a choke – naturally ended when I remembered the fuel injection – the Nova springs to life on the first turn and the first spec, but the C14 motor feels eager enough even if official figures put it at 14.5 seconds to 60mph, with a top speed tantalisingly shy of the magic 100mph.

Punt it too briskly and you’re soon reminded by the body roll and skinny tyres that this is no GTE but in truth it feels remarkably modern for a design which is now 30 years old – with this particular example just celebrating its 20th birthday.

As the future of the supermini itself is called into question and Vauxhall’s future in the UK appears to centre around electric vans, a brief drive in the humble Nova saloon shows just how effective GM could be on a good day. CCM

impression is of a cheerfully eager powerplant. The Nova was a favourite of driving schools back in the day and after just a few metres it’s obvious why: the controls are all light, the steering is precise and the whole car is very much a fuss-free experience which does what it says on the tin. Squeezing it into tight parking spaces is a breeze, too and something Vauxhall hoped its dealers would find a useful selling point: the launch briefing points out how the cheeky kick up at the rear of the bootlid helps place the car during parallel parking.

In 1.4 form the Nova also feels unexpectedly sprightly. There’s a five-speed box but no rev counter in the bargain basement Merit