1995 VAUXHALL Corsa

Background

Founded by Alexander Wilson in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, Vauxhall was bought by Andrew Betts Brown in 1863.

He renamed the company Vauxhall Iron Works and commenced the manufacture of travelling cranes.

In 1903 the company reverted to its earlier name and started to build highly regarded luxury cars.

Vauxhall’s focus shifted to more mid-market vehicles after its purchase by General Motors in 1925.

The Opel Corsa first appeared in 1982 and was a replacement for GM’s ageing Chevette.

Elsewhere in GM’s global territories, it was also known as the Vauxhall Corsa – but not in the UK, where it was feared that ‘Corsa’ would be confused with ‘coarser’.

No, really.

So, until 1993, the car that the rest of the world knew as the Opel/Vauxhall/Chevrolet ‘Corsa’ or the Holden ‘Barina’ was known to the British as the Vauxhall ‘Nova’.

Common sense prevailed in 1993, the Corsa name was adopted and, by 1998, the Corsa had become the world’s best-selling car, shifting some 910,839 units in that year alone.

The final iteration of the Corsa, manufactured in Mexico as the Chevrolet ‘Chevy’, rolled off the production lines in 2011.

The Vehicle

Somewhere, hidden away in an attic, there must be a painting of this 1995 manual Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 LS.

A painting in which it looks all of its 28 years, has a scuffed exterior, moth-eaten interior and about 200,000 miles on the clock.

Because the reality of this car’s condition is, quite frankly, extraordinary.

Always garaged and properly maintained, it has had one lady owner and covered just 4,000 miles since 1995.

It is in time-warp condition – inside, outside and underneath.

It drives quietly, smoothly and properly, which is perhaps not that surprising for a car that’s barely run-in.

The paintwork, we’re almost certain, is entirely original and there are plenty of tell-tale signs – 2 keys, original toolkit, factory stickers, radio codes, matching mud flaps, spotlessly clean inside fuel filler cap, etc - to attest to the car’s originality, authenticity and honest provenance.

The guys who took ownership of it prior to letting us list it for auction have given it the once-over, replaced the water pump and cam belt, and refurbished the wheel trims.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were looking at a new car, not one that rolled off the production line in the year that Braveheart was in the cinema, Gangsta’s Paradise was in the charts, and Eric Cantona was in Croydon Crown Court for his flying kick on a Crystal Palace fan.

On the Outside

This car presents very well from pretty much every angle.

The shut lines and panel gaps are tight and consistent.

There are no dents, creases or folds of any consequence anywhere that we can see.

The white paintwork has hung onto to its shine and lustre with commendable stubbornness.

The wheels and tyres look good, as do the rest of the exterior trim, fixtures and fittings, including the lights and lenses.

There are a couple of stone chips at the front of the bonnet and some scuffs on the bumper below the o/s/f light cluster.

On the Inside

The extraordinary preservation of this vehicle is, if anything, even more apparent on the inside, where only the driver’s seat looks as if it’s ever been sat on.

The grey and purple/pink fabric upholstery is very much of its era and appears to be wholly untroubled by time, wear or use.

The carpets and mats are impeccable.

So, too, are the door cards and headlining.

None of the black plastic around the dashboard or centre console has faded.

The steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and other controls look like they belong in a car with 4000 miles on the odometer, not 28 years under its belt.

The seats, front and back, are comfortable, supportive and, as far as we can tell, fully functional.

To the best of our (and the vendor’s) knowledge, all buttons, knobs, dials, levers, switches, toggles and stalks in this very much analogue car do what they’re supposed to do.

The boot is also in fine fettle, and contains a spare wheel and original toolkit.

The driver’s headrest is missing.

Underneath

The undersides of the car look clean and straight to us and everything seems to have a decent amount of structural integrity.

It’s the same story in the engine bay, where all appears to be clean, dry, present and correct.

History Highlights

The car comes with 2 keys and various handbooks and manuals, except for the stamped, main dealer service record.

We do, however, have an unbroken series of hand-written receipts for servicing carried out between 2004 and 2018.

Given the car’s extraordinarily low mileage (it’s covered 700 miles since 2006), most of this servicing will have been pretty much surplus to requirements and serves mainly to illustrate the diligence with which the owner cared-for and maintained the car.

Our guess is that the missing service book will have been fully stamped up to the point at which the car was out of warranty and was thereafter serviced by the owner’s local MoT test centre and garage.

The car has been fully HPI checked and cleared.

This car has an MoT certificate valid until 6.11.24.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

What We Think

Well, it’s not quite concours (conCorsa?), but it really wouldn’t take much at all to get it to that level.

If you’re holding out in the hope of finding a Vauxhall Corsa with lower miles and in better condition than this one….good luck.

We’re happy to offer this remarkable vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £4,000 - £6,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Coulsdon, United Kingdom. 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’.

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