Volkswagen Scirocco
return with plenty of success, so how about another 80s coupe retro revival? Say hello to the Opel Monza concept. Well, say hello first to the old one, which quite a few in the PH office carry a flame for.
Karl-Thomas Neumann, Opel-Vauxhall's CEO
But to the new one. Technically, it's a joint Vauxhall/Opel project but, with a choice between Monza and Royale, the Opel option probably faced little competition. Yes, they were ostensibly the same car, but which nameplate would you rather own?
Officially, it's a concept previewing future Vauxhall design themes and pushing onboard connectivity. This means plenty in the press blurb about 'lithe athleticism' and 'sculptural artistry' plus the promise of 'a quantum leap in the development of infotainment systems'. However, all cynicism aside, the Vauxhall range is currently a sharply-styled one at and the Adam is certainly forging ahead with connectivity options. Vauxhall has proved it can deliver on these fronts for a while now.
Where Vauxhall hasn't been quite so successful is in creating driver's cars. The Astra VXR is a great car but it's failed to take victory in a single hot hatch group test yet. When equipped with the Nurburgring package, the Corsa VXR became an absolute riot but also a £22K car. Moreover, whilst the Insignia VXR remains good value and a decent steer, it's competing in a tiny market with an undesirable badge.
VXR looks good and goes well but lacks x-factor
Now although Vauxhall does mention 'excitement' and 'great driving fun', it also makes patently clear its priorities are efficiency and connectivity, which is a little concerning. Indeed, Vauxhall says its future cars will be inspired by the Monza and 'address the needs of a more closely connected and communications-savvy society'. And whilst no powertrain is yet confirmed, a drive for efficiency would imply the old days of multi-cylindered Vauxhall coupes may be over. Still, Vauxhall seems keen to promote the VXR brand and a faster production Monza could presumably go head-to-head with
Volkswagen Scirocco R
Peugeot RCZ R
The styling is said to hark back to the classic coupes with 'large glazed areas' and a 'low belt line' but these are fairly tenuous links. From these early shots, it seems sleek, aggressive and contemprary, whilst also discernibly different from the three-door hatch-coupe Astra GTC. Another well-designed Vauxhall? You better believe it.
A Monza you can buy now in the PH classifieds
The Monza concept will be fully unveiled at the Frankfurt show in September, an event which should also provide more information on its production viability. Until then, hopefully this
1982 3.0 GSE
can sate (or indeed heighten) any lingering desire for a Monza coupe.