History
My first car after Uni, as an Ellesmere Port boy, I had always liked the Firenza and wanted something as an antidote to the all pervasive Ford Escort Mexicos and RS2000s of the time. I bought the car in 1980, so it was beginning to show its age with some rust, but the engine was a belter. The car was made up to look like one of the Dealer Team Vauxhall rally cars when I bought it. Not exactly a street sleeper! It was beautifully balanced and gave some great fun in the wet and occasional snow. For a few months, I was driving every week from Manchester to Grangemouth, which was 240 miles door to door. Leaving Manchester at around 5.00 am, the drive through the Lake District and on into Scotland was wonderful. My best time was 3 hours and 5 minutes!
The engine was the same as used for the basis of the Droopsnoot, i.e. single overhead cam, slant four, with twin strombergs (smaller carbies than the Droopsnoot) producing 122 bhp. The Droopsnoot had other goodies added to produce 135 bhp. The 2300 Sport SL was the top of the line version, produced from 1972 to1973. It was the only Firenza to feature the seven dial dash (speedo, clock, RPM, fuel, oil pressure, water temp, & battery charge). The Firenza 2300 and 1800 were rebadged as the Magnum in 1973, when the HPF (High Performance Firenza) or Droopsnoot was produced.
I learnt a lot with this car, including changing the clutch, changing the drive belt, fitting Koni adjustable shocks and several other items. Alas, Britain's salty roads took their toll and it was eventually sold for scrap. A common tale with my early cars!
Modifications
Koni adjustable shocks, uprated clutch.
