Vauxhall - Corsa - Sales Brochure - (2010)

Simon Hucknall PR MANAGER – VAUXHALL PRODUCT AND HERITAGE A Century of Motorsport Success • 1908: ‘The Vauxhall Company announces that they are ready to build a Grand Prix team of three Vauxhalls for anybody who will enter them and have them driven.’ • Driving force – Laurence Pomeroy, engineer and enthusiast of ‘highspeed’ engines • Newly-built Brooklands Circuit ideal showcase for Vauxhall’s motorsport aspirations • Kick-started a long association that yielded many speed records and race successes Prince Henry – the first sports car • Prince Henry of Prussia developed a gruelling set of tests to discover best all-round touring car • Prince Henry Trial run over 1230 miles from Berlin to Homburg • Three 20hp Vauxhalls entered • Regulations full of loopholes, exploited by victorious German carmakers • All three Vauxhalls finished and a legend was born • Now acknowledged as first true sports car 30-98 – legendary 100mph sports car of vintage era • Dominated Britain’s booming hill climb scene during Twenties • First catalogued production car in UK to reach 100mph • Closest rival: Bentley 3-litre • Featured in our first annual Trans-Alpine road trip from Côte d’Azur to Geneva Bill Blydenstein – architect of Vauxhall’s post-war motorsport revival • 1963 – Blydenstein VX4/90 appears at Goodwood’s St Mary’s meeting • 1967 – B’stein develops Shaw & Kilburn-sponsored Viva SL saloon racer… • …driven by larger-than-life character called Gerry Marshall • GM’s ‘no-motorsport’ policy led to DTV – Dealer Team Vauxhall • First success: 1971 British Special Saloon Car Championship • Ventora-based ‘Big Bertha’ followed by Firenza-based ‘Baby Bertha’ • Marshall won 96 British national saloon car races before DTV finished in ‘77 Two decades of Touring Car success • John Cleland took first BTCC for Vauxhall in 1989… • …followed by second championship win in 1995 • Plato, Muller and Thompson continued Vauxhall’s run of victories from 2001-2004 in Astra Coupe • Giovanardi clinched championship in Vectra VXR in 2007 & 2008 • Vauxhall left motorsport in 2009 Vauxhall’s Media Motorsport Challenges • Created to challenge media’s perception of Vauxhall, as well as journalists’ driving prowess! • 2010 Astra GTC launch: Double Hillclimb Challenge (Shelsley & Loton) • 2012 Astra VXR launch: Sprint Challenge (Rockingham International) • 2015 Corsa VXR launch: Sprint & Hillclimb Challenge (Knockhill) • Astra 24-hr Speed Endurance World Record CPoP: why is it important for Vauxhall? • Celebrating our heritage, but showcasing new and appropriate products • Supporting media (Autocar) • Maintaining presence in the North West where we’ve been building cars for more than 50 years… • … and where Ellesmere Port has now secured jobs into the middle of next decade with the New Astra Vauxhall today – design strength, innovation and supporting British industry • New Corsa launched in North West last year • Powertrain offensive: 18 new engines being launched between 2014-18 • New VIVA launched at our HQ in Luton two weeks’ ago • Vivaro: a great British success story…