The Vauxhall They Never Told You About I Classic Car Stories

Adam Poulton presents: The Vauxhall They Never Told You About | Classic Car Stories The Vauxhall Sports Hatch is one of the rarest and most unusual production Vauxhalls ever built — a car that most people have never even heard of. But why did Vauxhall build it, why was it barely advertised, and how did this extraordinary survivor escape being forgotten? In this episode of Classic Car Stories, Adam Poulton uncovers the remarkable story of the Vauxhall Magnum Sports Hatch, the mysterious 1970s Vauxhall born from the story of the legendary HP Firenza ‘Droop Snoot’. The story takes us back to the 1970s, when Vauxhall had ambitious plans for the high-performance HP Firenza. But when those plans didn’t unfold as expected, an unusual chapter in Vauxhall history began. With the influence of celebrated Vauxhall designer Wayne Cherry, the familiar Magnum estate was transformed into something altogether more exotic: the Vauxhall Sports Hatch. Produced in tiny numbers, with little conventional promotion, the Sports Hatch has become one of the most intriguing and seldom-seen Vauxhalls of its era. But this isn’t only the story of a rare car. It’s also the story of Paul Sidebottom, his lifelong passion for Vauxhall, and the journey that eventually led him to PEA 84R — a Sports Hatch with a fascinating history and provenance of its own. We follow Paul’s story from his early fascination with cars through to finding, saving and restoring this remarkable survivor. And then, decades after these cars first appeared, something extraordinary happens… A gathering of surviving Vauxhall Sports Hatches, bringing together cars and owners to celebrate a largely forgotten piece of British motoring history. This is the story of a car Vauxhall barely told the world about. The Vauxhall Sports Hatch. Because every classic has a story to tell. Presented and produced by: Adam Poulton Camera: Adison Poulton Classic Car Stories Follow Classic Car Stories on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for more classic cars, behind-the-scenes footage, archive stories and upcoming films. Music featured in this episode: “Beyond Asylum” — Wellness, Tommy Ljungberg “Secret Spring” — Helmut Schenker “Open Fields” — Johan Landqvist “This Could Be Everything” — Sunfish Grove Licensed By Epidemic Sound Classic Car Stories documents the cars, owners and memories behind Britain’s classic motoring history — preserving their stories for future generations. #Vauxhall #VauxhallSportsHatch #ClassicCars #DroopSnoot #HPFirenza #VauxhallMagnum #ClassicVauxhall #BritishCars #ClassicCarStories #CarDocumentary