Lot Ended
Description
Ex-Michael Aspel; only 52,700 miles from new; wonderful original
condition; few owners, the current for 14 years; find a better
one!
Launched in 1978
and remaining in production until 1993, the Monza was the flagship of the Opel
range and was effectively a fastback coupe version of the Vauxhall/Opel Senator
saloon (in some markets it was also known as the Vauxhall Royale, the Opel name
being dropped in 1983).
Well-built and spacious,
it was powered by a 3-litre straight-six engine that developed 178bhp and made
it the fastest Opel to date, capable of 134mph and 0-60 in 9.5 seconds. It was
available with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic
gearbox.
Supplied new via Julian Bengry Motors of
Surbiton in November 1983, this Monza 3.0E Automatic sat in their showroom for
one year before being acquired by TV personality Michael Aspel in November 1984.
A letter from Mr Aspel recounts that the owner of the garage was his neighbour
and that he enjoyed the Monza so much he would have bought another had the model
not been discontinued.
There is also a copy of a
V5 in his name and a Sunday Times article from 1988 in which he enthuses about
cars in general and his Vauxhall Carlton 3000 GSi which he had presumably bought
to replace the Monza.
It has had just three more
owners since and has only covered 52,700 miles with a huge history file from
new. The original service book has 13 stamps up to 39,380 miles in July 1999 and
there are many invoices for subsequent upkeep and servicing and no fewer than 29
old MOTs to warrant the mileage.
Our vendor
acquired the car in May 2010 when it had covered 42k miles and it has formed
part of his collection ever since, being well-maintained and spending most
of its time tucked away in a nice dry garage under a car cover.
Fitted with a Longlife stainless steel exhaust
system, it retains all its original handbooks and also comes with a wealth of
period sales brochures, road tests, maintenance manuals etc.
Recently recommissioned following several years of inactivity, it has
an MOT until August 2025 with no advisories recorded and has been starting
promptly and running sweetly as we have moved it around on
site.
By far the nicest example we have ever
offered, this highly original and well-historied Monza is on offer here at a
modest guide price and would sit well in any collection.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email
[email protected]