page_title: Vauxhall Astra
section_title: Second generation (1984–1991)
hierarchical_section_title: Vauxhall Astra / Second generation (1984–1991)
caption_attribution_description: A real treat to see an example of Britain's most stolen car, the Vauxhall Astra Belmont. These are really difficult to come by these days, and this one was particularly pleasing being the base "Merit" spec. It actually looked well looked after, with just a little rust, and was very original with proper plates and wheel trims. This is one of just 12 of this spec still on the roads. The vehicle details for G146 WAE are: Date of Liability 01 07 2014 Date of First Registration 10 01 1990 Year of Manufacture 1990 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1388cc CO₂ Emissions Not Available Fuel Type PETROL Export Marker N Vehicle Status Licence Not Due Vehicle Colour WHITE Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
context_page_description: The Vauxhall Astra is a small family car that has been built by Vauxhall since 1979. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand drive versions of the Opel Kadett for use in the UK. Since 1991, Opel has used the Astra nameplate on its B/C-platform. General Motors' Saturn division in the United States also offered a Belgian-built version of the Astra as a captive import from late 2007 until Saturn was discontinued following GM's 2010 bankruptcy.
context_section_description: The Mark 2 Astra was launched on 17 October 1984. It used the same range of engines and running gear as the Mark 1, but with a completely restyled body with better aerodynamics. It was voted 1985 European Car of the Year.
  Long-lived, the Mark 2 was available in estate, hatchback, saloon and cabriolet versions. The saloon was launched in January 1986 and sold as the Vauxhall Belmont; this trend to brand saloon models independently of hatchbacks was also used by other manufacturers of the period, with examples including the Ford Orion and the Volkswagen Jetta. However, this strategy was mostly unsuccessful, as this was Vauxhall's only attempt at badging its hatchback-based saloon as a separate model, and Ford rebadged its Orion range as Escorts in September 1993.
  In 1987 a special one off "design exercise" based on a 1986 1.8 GTE was built by the Ellesmere Port factory to celebrate its 25th (Silver) Anniversary. The Astra GTE "Quicksilver" was first shown at the British International Motor show in 1987 and displayed in the Ellesmere Port showroom throughout the Plant's "Silver Anniversary" year.
  Bertone built 6,764 cabriolets from 1987 to 1993. These came as 1.6 (with 82 bhp (61 kW)) and 2-litre (115 bhp (86 kW)) GTEs, the latter available with powered roof and electric windows. These cars are praised for their shake-free shells and their looks.
  The Mark 2 Astra sold well in the UK, and although it was never able to outsell the Ford Escort, it came closer than any other similar-sized car to achieving this.
  In 2005, a survey found the two most stolen cars in Britain to be the Vauxhall Belmont and the Vauxhall Astra Mark 2, with more than 1 in 13 Belmonts stolen.
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caption: 1990 Vauxhall Astra Belmont 1.4 Merit saloon
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