Nova GTE (Courtenay 2.0L 16V Turbo)
- Thread starter KeithRobinson
- Start date
big_pete
RMS Regular
Amazing. That was a proper icon car IMO. Much as your own is to today's scene. Great buy
BobSpounge
RMS Regular
- Messages
- 6,205
There goes another clean pair of underwear and a box of tissues. Love that.
andy_gdon
RMS Regular
That is class!!! Health to drive
Tony@Greenlight
RMS Trader
We've Insured this car back in the day 
I was a member of the VPCC (Vauxhall Peformance car club), I had an Astra GTE (in between the VW's) back then and knew Jon Shields and Mark Watts quite well. It was a really good club, with plenty of events (inc. VBOA Billing & Trentham Park) but the firm (JBA) who ran it went out of business and the club dwindled, until two years later in conjunction with Vauxhall themselves, Kevin Grice relaunched the club as the Vauxhall Sports Car Club.
Greenlight were the approved Insurance provider for the VPCC and even twenty years on we still cover some of the guys that we did back in the day. Great nostalgia.
In terms of Mark Watts, we had also bought 2 Vauxhall company cars back in the day from Mark, who used to work for a Vauxhall main dealer in Thetford before joining Jon Shields at Courtenay turbos (autosport).
The Green nova was Jon's project car and he spent an awful lot of time, money and know how on it - his Nova became a bit of a blueprint for the 2.0 16v and 2.0 16v turbo red top engine conversions. Mark followed suit and did a very similar thing with his Nova.
Your new purchase has got a good pedigree and if you don't mind the nostalgic pilgrimage to North Walsham (Norfolk) for servicing, i'm sure you'll get a great reaction from Mark, Jon and the guys at Courtenay's.
It's obvious you love these cars and it's found another great home.
Very good work Keith.
Kind regards & best wishes
Tony
I was a member of the VPCC (Vauxhall Peformance car club), I had an Astra GTE (in between the VW's) back then and knew Jon Shields and Mark Watts quite well. It was a really good club, with plenty of events (inc. VBOA Billing & Trentham Park) but the firm (JBA) who ran it went out of business and the club dwindled, until two years later in conjunction with Vauxhall themselves, Kevin Grice relaunched the club as the Vauxhall Sports Car Club.
Greenlight were the approved Insurance provider for the VPCC and even twenty years on we still cover some of the guys that we did back in the day. Great nostalgia.
In terms of Mark Watts, we had also bought 2 Vauxhall company cars back in the day from Mark, who used to work for a Vauxhall main dealer in Thetford before joining Jon Shields at Courtenay turbos (autosport).
The Green nova was Jon's project car and he spent an awful lot of time, money and know how on it - his Nova became a bit of a blueprint for the 2.0 16v and 2.0 16v turbo red top engine conversions. Mark followed suit and did a very similar thing with his Nova.
Your new purchase has got a good pedigree and if you don't mind the nostalgic pilgrimage to North Walsham (Norfolk) for servicing, i'm sure you'll get a great reaction from Mark, Jon and the guys at Courtenay's.
It's obvious you love these cars and it's found another great home.
Very good work Keith.
Kind regards & best wishes
Tony
Chris Mac
RMS Regular
Very nice Keith, these Nova's are becoming a bit of an obsession!
KeithRobinson
RMS Regular
OP
- Thread Starter
- #34
I've owned at least one Nova since I started driving 15 years ago. The values are starting to finally shoot up now which is good and bad. Good because I actually own something worth good money, but bad when I need parts.
KeithRobinson
RMS Regular
OP
- Thread Starter
- #37
It shouldn't. I spent a lot of the weekend working on both cars. The shell is almost ready to go for welding the arches in next weekend. Then I'll send it for paint early in the new year.
It has dented the funds but hopefully I can still have the blue one done for billing. I'd love to take both but you know how expensive the boat is
Smurf.
RMS Regular
I will drive the purple one sure for you, purely to help you out
Blackie
RMS Regular
I remember reading the Max Power and the Total Vauxhall stories on this car back in the day. It really did set the trend for many conversions ever since, not all good I may add! Some real rash ones were being built by a well known Ballyclare man, but as each one he did the standard improved to be fair to him!
I had just started driving that year and I was driving a mk2 Ford Fiesta 1.1 Pop Plus and had lofty illusions of creating something beauty, best I could do on an apprentice mechanics wage and some mates help was fit a 1.6 pushrod from a mk1 xr2 to it, on the four speed box, standard milk bottle top brakes and rolly-polly suspension lol.
It was the rod with Hammerite yellow bumpers, blue tiger skin seat covers and Team Benetton coloured steering wheel and gear knob! Lol
Anyway, health to enjoy Keith!
I had just started driving that year and I was driving a mk2 Ford Fiesta 1.1 Pop Plus and had lofty illusions of creating something beauty, best I could do on an apprentice mechanics wage and some mates help was fit a 1.6 pushrod from a mk1 xr2 to it, on the four speed box, standard milk bottle top brakes and rolly-polly suspension lol.
It was the rod with Hammerite yellow bumpers, blue tiger skin seat covers and Team Benetton coloured steering wheel and gear knob! Lol
Anyway, health to enjoy Keith!
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205GTINUT
RMS Regular
Fantastic!!!!!
KeithRobinson
RMS Regular
OP
- Thread Starter
- #41
Cool
ultimately this car inspired me loads. I met Mark at trax in 2002 when he still owned the car, back then I owned NDZ1331 and it was still a 1.2 8v. I remember leaving that show and wanting a 2.0L Turbo immensely!
Dannymcc
RMS Regular
- Messages
- 125
I was up along the side of this a couple of Sundays ago at the traffic lights just of the Urney Rd, I thought it was you driving it but wasn't sure after I seen you where rebuilding the other car. Definitely in good hands now and will be nice to see it out and about!
KeithRobinson
RMS Regular
OP
- Thread Starter
- #44
I brought it home last sunday, would have been in strabane around 8pm (ish)
j44nty
RMS Regular
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- 8,167
As I hurtle towards 40 I don't often get jealous anymore and then you go and make this thread. Great buy and we'll done bud. I remember this and the lotus nova well. I think revs featured it with a Cadbury theme also. Lucky man.
Nazor
RMS Regular
This is awesome Keith - i think i remember the Green Nova making an appearance on Top Gear back in the day and I loved that car. I had/have it on VHS back home im sure.
martydumpvalve
RMS Regular
Love it keith, i still remember the issue this was in. Health to drive keith
hannakournikova
RMS Regular
- Messages
- 12,236
any road trips to Germany for panels?
