The Opel Astra F is the first series of the Opel Astra , a medium -low range car, produced by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1991 to 1998 as a sedan and station wagon , up to 2000 in a cabriolet version and up to 2002 in the countries of Eastern Europe and Turkey .

The Astra F replaces the Kadett E , the last descendant of the Kadett "dynasty". While the alphabetical order of the series is maintained, the actual model name changes. The name Astra comes as a result of a plan to reunify the names already wanted in the seventies by the General Motors group , to which brands such as Opel and Vauxhall belong . The latter, starting from 1970 , began to produce Opel models exclusively for the British market , but restyled in the front and with different names. 1979 was the launch in Europe of theOpel Kadett D , fourth series of the Kadett, which in Great Britain was produced as Vauxhall Astra . The same criterion was also maintained in 1984 with the launch of the Kadett E, which continued to be called Vauxhall Astra in the overseas market. The future retirement of the Kadett E led the General Motors leaders to implement a reunification in the denominations between Vauxhall and Opel.

For this reason, the new model that replaced the Kadett E was called Astra, although the Vauxhall brand was retained in Great Britain, which however adopted different criteria for indicating the model series.

On its debut in September 1991, the Astra F was available as a hatchback and a hatchback with three or five doors. The appearance of the car, at a quick glance, was reminiscent of the previous Kadett E, of which it seemed in fact a version affected by a marked restyling. This is in order not to revolutionize and completely upset the lines of a car like the Kadett E, which has enjoyed good sales success. The engines were included between the 60 bhp 1.4 C14NZ and the 150 bhp 2-liter C20XE twin cam model of the GSi model. Three months later, in December, the diesel version arrived , equipped with the 1.7 17YDfrom 57 HP. In general, the petrol engines were all fueled by electronic injection , but in the first year of production, in some markets (but not the Italian one) a 75 bhp 1.4 carburetor was also planned .

All these engines were generally coupled to a 5- speed manual gearbox, but on some versions it was possible to have an automatic 4-speed gearbox on request.

In 1992 , the range was enriched with the launch of the station wagon version , which was followed soon after by the van version , equipped with only three doors instead of five, and only front seats, and in May the more classic 3-volume version and a 4 doors. towards the end of 1993 the convertible version was also launched, which replaced the corresponding open version of the Kadett E.

In 1994 , part of the range was affected by some mechanical updates. Also in the same year there was a restyling visible only in some details, such as for example in the front grille, in the exterior mirrors, in the white direction indicators and in the plastics of the rear lights. The restyling was also an opportunity for a refresh to the engine range, which saw the arrival of new 1.6 and 1.8-liter twin-shaft units and the suspension , which benefited from new gas shock absorbers instead of the oleopneumatic ones.

Other new engines were added in 1996 , after which the range continued almost unchanged until March 1998, when it began to be gradually replaced by the new Astra G. Initially it was the turn of the sedan, followed a few months later by the station wagon and the van, to get to 2000, the year in which the cabriolet was also taken out of production.

But in some countries, such as Eastern Europe and Turkey, the Astra F continued to be marketed under the name of Astra Classic , produced until 2002 alongside the more modern Astra G.

The 150 HP flagship version was reserved solely for the 2.0 16v GSi version , a car capable of unleashing exciting performance, and which became one of the favorite models of young enthusiasts. Its distinctive features were the larger rims with a more aggressive design and the front with a redesigned grille. The GSi abbreviation was also provided for two other versions and special engines, one equipped with the 2-liter single-shaft (115hp), the other with the 1.8 twin-shaft (125) which replaced the 2.0 from 1994. The aspirated diesel version was also available, equipped with the 1.7 1700 cm³ single overhead shaftalready present on the Kadett E capable of delivering 57 HP, with modest performance, but also with very low fuel consumption. This version benefited from a slight increase in power at the end of 1992, reaching 60 HP.
Source: Wikipedia

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