Coming home from work in my MK2 Octy vRS (no mods). Move up behind a J- reg Vauxhall Astra, dont know the specific type but it looks old and beaten up. Its travelling about 45mph, I'm matching its speed in 4th. Its not accelarting so i think "see you later", double de-clutch into third hitting about 3000rpms or thereabouts. There is nothing in front of it, i just want to pass it and make progress. I dont want to race it, I have no intention of ragging it into triple figures.

I'm accelerating in third, pretty hard, on a straight bit of road, hit just up to the red line and change up to fourth and the astra is still there on my nearside. I am now approaching 'silly speed' (its a National Speed Limit road).I have to keep accelerating so I can pull back to the nearside without cutting the Astra up.

Whats going on? I assumed i would pass with ease. Even if the astra driver accelerates just to annoy me I would have thought I would pass effortlessly.

Any thoughts?

Tom:eek:

Calibra turbo conversion?

Chris

Calibra turbo conversion?

Chris

He'd have had to pull back in behind if that was the case.

More likely just a GTE and the effects of power to weight.

Whatever it was - he was being a prat for not letting you in sooner :thumbdwn:

Stupid and dangerous

He'd have had to pull back in behind if that was the case.

More likely just a GTE and the effects of power to weight.

Whats the spec of a GTE?

Whats the spec of a GTE?

On a J reg it could have been a MK2 GTE or MK3 GSI. Not sure about MK2 but the Mk3 has 150bhp.

EDIT: MK2 GTE has 156bhp.

Just found the spec by Googling it.

2.0l GTE, 156bhp, 0-60 in 7.2secs.

Could've been one of those.

Makes me feel a bit better, thought my baby was dying!!

Suppose they don't weigh much, by today's standards. Remember my Dad had a GSi for a while, around '92, so could have been similar. Uber quick at the time and clearly some of the older machinery can still surprise

No real excuse for the behaviour you experienced tonight though :thumbdwn:

Steve

Most GTE's are in pretty poor health these days from the examples I have seen.

Did see a very tasty 8v calibra that a bloke at work has though.

Most GTE's are in pretty poor health these days from the examples I have seen.

Did see a very tasty 8v calibra that a bloke at work has though.

Funnily enough, saw Calibra recently, tidy example too, that took off very rapidly from road junction.

Mind, probably broke down 2 miles on

My older brother had a G reg 16v GTE many years ago so I still remember the 0-60 specs etc .

Was chuffing fast and certainly capable of keeping up with today's vrs's in s straight line - wouldn't like to drive one in corners though unless the suspension had been seriously sorted

Obviously driven by the typical nob stick though.............................

Mate of mine has an Astra GSI on a J plate - standard guise apart from a couple of bolt on bits like exhaust and filter. Dynos at 160bhp, but keeps on par with the mongrel due to power to weight. Won't do soon though.

Glad it's not just me who has people speed up when they try and overtake them... The curse of driving a Skoda... :thumbdwn: