Editing Opel Ascona (section)

=={{anchor|B|Ascona B|1975}} Ascona B (1975–1981)==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = Ascona B
| image = Ascona B rechts.jpg
| assembly = {{ubl |Germany: [[Bochum]] |Belgium: [[Antwerp]] |South Africa: [[Port Elizabeth]]}}
| production = 1975–1981
| body_style = [[sedan (car)|2/4-door saloon]]
| layout = [[FR layout]]
| engine = {{ubl | 1196&nbsp;cc ''[[Opel OHV engine#1.2|12N/12S]]'' [[Overhead valve|OHV]] [[Straight-four engine|I4]] | 1297&nbsp;cc ''[[GM Family 1 engine#13N|13N/13S]]'' [[Overhead camshaft|OHC]] I4 | 1584&nbsp;cc [[Opel cam-in-head engine#1.6 litre I4|''16N/16S'']] [[Opel cam-in-head engine|CIH]] I4 | 1897&nbsp;cc [[Opel cam-in-head engine#1.9 litre I4|''19N/19S'']] CIH I4 | 1979&nbsp;cc [[Opel cam-in-head engine#2.0 litre I4|''20N/20S/20E'']] CIH I4 | 2420&nbsp;cc [[Opel cam-in-head engine#400 I4 / Cosworth KAA|''400/KAA'']] [[Overhead camshaft|DOHC]] [[Multi-valve|16V]] I4 (Ascona 400) | 1998&nbsp;cc ''[[Opel cam-in-head engine#20D|20D]]'' OHC [[diesel engine|diesel]] I4 }}
| wheelbase = {{cvt|2518|mm|in|}}<ref name=AutoMotoruSport1978>{{cite journal| author =H.E. | title = Kurztest Opel Ascona 2.0 S: Mehr Mumm |trans-title=Short test: More spunk | journal = [[Auto, Motor und Sport]]| volume = 2 | pages = 46–47 |date = 1978-01-01 }}</ref>
| weight = {{cvt|1050|kg|lb|}}<ref name=AutoMotoruSport1978/> (approx)
| length = {{cvt|4321|mm|in|}}<ref name=AutoMotoruSport1978/>
| width = {{cvt|1670|mm|in|}}<ref name=AutoMotoruSport1978/>
| height = {{cvt|1380|mm|in|}}<ref name=AutoMotoruSport1978/>
| transmission =
| designer = Tsutomu Aoto, Walter Bickelhaupt, George Gallion, Albertus Holsheimer
| related = [[Vauxhall Cavalier]]<br>[[Chevrolet Chevair]]
| aka = Chevrolet Ascona ([[South Africa]])
}}

The second generation Opel Ascona B was presented in August 1975 at the [[Frankfurt Motor Show]]. It was available as a two or four-door saloon. There were related two and three-door coupé models in the Opel Manta range. There was no estate ("Caravan") body available. It was Opel's version of the "U-car" platform ("extended subcompact" — therefore unrelated to the later [[General Motors U platform|GM U-platform]]), and was essentially an enlarged version of the [[General Motors T platform (RWD)|T-Car]] platform which underpinned the smaller [[Opel Kadett C]] and [[Vauxhall Chevette]].

The Ascona B retained the same engine range as its predecessor, versions with higher [[compression ratio]] and needing 98 octane petrol, dubbed S, were available alongside the 90 octane models. The first change took place in January 1976, when laminated window glass became available as a no-cost option. The 1.9&nbsp;L "S" cam-in-head engine was replaced by the modernised 2.0&nbsp;L ([[Opel cam-in-head engine#2.0 litre I4|20S]]) in September 1977. The 20N became available in January 1978, and all models now also received electric windscreen washers. A 2.0&nbsp;L [[Diesel engine|diesel]] motor was added to the Ascona B range in 1978, mostly targeted at the [[Benelux]] countries and Italy, where local tax structures provided an incentive for diesel-powered automobiles — in 1979, 97% of diesels were exported, while 59% of petrol powered cars went in the export.<ref name="AK81">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1981 | editor = Freund, Klaus | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | location = Stuttgart | pages = 244, 248 | ref = AK81 | volume = 24 | language = German |date=August 1980}}</ref>

By the end of 1978 the 1.6 S engine was discontinued in Germany (where it was replaced by the 19N, with the same power but lower fuel consumption), but continued to be available in some markets in a somewhat detuned version with {{cvt|70|PS|kW|0}}. In January 1979 the street legal version of the Ascona 400 with 2.4-litre engine (16 valves, 144&nbsp;PS) appeared, followed a month later by the more prosaic 1.3-litre OHC engine. This largely replaced the old 1.2-litre pushrod unit which dated back to 1962, but production continued in dwindling numbers into 1980 for some export markets.<ref name="AK83">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1983 | editor-last = Heitz | editor-first = Rudolf | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | location = Stuttgart | page = 242 | volume = 26 | language = German | year = 1982 }}</ref>

In September 1979 the Ascona received a minor facelift, including plastic bumpers and a grey front grille with a larger mesh. The 2.0 E engine with a Bosch L-Jetronic electronic [[fuel injection]] arrived in January 1980, after having been first installed in the Manta and Rekord models.<ref name="AK81.15">Ein bewährtes Auto: Opel Ascona [A tried and tested car]. ''[[#AK81|Auto Katalog 1981]]'', p. 15</ref> The 2.0 E equipped Ascona also received an upgraded clutch shared with the sporting Manta GT/E.<ref name="AK81.15"/> In January 1981 the Ascona underwent its last changes, when adjustments made to the 16N and 20N engines. The 1.9 N and 2.0 N engines were discontinued in the German market, while the 1.6 N engine was now only available coupled with an automatic transmission.

Over 1.2 million Ascona B units were produced worldwide until August 1981. The two millionth Ascona was an Ascona B, built in April 1980, and the one millionth Ascona sold in Germany was registered in July of that same year.<ref name="AK81.14">Ein bewährtes Auto: Opel Ascona [A tried and tested car]. ''[[#AK81|Auto Katalog 1981]]'', p. 14</ref> The related Manta coupé versions however, remained in production until 1988.

{{gallery | height = 128
||Opel Ascona two-door, base version
|File:Ascona B seite rechts.jpg|Rear view
|File:Opel Ascona B irmscher 2.jpg|Ascona 2.0 with a factory tuned engine by Irmscher, 120 PS
|File:Vauxhall Cavalier first iteration Brecon.jpg|Vauxhall Cavalier MkI
}}

;Engines
*'''1.2 N''' – 1196&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|55|PS|kW}}
*'''1.2 S''' – 1196&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|60|PS|kW|0}} — 58&nbsp;PS in Sweden and Switzerland (S12S)
*'''1.3 N''' – 1297&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|60|PS|kW|0}}
*'''1.3 S''' – 1297&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|75|PS|kW}}
*'''1.6 N''' – 1584&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|60|PS|kW|0}}
*'''1.6 S''' – 1584&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|75|PS|kW}}, later {{cvt|70|PS|kW|0}}
*'''1.9 N''' – 1897&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|75|PS|kW}}
*'''1.9 S''' – 1897&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|90|PS|kW|0}}
*'''2.0 N''' – 1979&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|90|PS|kW|0}}
*'''2.0 S''' – 1979&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|100|PS|kW|0}}
*'''2.0 E''' – 1979&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|110|PS|kW|0}}
*'''2.4 E''' – 2420&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|144|PS|kW}}
*'''2.0 D''' – 1998&nbsp;cc, {{cvt|58|PS|kW}}

===Export models===
In the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Vauxhall Cavalier]] badge was used on both [[sedan (car)|saloon]] and coupé models from late 1975, which came out of the same factory in [[Belgium]] — the first Vauxhall to be built abroad. The front ends were different, featuring Vauxhall's trademark "droop snoot", as designed by [[Wayne Cherry]].

;{{anchor|Chevrolet Ascona}} South Africa
In [[South Africa]] there was a locally assembled version called the '''Chevrolet Ascona''', identical in many respects to the four-door Opel Ascona B. The Ascona came with a locally built 1.3-litre inline-four from the [[Vauxhall Viva (1963–1979)|Vauxhall Viva]]. A preceding upmarket version with the [[Vauxhall Cavalier]]'s longer front end was sold as the [[Chevrolet Chevair]], equipped with bigger engines of Chevrolet origins. The Ascona was launched in July 1978, and replaced the Vauxhall-based Chevrolet 1300/1900-series. It was available in De&nbsp;Luxe or S trim, with the S receiving a sportier treatment with a three-spoke steering wheel, tartan seat inserts, and [[Rostyle wheel|Rostyle]] rims.<ref name=CarZA0778>{{cite magazine | magazine = CAR (South Africa) | title = New models: Chevrolet Ascona De Luxe and 'S' | editor-last = Wright | editor-first = Cedric | volume = 22 | number = 7 | date = August 1978 | ref = DNLCV | page = 13 | publisher = Ramsay, Son & Parker (Pty) ltd. }}</ref>

==={{anchor|400}} Ascona 400 rally car===
[[File:Opel Ascona Rallye Rothmans.JPG|thumb|right|The Rothmans Ascona 400 which won the 1983 [[Safari Rally]] in the hands of [[Ari Vatanen]].]]

First shown at Frankfurt in September 1979, the Ascona 400 was a homologation special sold only to make it eligible for rallying's Group 4 category.<ref name=Keesings18>{{cite journal | title = Zuinigheid verkoopt beter dan veiligheid |trans-title=Thrift outsells frugality | language = nl-be | journal = Keesings Auto Magazine | location = Antwerp, Belgium | date = 1979-09-15 | volume = 2 | number = 18 | page = 18 | editor-last = Rombauts | editor-first = Walter }}</ref> The Ascona 400s were built at General Motors' plant in Antwerp. The [[1980 World Rally Championship season|1980]] world champion [[Walter Röhrl]] took the rally car to victory and won the [[World Rally Championship]] [[List of World Rally Championship Drivers' Champions|drivers' title]] in the [[1982 World Rally Championship season|1982 season]].

The car was developed by Opel alongside the [[Opel Manta 400|Manta B 400 model]] which consisted of the same changes. Irmscher and Cosworth were hired as partners for the project, Cosworth to deliver a 16 valve double cam crossflow head for the engine, and Irmscher for the exterior and interior styling. Cosworth delivered the heads to Opel and Opel soon discovered a major mistake. The plan was to use the 2.0-litre engine block but this did not produce enough power. Time was running out and Opel badly needed to do something. Opel took the 2.0E block, installed forged pistons, different connecting-rods, and forged crankshaft with 85mm stroke. The result was a 2.4-litre engine. The 2.4-litre engine gave rise to some massive power outputs using the 16 valve head. The street versions of the 400 therefore came with {{cvt|144|HP|kW|0}} engines, using the Bosch fuel injection of the Manta GSi and GT/E series. However, in race trim they were delivered putting out {{cvt|230|HP|kW|0}}, which could be improved further to {{cvt|340|HP|kW|0}}, while still using normally aspirated engine components.

Irmscher delivered the rally trim for the exterior. Large and widened wings, light weight hood, front wings, rear boot lid and doors were also installed.

By 1984, the [[Audi Quattro]] appeared more powerful than ever and the Ascona 400 was rendered obsolete. But the Ascona 400 still has some remarkable records. The Ascona 400 was the last rear wheel drive rally car to win the drivers' world championship, ensuring its place in motorsports history.

====WRC victories====

:{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; "
! No.
! Event
! Season
! Driver
! Co-driver
! Car
|-
| 1
| {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Rally Sweden|30th International Swedish Rally]]
| [[1980 World Rally Championship season|1980]]
| {{Flagicon|SWE}} [[Anders Kulläng]]
| {{Flagicon|SWE}} [[Bruno Berglund]]
| Opel Ascona 400
|-
| 2
| {{Flagicon|Monaco}} [[Monte Carlo Rally|50éme Rallye Automobile de Monte Carlo]]
| [[1982 World Rally Championship season|1982]]
| {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Walter Röhrl]]
| {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Christian Geistdörfer]]
| Opel Ascona 400
|-
| 3
| {{Flagicon|Ivory Coast}} [[Rallye Côte d'Ivoire|14ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire]]
| [[1982 World Rally Championship season|1982]]
| {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Walter Röhrl]]
| {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Christian Geistdörfer]]
| Opel Ascona 400
|-
| 4
| {{Flagicon|Kenya}} [[Safari Rally|31st Marlboro Safari Rally]]
| [[1983 World Rally Championship season|1983]]
| {{Flagicon|FIN}} [[Ari Vatanen]]
| {{Flagicon|GBR}} [[Terry Harryman]]
| Opel Ascona 400
|-
|}

{{Clear}}