An era famous for Britpop, Walkmans, shell suits and The Spice Girls, the 1990s was a standout decade for British culture that welcomed another icon in 1993 – the Vauxhall Corsa. One of the nation’s most beloved vehicles, the Corsa is now celebrating its 25th year.

Wrecking ball - Naomi Campbell

Wrecking ball - Naomi Campbell

The original Supermini was first introduced alongside supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista. Like Kate Moss, who also made her screen debut at the time, the Corsa has been part of British culture since 1993. As Vauxhall’s best-selling model, over two million have been sold in the UK – the equivalent of nine purchases an hour.

It’s not just supermodels who have been associated with the Corsa, with other celebs keen to get their hands on the car. These include chart-topping rapper Tinie Tempah, the first female Olympic Boxing gold medallist Nicola Adams and ex Doctor Who actor Matt Smith. Both of the latter credited the car as a ‘life-changer’, having played a major part in their early years. As well as these celebrities, the Vauxhall Corsa has proved to be a trusty first car for hundreds of thousands of drivers across the UK.

As expected, the 1993 Corsa tech-wise is worlds apart from the current generation. With the advent of OnStar, who’d have thought 25 years ago that a personal assistant could be accessed directly from the comfort of your car? Always moving with the times, the Vauxhall Corsa was born with cassette players and now offers Apple CarPlay. Though tech and style have changed over the 25 years, the Corsa’s amazing value hasn’t, with the price only increasing by £3,850.

Denis Chick, Director of Communications at Vauxhall Motors comments: “The Corsa has played such an integral part in British culture over the past 25 years, I think it’d be difficult to find someone who hasn’t owned or had a friend or family member who has owned a model. Even more importantly for us at Vauxhall is how the vehicle has stayed relevant throughout that time and long may it continue to do so in the future.”

Not just a fantastic heritage, Vauxhall continues to look to the future with the Corsa. The sporty Corsa GSi will arrive in Vauxhall showrooms in late 2018.

As Vauxhall Corsa turns 25, we look at 25 things you may not have known about the iconic car

  1. The original Corsa was introduced in an advert with supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista
  2. It was once claimed that about 70 per cent of learners buy their first car to drive the same car model as they pass their test in[1]        
  3. Vauxhall has sold two million Corsas in the UK and 9.86 million globally
  4. ‘Corsa’ means ‘race’ in Italian
  5. When Arctic Monkeys signed a publishing deal with EMI publishing, lead vocalist Alex Turner celebrated by buying a Vauxhall Corsa
  6. The Corsa replaced the much-loved Vauxhall Nova
  7. Matt Smith sold his Corsa on eBay for £6.3k, donating the fee to children’s charity Starlight
  8. Tinie Tempah, boxer Nicola Adams and ex Doctor Who actor Matt Smith all bought the Corsa as their first car
  9. The most popular latest Corsa colour bought is the Grey, with 45,050 Grey Corsas currently only British roads
  10. The original model sold for £7,195 with the price rising by just £3,850 to £11,045 on-the-road in its 25 years.  Assuming an annual inflation rate of two per cent, it would be less expensive now than in 1993
  11. Vauxhall has sold 20,000 Corsas to the UK Police forces in the past ten years
  12. Original Corsa designer Richard Shaw still works at Vauxhall, working through the ranks to Chief Designer for Interiors
  13. Famous celebs involved in campaigns for the Corsa include Sean Paul, Claudia Schiffer, James Martin and fictional rock band The C’mons
  14. Vauxhall has supplied thousands of Corsas to driving schools including BSM, Red and Hitachi Capital
  15. British artist Alex Chinneck designed a gravity-defying illusionary piece of artwork which saw the artist suspend a Corsa fifteen feet in the air at London’s Southbank Centre
  16. Vauxhall renamed its yellow colour to Maddox Yellow to show support for pensioner Peter Maddox, who’s yellow Corsa was vandalised
  17. The Corsa is one of the most popular used cars bought, with 63,000 sold each year through Network Q, the best place to buy a used Vauxhall
  18. Over 100 models of the Corsa have featured in the annual Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair at locations across the UK for the past thirteen years
  19. The latest generation of the Corsa is available in 13 colours
  20. Some Corsa models have a hidden shark on the hinge of the glove compartment
  21. Unusual Corsa models have included a convertible version and a sporty pick-up
  22. In 2014, the prototype fourth generation Corsa was in gear to win the Guinness World Record for the “Largest GPS Drawing”
  23. Vauxhall created a pair of bespoke headphones in the shape of a Corsa to help launch the fifth year of the UK Beatbox Championships in 2011
  24. The Corsa previously shared some of the same parts with sports car, the Lotus Elise
  25. A new electric Corsa model will be launching in 2019 – Vauxhall’s first electric Corsa 

 

by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
find me on and follow me on

Tagged in