ACE ASCONA

Having owned this Ascona from new, John knows it inside out.
ar manufacturers all over the world pump millions of Euro into the research and development of their cars. Test mules bristling with sensors and computers are baked in the desert sun, frozen solid, crashed into concrete barriers and driven thousands of miles at out on the roughest surfaces imaginable, in the hope of identifying and remedying every potential aw and breakdown before the model hits the market. While realistically this target can never be 100% achieved, the R&D process does however mean that the manufacturers know their models inside and out, down to the kind of tolerances that mere mortals would struggle to comprehend. However, despite all of this, many of us drivers are fully condent in our own abilities to correctly predict when our car needs maintenance or not. Sure, some will fastidiously follow the manufacturers inspection checklist every period of months, but there are many more of us who have forgone oil changes, endured rumbling brakes for weeks on end, and even peered into the
night to the poor illumination provided by a single functioning headlamp. In my younger days I remember topping up the oil in my Kadett E only when the pressure warning lamp began to icker on hard cornering, getting years out of a clutch that was so worn you practically had to double clutch to change down the gears, and wilfully ignoring any dots of rust on the bodywork until they had developed into gaping holes. While thankfully Ive almost grown out of that kind of vehicular abuse, I still do occasionally put off maintenance and repair jobs for far too long. This is very silly, given that my long-suffering daily hack regularly does three or four thousand miles a month carrying me around the country to meet vintage and classic vehicle enthusiasts. While I know its silly, its also very hard to resist that little voice in your head that suggests that ever-worsening rattle, knock or scrape is grand for another thousand miles; that is, until something goes bang and leaves you seeking the refuge of the recovery truck

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And thats exactly what it did, and for far longer than most cars, it had to be said. We drove it for eighteen years John explains proudly, the kids were reared in it, and we have a lot of memories attached to it. Indeed, the car took the family all over the country on occasions, making the pilgrimage to favourites such as Dublin Zoo, with a replacement clutch the only drivetrain component needed over its lifetime. In 1998 the car was eventually retired and placed in storage, but a couple of years later due to unexpected circumstances it was pressed into service again, for two more years! By this point the trusty Ascona had covered over 230,000 trouble-free miles, which John puts down to the fact that it was always regularly serviced; indeed, regular use also seems to preserve the condition of cars, as they can Good for about 100bhp, the 2.0 OHV engine shared with the Manta is a tough and torquey unit when properly maintained. RIGHT: Sporty SR/Berlina interior features full instrumentation, sports steering wheel, velour trim and a sliding sunroof. At the opposite end of the scale comes John Harrington from Co. Cork, who strikes me as being the kind of person you would like to buy a car off. Even though he isnt afraid of mileage, you get the impression from talking to him that he treats a car the way it should be; used as intended, but looked after properly in return. The upshot of this philosophy is evident on these pages, in the form of his stunning Opel Ascona Berlina. In 1980, with a baby on the way, John and his wife Kay decided to buy their first brand new car, to replace a Hillman Hunter that was giving a lot of trouble at the time. You really dont want to be left down by a car en route to the maternity ward, so, enticed by German reliability combined with a touch of dash, an Opel Manta was top of the list. Kevin OLeary Motor Group in Bandon were the local dealer at the time, and after a trip there to check out the stock, a test drive in a new Manta was undertaken. However, for practicality

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often deteriorate and seize up in storage, but that was never going to be an option for this example! As part of the Harrington family for so long, the Ascona was given a through freshen-up about three years ago. Restoration certainly wouldnt be the word to use, as after it was stripped for a respray, the only replacement body panel needed was the right-hand rear door. Some rust was also evident in the front wing tops, but instead of replacing the entire panels the original wings were removed and carefully repaired. Incredibly, that was the extent of the bodywork needed, and after a respray in the original beige, a new vinyl roof and a cleanup of the original brightwork and trim, the car looked just as good as it did in 1980. Even the original number plates are still on the car, and look great after being disassembled and repainted.
reasons the coupe wasnt really on the cards, but John spied a bright red Ascona Berlina in the showroom. Thats a nice looking car he thought, and even though he couldnt take a test drive as that car was sold, its similarity to the Manta combined with four-door practicality made it the car of choice. An order was placed, at a cost of about 6,600, and about six weeks later, in February 1980, the new car had arrived in the dealership in beige, the only colour then available; this was due to the fact that the model was being phased out to usher in the all new, front-wheel-drive Ascona C, so colour choices were very limited. Being a run-out model, Johns Berlina enjoyed a very high specification including a sliding vinyl roof, velour upholstery, sports steering wheel, a factory towbar and front spotlights among other goodies. With a distinctive registration number placed front and rear as the finishing touch, the car was ready to provide years of sporty and stylish service.
Being a run-out model, Johns Berlina enjoyed a very high specication including a sliding vinyl roof, velour upholstery, sports steering wheel, a factory towbar and front spotlights among other goodies.

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Cars high spec is indicated externally by the blacked-out rear panel, sports wheels and black side ashes. The towbar is the original Opel item tted by the dealer when new.
BELOW: Garnished with a bare-metalled fuel tank and detailed spare wheel, the boot is simple but stunning. Sporty pressed-steel wheels have been well detailed. The interior has also survived in fantastic order, and is original except for new covers on the front seats. Unsurprisingly there is wear to be found on the steering wheel, pedals and other control surfaces, but this only serves to indicate how many hundreds of journeys this car has undertaken over the years. Even though its very respectable its nicely worn, like a comfortable pair of old shoes, and isnt so pristine and over-restored that youd be afraid to sit in to take a drive. In contrast the boot area is fastidiously detailed, brightened up by a mint spare wheel and the original stainless steel fuel tank, which has been bare-metalled for added effect. The engine bay has also come in for plenty of detail work, but even though it looks fantastic it is mainly original parts that have been reused. The two-litre pushrod engine starts easily and runs sweetly on the day of our shoot, and John tells us that the Ascona is still a great car on the road despite its age, a well-balanced handler with plenty of power on tap. As we walk around the car John relays the history behind every subtle blemish on the trim, such as the marks on the rear window left by his sons sandals when hed climb onto the bonnet and run up across the car as a two-year-old; I could have replaced it, but I decided that things like that are just nice to keep. Theyre part of the cars history he explains. When restoring a car its all too easy to replace components willy-nilly until youve all but lost the spirit of the car you were restoring in the rst place. As a part of his family for the last thirty years, this Ascona is rolling proof that, if something is looked after wellenough during its lifetime, it wont even need restoration; indeed its a pity that there arent more survivors around like this one.

Although the front seats have been recovered, the original rear bench has survived. Note the speakers tted in the eighties, as no radio was supplied with the car when new.
In contrast the boot area is fastidiously detailed, brightened up by a mint spare wheel and the original stainless steel fuel tank, which has been bare-metalled for added effect.

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