THE DAVID WALKER COLLECTION

Collecting can be an insidious hobby. You start with modest ambitions, only to realise 12 months later that your entire house is filled with back-issues of The Motor, Bee-Keeper Weekly or Pylon Enthusiast Monthly. Of course, vehicles occupy even more space, and David Walker’s fleet numbers “a Royale, a Bedford CF camper, a Mk. I Cavalier, a Mk. II Cavalier, three Mk. III Cavaliers, two Belmonts, a Chevette, a Nova, three Mk. III Astras, a Carlton, and a Frontera. I think that's all of them!”

As for the theme of the Walker collection, David explains:

“Dad was the bodyshop manager for Thurlow Nunn in Stowmarket so me and my older brother grew up around Vauxhalls - Dad had five Carltons at that time. So naturally my brothers first car was a blue Chevette and mine was an Astra hatchback and we always tended to stick with Vauxhalls.”

And today, David is the custodian of a remarkable line-up that captures the lost world of Griffin-badged motoring of the 1980s and 1990s. The third-generation Astra and Cavalier now definitely fall into the ‘When did you last see one of those’ categories, as does the Frontera. It comes as quite a shock to realise Vauxhall introduced their version of the Isuzu MU as long ago as 1991.

It would be impossible to pick a favourite from such an array but this writer does admit to being very taken with the Bedford camper project. Any CF is now an unusual sight, despite Luton’s rival to the Ford Transit once being part of the motoring landscape. To look at David’s 1977 motor home is to be transported to a time of holidays in the rain, and camp shops selling nothing but tinned milk and gas bottles. Plus, a screening of Carry On England in the ‘social club’ that evening.

David originally thought “our 1980 Royale would be the rarest car in the collection, as there's only 28 on the road, but there is only 16 of the Belmonts on the road.” The former is indeed a splendid machine, and 43 years ago its list of standard fittings caused a sensation in Little Chef car parks across the land. Not only was there electric windows, adjustable steering, central locking, alloy wheels, the Royale also featured a multi-adjustable driver’s seat, a Philips’ 460 radio/cassette stereo sound system, and a sliding roof and headlamp washer/wipers. Not to mention the finest velour trim available to humanity.

Yet, the Belmonts equally intrigue, for, as David noted, they are now so unusual. Vauxhall launched the ‘three-box’ version of the Astra Mk. II in 1986 as their response to the Ford Orion. They also claimed, somewhat ambitiously, that it was "not just a booted Astra", although most buyers regarded it as just that. In the late 1980s, a well-polished Belmont was as part of visiting your local shopping precinct as witnessing a gang of causals trying to emulate Miami Vice in their 1973 Hillman Avenger De Luxe.

Meanwhile, David plans to acquire a Senator and a Viva - but that’s another story!

With Thanks To – David Walker