Vauxhall Belmont

Lore & Background

The Vauxhall Belmont was launched in January 1986 as a saloon version of the Vauxhall Astra, which itself was the British-market name for the Opel Kadett E hatchback. While the Kadett E saloon was sold under the Opel badge across continental Europe, only British customers received it with the Belmont nameplate. In South Africa, the same car was called the Opel Monza, replacing the Opel Ascona. The Belmont won praise for its huge boot compared to other rivals of the time, as hatchbacks became the preferred bodystyle in small European family cars. Manufacturers often marketed saloons with different nameplates to position them slightly above hatchbacks—Ford sold the Orion alongside the Escort, and Volkswagen sold the Jetta alongside the Golf. However, GM's approach was inconsistent: only the British market got a distinct badge for the Kadett saloon.

Reader's Guide

The Belmont never lived up to Vauxhall's claim that it was 'not just a booted Astra'. When the Astra II was replaced in September 1991, the Belmont nameplate was shelved, and the Astra badge was used on all body styles. Sales of the Astra-badged saloon were not as strong as those achieved by the Belmont, as saloons of this size continued to fall in popularity throughout the 1990s. The Belmont gained notoriety in December 2004 when it was revealed as the most stolen car in the United Kingdom by ratio, with 1,978 vehicles stolen in 2003—about one out of every ten registered. It topped a similar list for 2005, published in December 2006. By 2019, according to DVLA records, only twenty-three Belmonts remained on the road, with a further sixty-nine on SORN, making it a very rare car on British roads. The saloon version was dropped altogether in March 2004 upon the launch of the MK V Astra, though right-hand-drive saloons with Opel badges continued to be sold in Ireland.

Did You Know?

• The Vauxhall Belmont shared its body with the Opel Kadett E saloon, launched in September 1985.
• In South Africa, the same car was sold as the Opel Monza, not to be confused with the large Senator-based coupé.
• In 2003, 1,978 Belmonts were stolen, amounting to roughly one out of every ten registered.
• By 2019, only twenty-three Belmonts remained on the road in the United Kingdom.