Orphans in 2005 - Part Two

In the first part of this series we looked at a pair of orphan vehicles on the Australian market – the Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo and Ford Cougar. In this second - and final - instalment we’ll take a look at a little Daihatsu and a mid-size Holden with a big heart!

Daihatsu Copen

After the recent announcement Daihatsu will be winding down sales in Australia, it leaves the company’s entire range of vehicles as orphans. Most interesting of the bunch is the tiny Copen (which is an abbreviation of 'Compact Open').

Introduced as a concept car at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, the Copen progressed to hand-built mass production and was delivered to Australia from 2003.

The tiny convertible (which is less than 3.5 metres long and 1.5 litres wide) shames many other cheap convertibles by offering a power-operated aluminium hard-top. There are two manual grab-locks on the windscreen rail and a button for motorised roof retraction and deployment. Normally, these elaborate roof systems add considerably to a vehicle’s weight but through extensive use of aluminium, the Copen weighs a creditable 830kg.

The little beast is powered by a 660cc 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engine with an intercooled turbo (engine code JB-DET). Peak power is 47kW (the Japanese industry class regulation) and there’s 110Nm of torque at 3200 rpm. A 5-speed manual gearbox is the only driveline option.

Driving the front wheels, the Copen can zip to 100 km/h in around 11 seconds and it’s great for darting through traffic. It’s also a top little performer in terms of fuel consumption. MacPherson front struts and a torsion beam trailing arm rear suspension give good overall handling balance but suspension travel is limited. This is one for smooth roads.

Note that the Copen was entered in local Production Car racing where its pint size and low centre of gravity lead to some impressive showings – race versions received a MoTeC management system, adjustable coil-overs, LSD and more.

The Copen is a car that attracts a lot of attention. It’s small - really small – and its looks are best described as "cute". There is a sexy pair of polished roll-over bars, and 15 inch alloys that - given the size of the car - look quite large. Some people think of the Copen as a miniature Audi TT...

Inside, the cabin is tight. Of course. But you don’t go without a few luxuries such as power windows, a CD player, dual airbags and optional leather.

Selling for under AUD$30k new, the Copen attracts a select group of buyers – it’s certainly one of the most niche vehicles in Australia. Take into account the closure of Daihatsu in Australia and you’ve got a true orphan. At present, a second-hand Copen fetches around 20 grand - but expect prices to fall much further...

Holden Astra SRi Turbo

The Holden Astra SRi Turbo is one of the most impressive new cars we’ve tested of late. Unfortunately, the boosted Astra was a short-lived model that appears to be following in the forgotten footsteps of the Calibra turbo...

It seems nobody cares about it.

After barely a year of sales, Holden dropped the Astra turbo in 2004 – and there’s nothing to fill its shoes. And, certainly, it leaves some big shoes to fill... The Astra turbo is incredibly accomplished in the way it blends outright performance with economy, handling, luxury and practicality.

This is one of the most stealth performance cars going. With a 2.0 litre DOHC turbo engine kicking out 147kW and 250Nm (from as little as 1950 rpm!), this is an extremely effortmess performer. It’s supremely punchy from low rpm and, although the engine spins freely, there’s simply no need to wind it out – it’s tremendously grunty across the entire rev range.

With a standard 5-speed manual gearbox, 0 to 100 km/h performance is easily in the low 7 second range. Not hanging around.

And there’s a whole lot more to the turbo Astra SRi than that. It offers switchable traction and stability control, a wider track, 17 inch wheels with 215/40 Dunlop SP Sport tyres and firmer suspension settings than the conventional Astra. Still, the ride is never harsh. Brakes are also upgraded to 308mm diameter at the front. One of the only criticisms is the lack of fingertip feedback through the steering – this isn’t a car that communicates with the driver. Torque-steer can also be felt under high engine load.

The Astra Turbo cabin offers excellent accommodation and very comfortable leather seats. There are also 4 airbags, a trip computer, cruise control and heated seats. Boot volume is also generous.

Note that a convertible version of the Astra SRi Turbo was also released – it uses all the same mechanicals but with the addition of a fully automatic folding roof mechanism. This makes an appealing vehicle even more attractive – the only downside is compromised chassis stiffness.

Available for around 40 grand when new, the Astra Turbo is only ever criticised by those who have never driven it. Unfortunately, there was little fanfare surrounding the vehicle and few people ever bothered chasing a test drive. It was axed in 2004 and retained values have been falling steadily ever since – a good second-hand example currently costs around 25 – 30 grand.

See New Car Test - Holden Astra SRi Turbo and New Car Test - Holden Astra Turbo Convertible for our full tests of the Astra Turbo. This is without question our favourite late-model orphan - one that we’d gladly adopt...

See Orphans in 2005 - Part One for the first part of this series.