Vauxhall Adam S: Why This Sales Flop Deserves a Second Chance

[@ca9968]

A VXR model of this little thing would have been very interesting ...shame it never happened...

[@Stanley88845]

I believe Vauxhall were originally going to name this the Adam VXR, but didn’t want to step on the toes of the Corsa VXR

[@alfisti93]

@@Stanley88845 Oh but they should have... this thing with the 1.6 from the VXR/OPC and an additional 50hp? Yes please! (Also the chassis should've easily been able to handle that - since the Adam was "just" a shortened 3-door Corsa, technically speaking.)

[@Stanley88845]

@@alfisti93 some people have thrown in the 1.6 VXR engine before and tuned them up to near 300hp. I bet they would be mental

[@ZenturiAutomotive]

​@@Stanley88845 It's not even that Vauxhall wouldn't have made it, VXR were trying their best to make it a true VXR, using the 208hp 1.6T found in the Corsa, which would have made this an incredible car, especially considering how much you could customise on one of these. But unfortunately the car couldn't handle the power, having spoken to someone who has good connections to the people who worked on the potential VXR variant of it, said that it would have been undriveable, without the assistance systems it would have been undriveable and the same thing with them, which is really unfortunate as I would have loved to drive one XD

[@alfisti93]

@@Stanley88845 Sounds intriguing - and with the power sorted, this also solves the single issue I find with the Abarth: the lack of a 6-speed box. (Sitting constantly at 4k rpm on the motorway is a bit pointless...)

[@MrDavidfball]

when it was in development they were looking at names, one idea was to call it the 'New'Nova in the UK this would have been better than Adam as i doubt many UK buyers knew who Adam Opel was!

[@john1703]

Still better than nova Nova. Might have been corsa-nova?

[@simonh870]

It should've been called the Vauxhall Alex, after the founder of Vauxhall. It didn;'t make sense badging it as a Vauxhall and naming it after the founder of Opel.

[@ASBO_LUTELY]

Adam only means biblical reference to most Brits.

[@mcmcolm]

@@simonh870they may have learnt their lesson, when they launched the (rebadged Suzuki) Opel Karl in the UK they renamed it as the Viva

[@chriskonte1909]

But thb even Germans didn't like these names my question is however why the Adam (not just the S) flopped? It's the same shape as a Fiat 500, but got much more combinations in color, no Diesel option but hey it's a mini-compact car practically no one bought a 500 with the Multijet diesel so that's that. Automatic options were just as horrible as in the other cars like the Up!, Mii or Citigo and it has an awesome 5speed manual after 2017 they did something to it, don't ask me, even some peppy turbo engines and a little Crossover version the Adam ROCKS. The only complain it'd find is the price but considering a statement Opel made that they have almost no profit margin selling Adams it was a good grab for the money. Now that Opel's part of Stellantis, the availability of spare parts is super bad, this is not just a war or covid effect this is a man-made problem.

[@deangray4502]

Owned one of these since new in 2018 - 75k on the clock and it's been great fun, even more so with 16" winters on the Scottish B roads in some snow. Slightly more practical than my last car (Mk1 Audi TT) as you can at least get someone behind the passenger without them being sideways.

[@Stanley88845]

These are based on the Adam R2 after all so I’m sure they will be a right riot as a homebrew rally car 😆

[@olik136]

the Adam was just very badly positioned inside the Opel/Vauxhall lineup. The Corsa gets you way more car for less money.. so most people just got a Corsa or even an Astra instead.

[@MallocFree90]

You can say the same for the Fiat 500 between the Panda and the Punto... but it's still selling well

[@chriskonte1909]

​@@MallocFree90correct with Fiat the competition from your own lineup is a lot. You got the Panda which is in the same category, the Punto being the bigger subcompact car or the compact Bravo or nowadays Tipo. Fiat marketed correctly, they hit the nail on the head with the design, the 500 is aging superb, they kept the price low enough to sell it in big numbers the got a long history and lot's of Special Editions to keep everything fresh. The Adam on the other hand just came out of nowhere no history or predecessor, in Germany at times you had up to 90.000(!) different styles possible thanks to: -a two tone exterior -different colored mirrors -grills -chrome lines in the grill -different headliners (even a Rolls Royce like LED "sky with stars" Imitation was available -different colored leather elements for the steering wheel -and the shift knob -lots of seat fabric, cloth, part leather, full leather, -and alloy wheels that you can get with colored elements. All the styles cost LOTS of money in the production. GM didn't even sold these as Chevrolets, Holden or Buick in China, Australia or the U.S. so all the production costs "just" for the European market. The Adam was just there to appeal to the young, so that they eventually grow up and be like: I have a family now, I guess I need an Astra Sports Tourer, Mokka, Crossland or Grandland now.

[@injinerconev]

I was a huge Opel fanboy before they got sold to Stellantis and became rebadged Peugeots. By no means perfect cars but they were doing their own thing back then. I think I lost a lot of my interest in cars after the Stellantis thing though, because I knew that was the end of crazy stuff like a zafira OPC or risky unusual models like the Adam. Sad days.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

In America we would have killed for a sporty car that cheap brand new.....such a good looking car, tempted to buy one in the future whenIi move from the USA to Sweden.

[@izzieb]

"Hey JayEmm, do you wanna have a go with my Adam? I keep Adam locked in my garage most of the time"

[@john1703]

What about Karl?

[@scott8919]

"You've have to excuse Adam's odd noises. I gave him bad gas this morning."

[@Unwoken_European]

A car should be the male gender. Its like your mate.

[@Cincy32]

I'm an American who loves full size RWD sedans, but having never seen this car before, it is quite the looker. I would take this over a Fiat, Abarth, Smart, or Scion.

[@ConnorProsser]

I owned this as my first car in white and red. Currently at 200hp and absolutely love it. Currently have it sat on some OZs too. Probably the best car for cheap ish insurance and good power plus it weighs about a ton

[@sputumtube]

Should have called it the Adam Ant - that'd get the youngsters scratching their heads!

[@karllelliott681]

Charming! 'Prince Charming! Prince Charming!, Ridicule is nothing to be scared of ...........' 😲

[@kevinm3586]

With the Addams edition a severed hand does the scratching for you.

[@karllelliott681]

@@kevinm3586 and apparently that's now a 'thing!' Thankyou I am here all week da da da daaa da daaa da daaaaa 😃

[@Robert_B_445]

Better than the Stuart Leslie Goddard I suppose...

[@karllelliott681]

@@kevinm3586 Yes, that's now a 'thing' apparently 😀

[@DangeeksC]

I had a cooking 1.4 version as a hire car for a short period of time, was working Wales at the time, while the base 1.4 engine really lacked any form of power or character the chassis I thought was actually pretty good, chucking it round some of the Welsh roads was a real riot. Glad to see the S was worth the premium after all

[@drissistg]

I own its bigger brother, the Corsa S (a high spec trim apparently sold only in Germany and France after the OPC discontinuation, later rebadged Corsa GSI) and it has the same engine as the Adam S. With its longer 6th gear ratio great for motorways, it's a nice do-it-all car while retaining some sporty feel to it when tossed around in the countryside.

[@BrettCahill]

always loved the look of these

[@Mr.Marbles]

Same. Somehow retro without cloning the looks of an older car.

[@amarhadzovic7299]

Someone get this man in a 13'-17' Insignia BiTurbo/VXR/OPC

[@MrTophalf1999]

Just sold my GTC Biturbo, what a cracking car that was. I already regret selling it tbh!

[@Psych0technic]

Hear, hear! Although, pre 13 model would be nice also.

[@amarhadzovic7299]

@@Psych0technic It is also nice, but I think the facelift is just miles better. I would say that a review of a last gen Saab 9-5 would be more interesting than the pre facelift insignia, becouse in the end, its the same platform just lenghtend, and the engines are the same

[@Psych0technic]

@@amarhadzovic7299 disagree about the look, I thought pre facelift looked more distinct and more angry, at least in the front. Would gladly see the review of the either. Heck, I would be glad for a review of an ordinary one with decent engine like 2.0 turbo or v6, nicely spec'd.

[@SomeOne_86]

Do those come in manual?

[@Jam3sA]

My Ex had a look at these to replace a 500. The 500 had apparently slightly more room for rear seat passengers, so was rejected

[@Djeseret]

If you care about the back seat passengers it's a questionable choice... as the Fiat 500 doesn't have a head side crash curtain in the back seat, it's only functional in the front seat - Adam on the other hand has a curtain in the back seat and has proven in real accidents to be very crash proof, which is questionable with Fiat. Crash safety is more important the smaller the car is, the Adam is also wider than the 500. In the choice between space OR... surviving an accident, the question is... what do you choose?

[@bertenpetrasinagl2692]

This car always gave AND gives me a big smile. Good review that also gives me a smile....chuckles.

[@alexger85]

its amazing how many of those are still around here in germany - they must be really durable

[@Stanley88845]

reliability, on the Adam's can be hit or miss. I have seen some owners have complete nightmares with their cars, and others, like myself, little to know issues at all.

[@Crazy_Borg]

The Adam series was a weird line of cars. I remember checking those out when I was looking for a new car back then, and the customisation options for the colors alone were staggering. But yeah, it didn't happen because of the prices.

[@jamesthesecond1123]

Someone over at the Eastenders/Elstree studios has one of these parked outside the canteen. Every time I'm there it always catches my eye. Same colour/spec too.

[@ApurtureSci]

I've always liked the look of these, but performance on-paper looked a bit disappointing to me given the output and weight (8.5s to 62mph). A 1.4 TSI SEAT Ibiza was a second quicker to 62 and that wasn't even a meant to be a fast model (also cheaper to tax). Polo GTI or Cooper S were 2 seconds quicker. I guess it's down to the gearing? Looks like a fun car regardless!

[@Stanley88845]

The polo gti and cooper s are a little up on hp and torque. Hence why they’re a decent bit quicker.

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

Polo and Cooper s have 192 HP...

[@ApurtureSci]

@@melaniezimmermann-jv7th I'm aware, I only mentioned them because they were brought up as comparison in the video, they aren't really in the same class. The important comparison for me was against the VAG 1.4 TSI cars, which on paper at least are superior performers in every metric. This certainly has more charm than the VAG siblings though, further enhanced by their rarity now.

[@MrAndinho1]

Style over substance.

[@AA-ti3nr]

⁠​⁠@@ApurtureSciOn paper, its even somewhat slower than car its supposed to compete with (Abarth). But to me its much cooler than Abarth.

[@karsnoordhuis4351]

Recently saw one of these again irl. I kinda forgot about them but they are funky cars.

[@PaulioBee]

At 46, I must be one of the oldest to own an Adam S! My daughter is only 3 though, so rear space is not a problem - yet.

[@raymondhunt6109]

I nearly bought one at age74, Still like the look of them.

[@vauxpedia]

Not quite, I'm 63 & have had my Adam S since 2016, wouldn't even consider replacing it -awsome car! In 20k miles & 8 years only the battery needed replacing. The short lived Grand Slam ID fitted in with the other strangely named trim levels - Jam, Glam & Slam!

[@Jack_Dean]

I must say, I often see an Adam S on my road and I always think what a good looking car it is.

[@acquire8658]

The worst part for me and the main reason I didnt buy one was the lack of xenon or bixenon or led. Which is ridiculous since the Corsa had those magnificent bi xenon lights.

[@MallocFree90]

I'm pretty sure it could have it and it even had back led light

[@Stanley88845]

@@MallocFree90 as standard the S came with led tail lights and halogen headlights. They did not offer any of the Adam's with anything but halogen headlights, however the higher end models got led drls.

[@dannyconway2612]

Great video, just brought one of these, wanted something a bit quicker than my Corsa E. I love it, it's rare, I've not seen another and its well speced, love the VXR full leather seats 😊

[@wolfer3283]

I had the Big Brother of this here in Austria (Corsa D VXR) and we have some strict rules when it comes to modifcations on your car like you have to have an Inspector look at all the Documents, see if the parts have part numbers matching said documents, etc. And I got away with using 18' Rims made for the Adam S (Brock RC32) and the normal Adam S rims for WInter usage, because of how similar both cars are. I thought the Adam S was a godsend for this reason because my VXR was a UK Import because it was actually cheaper getting one this way than buying a non touched/good condition one here (last check about 2 weeks ago: none for under 7k in nice condition)

[@919664]

you drive a right hand drive car in Austria?

[@wolfer3283]

@@919664 *drove a right hand car. Had to sell it for various reasons, one of them being military and needing money

[@SykesAJ]

The GRAND SLAM name makes fractionally more sense in the context of the launch line-up of JAM, GLAM, SLAM topping out at GRAND SLAM.

[@robbie1403]

I think this was Vauxhall’s attempt to compete with the likes of the Mini and the Fiat 500 given its wide range of similar personalisation options but without having the same heritage or brand cachet and being priced at an unreasonable premium (maybe they were trying too hard as that S badge looks like it was lifted straight off of a Cooper). I do admire the company for making it though and it’s interesting to see some of the styling elements, like the roof for example, now featuring on the new SMART #1 and #3.

[@Stanley88845]

I do agree the S badge is so similar to Mini’s. I’ve seen loads of people with Adam S’ literally buy a mini badge and whack it on the front grill 😆

[@lilpinns4062]

Finally I was waiting for this video to come out I’ve always been watching these as a 21 year old I want something small but fun at the same time they are still priced high which is annoying but hopefully this video will help if I should save up and buy one or not

[@annaw1231]

I have one, they’re worth every penny! Cheaper to insure than my 1.4 Ford fiesta😂

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

There IS another vidéo from James about the Adam S...

[@Stanley88845]

@@melaniezimmermann-jv7th it is from the very early days of the channel so it isn't quite to the same quality and depth as this one

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

@@Stanley88845 I Can not agree to that, but hey, it's your opinion. 😉

[@lilpinns4062]

@@annaw1231Ohh right, that’s even better 🤣

[@Shaibuli]

I remember back in the day there being a lot of discussion about the Adam generally having way too big wheels, which makes it noisy and you'll feel every bump in the road in a not-so-nice way.

[@Stanley88845]

yes, 18" is too big for this small of a car. I definitely doesn't ruin it, not by far, but it does make it feel gittery. Lots of people with Adam S' fit 17" wheels to improve the ride.

[@Stanley88845]

update on the above, I put some 225/40 18 tyres on it from the standard 225/35 18's, and it hugely improved the car. Less road noise, less jittery at low speeds and far more planted when pushing on our horrible british roads.

[@Asdasty]

Sold as the Opel Adam in my country. However there was never a performance version made available for my country. Always thought they looked really look. Still do actually

[@stevenbrown3151]

And the Adam was a bloody good rally car in R2 spec

[@Stanley88845]

And the Adam s was developed off of the R2 rally car so they could homologate the Cup car 😄 Yet for some reason they didn’t advertise this what so ever 🤔

[@JayEmmOnCars]

CarVertical: The History Checking Service Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount! www.carvertical.com/gb/landing/v3?b=1e4c9523&a=JayEmm&voucher=jayemm&chan=jayemm

[@mcmcolm]

I was at the press launch of the Adam, and they sounded like they genuinely thought they would steal loads of Fiat 500 sales

[@benspears5073]

The should have badged it as a Nova GTE!

[@arthurs7882]

Sounds good! We got this motor in a B segment sonic, but it was never really powerful enough to be truly fun

[@UKMike2009]

Unfortunately, being of a certain age, the Vauxhall-Opel chrome trim from the B pillar rearwards reminds me too much of an old-fashioned pram hood. Once seen, I couldn't get that thought out of my head.

[@Stanley88845]

Yeh I’m not a fan of the chrome trim either. I’ve looked in to blacking it out but it seems like a proper pain to do. It’s weird how they offer black trim on the lower end Adam models, but not the S.

[@ianrobinson68]

My stepdaughters favourite car and the only one she’s wanted since passing her test. She’ll get one in the next few years now her insurance is cheaper , oddly she’s not keen the two tone paint which I really like.

[@Stanley88845]

That’s surprising. The two tone paint is my favourite part

[@ianrobinson68]

@@Stanley88845 I agree , I like the grey and red.

[@Stanley88845]

@@ianrobinson68that is lovely colour combo. I find the black contrasts with the roof a bit better though.

[@robsmall6466]

Not forgotten at all in the south west. Assuming that when Vauxhall pulled the plug the local car supermarkets picked these up by the dozen because they have become a very common sight in the last few years. Assuming people wanted an alternative to the Fiat 500

[@martinhoare9525]

So many unused names from past models to choose from but they came up with Adam and then wonder why it didn't sell?

[@Stanley88845]

it was the name of the founder for the company, Adam Opel.

[@MarcusTDM]

I don’t know if Vauxhall Engines are good or not, but they do sound it and that does it for me!

[@mantarayal]

What a cool little car! Especially in this trim. Never made it to NZ, and it should have, to bulk up the population of small fun cars on our dreadful, pot-holed, dangerous, Ford Ranger-covered roads. Damn.

[@ZenturiAutomotive]

I absolutely adore this car, it's a shame that they never managed to get the 1.6T into it, but having spoken to some people who worked on designing it, the car wouldn't have been able to cope with the 208hp, but I do genuinely love this car, having driven the 1.4T variant, I really want one! It's just they hold their value so well XD

[@Stanley88845]

Yes the front diff can get overwhelmed at times even with 150hp. So with 200hp it would’ve needed a better diff and by then it likely would’ve cost the same as a Corsa VXR

[@ConnorProsser]

Mines at 200hp and is fine 😭

[@Levenstone132]

I like the two tone. If there was a white,red roof,red interior version I'd have to get it. Same as my dad's '65 Victor 101!

[@Stanley88845]

You can buy one in white with a red roof, it's actually one of the most popular colour options for the S: m.atcdn.co.uk/a/media/w1024h768/4832bc971ca74accb5bcb349d55302eb.jpg As for the interior, you can get official red bits of trim on the dashboard, steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake. For the other parts you would need to go elsewhere to get it retrimmed: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYMlcMpFcTZgZeczG0sbsI6qR8mtoaFXsKfBlfB7t2zw&s

[@nathant8951]

I would have bought one at 19 but it was too small for me day to day, having to travel distance with luggage a lot. Ended up with a 1.0 Focus, which was genuinely more expensive to insure.

[@Stanley88845]

I go quite the distance in my Adam all the time and have never had an issue with luggage, especially since the seats go down. I’ve even fit in a massive pigmy enclosure, an ikea coffee table and a Halfords tool chest 😆

[@MS-ct7yh]

I love the Adam. Bought mine with all the extras with 4000 km for 13.000€. It never broke down. The only down sight you have is that the engines with lower horsepowers only have 5 gears, which is completely understandable for a company to do but it increases the economy especialy at higher km/h.

[@Stanley88845]

The turbo models have 6 gears luckily!

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

​@@Stanley88845yes, three cylinders and the s.

Funny but I'd forgotten that the Adam existed. Don't see any on the roads anymore for some reason. Makes me wonder if they had engine issues like the Tigra/Corsa GSI.

[@robsmall6466]

What killed these off wasn't just the price but recalls regarding a serious steering fault. In my area over the last few years there are loads about. I assume a car supermarket picked them up from Vauxhall in serious numbers

[@ciaranmurray6623]

Thanks Jay Great video.Good to see Vauxhall/ Opel getting a mention for a change. Always thought the suspension was a bit low on the Adam but now it makes more sense😊

[@petercraig9197]

Have you forgotten the Mokka already?

[@Jmcg1959]

Good video still looks good a few years on, it’s funny how some cars don’t take off and others do.

[@BNN_BreakingTwitter]

Got mine from Eastbourne 6 months ago on a 68 plate fsh with just over 12K miles for £13295 in metallic blue with black roof and spoiler, about 0.5 seconds slower than my Astra SRi 1.4 Turbo I pxed but on country roads is great and I expect with such a low mileage to hold it's value! I'm 75 in June 😂

[@andyhowlett2231]

We're just in the process of buying a 2016/17 1.4t with 38k on the clock for a very reasonable £8500. One owner, clean HPI and no bodyshop visits. Metallic grey body, red roof. I'm 71 and can't wait.

[@BNN_BreakingTwitter]

@@andyhowlett2231 nice colour combination! We call our horse Bluebelle.

[@xXWhiteTigerPL]

Im thinking about buying one but im wondering about reliability, have heard that some parts are hard to get and turbocharged versions are expensive to fix if it fails.

[@Stanley88845]

They can be hit or miss, some will be perfect, others will have some issues. Mine (the one in the video) has 73,000 miles on it and has only had one issue, a coolant housing failure. This was a relatively cheap fix at £190 for parts and labour. Others have had utter nightmare experiences, it seems the former Grand Slam model seems to have most of the issues compared to the later S model. Even low mileage Grand Slams, less than half what mine has done I’ve seen to have countless issues. If I were you, get a 2016+ model with decent service history and you should be alright.

[@stepheng8779]

Always liked them, daft name cost sales. To rubber stamp this they went along with failure that was the reborn Viva 🤦

[@rickyemblem6276]

I had one of these and man I wish I never sold it definitely the most fun car I've owned and was pretty reliable as well.

[@EthanTurner61]

I desperately need you to try out an Astra J VXR!! I know you usually get offered cars rather than hunting specific ones down, but I want to buy an Astra J VXR and I highly value your opinion

[@mikadavies660]

Nice... but £8,000 is really a lot of money when you have the options of other cars and insurance is not a big concern.

[@Stanley88845]

Of course. However I imagine that the Adam S will hold its value brilliantly compared to the competition given its rarity. Even 100k+ mile examples go for above £5,000. I see it as a spend £8,000 now, and get most of your money back when you come to sell it.

[@mikadavies660]

@Stanley88845 Positive way to consider it... for me the wife wants a soft top and I can get an E350 and remap it to 350bhp for £8k... I think the Mrs will win.

[@Stanley88845]

@@mikadavies660 I can imagine that will cost a hell of a lot more to run than the Adam though! Plus even if I wanted an E350, I couldn't ever get one insured hahaha For you though, that definelty sounds like a win win for the both of you! The dream for me is to have a TVR in my garage one day.

[@mikadavies660]

@Stanley88845 I'm with you on the TVR... Mad as a box of frogs! But I would still love one. The Mrs really wants a Lotus... As strange as it seams... I guess the E Class is the middle ground. Not as fun and sexy, but practical & stylish. The 350 is the better one to insure. The E43 / 63 are more fun but not really worth all the extra agro... because it isn't truly a sports car. All the best. 👍

[@neilturner6749]

@@Stanley88845please set your life-goal sights much higher than a TVR, Stanley! They’re Ok as an oddity as part of a large car collection, otherwise ignore!

[@connorsutton]

I don’t think you can call this forgotten. I don’t think people knew about this car tbf

[@ArturKwaszyn]

I knew about the Adam, but never heard about Adam S. Interesting.

[@igormac88]

I really really like the Adam. I guess his problem was being too small and lack of badge history in this particular field.. of course there were VXRs and OPCs, but they were not the best of the bunch, they were just good and expensive when new (indeed hidden gems)

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

I don't know. I think naming a car after an earthquake bomb is pretty cool.

[@klasseact6663]

Atom ⚛️

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

​​​@@klasseact6663Grand Slam was a 10,000 kg earthquake bomb used by the RAF in WW2. It was not an atom bomb.

[@BleskyAStromy]

A grand slam is also a baseball term. It's a way of scoring four points with one swing of the bat, the highest number of runs possible at once.

[@neilturner6749]

I’m pretty sure it was, just like the bomb, named after someone who wins every tournament they enter ie Tennis Grand Slam, Rugby 6 Nations Grand Slam

[@Mouxbar]

Like to see the Barnes Wallis version 🤣

[@milktucker405]

Boot is shallow due to the under car full size spare wheel.. Have two of these with over 300hp in my collection. They are a riot😅😅😅🎉

[@Stanley88845]

I had no idea it has a spare wheel! How do I get to it? And bloody hell, 300hp in one of these must be mental. I saw that blog on the built up 270hp VXR Adam, it looked epic

[@klasseact6663]

James needs to review one of those...NOW (please😇)

[@LeiserSchleicher]

@@Stanley88845 There is a crank (that has also the right size for the wheel bolts) below the trunk floor mat and a hex head spindle which is used to lower the spare wheel beneath the fuel tank.

[@LeiserSchleicher]

Do they still have the B14NEH engine? Jesus 300hp is a lot in this car. I drive a 115hp one which is already pretty fun with it's 6-gear transmission and are thinking about replacing the B10XFT with the B14NEH and give it a little more boost. I think 210hp is the maximum power for the Adam to be legal on german roads without stiffening the chassis.. Anyway pls send videos of your 300hp Adams.

[@Stanley88845]

@@LeiserSchleicher there is a company in Italy called DNA Racing that sells chassis bracing for the Adam as well as other aftermarket suspension linkage. It’s bloody awesome. Baf motorsport also makes a K-Brace for the boot. and yes, they still have that engine.

[@williamforsyth-ye4rc]

I've driven one! It was the best Fiat CC I've ever driven

[@Barbarapape]

I think the name "Adam" must have cost them a lot of sales. As for "Grand Slam" what were they thinking ? Having learned back in the 70's how to drive in a Mini i very quickly took a dislike to small cars, i am on the large side, and with big feet and very limited footwell room trying not to press all three pedals at the same time was a nightmare. So i learned in a Triumph 2000 estate, a propper car! If you are young and of small bulid this type of car is ideal, if you can afford the insurance!

[@JuicingDailyTV]

These look decent tbh, I really miss my old Corsa C 1.8 SRI tbh, going back 11 years though

[@cristiancristi9384]

My first ever car was an old 1-st generation Ford Focus.... It had 1.4 petrol engine with 75 hp 😊.... And at the time I called it a "zippy" car..... This Vauxhall has double the power, double the torque, and half the size.... For sure a "bomb 💣 on wheels" in comparison ... The name has some fairness in it 😆

[@migsteele]

1.4 was the worst engine in the focus

[@redfrederick85]

The engine sounds exactly like the 500 Abarth. Since Opel was in joint venture with Fiat, are we sure that the engine is not the same, but built by Opel? It happened the same with the 1.3 diesel which was a multijet in disguise.

[@Stanley88845]

the engine code for the Adam S is B14NEH. It is a slightly tuned up version of the regular 1.4T engine as found in other models which has the codes A14NET/B14NET

[@redfrederick85]

@@Stanley88845 yes but is it an Opel engine? Mind you that Opel has been owned by GM/Fiat and now by Stellantis/Peugeot, they haven’t developed an engine in a long time. It sounds exactly like an Abarth…

[@Stanley88845]

@@redfrederick85 that is what James said to me when we met up, he said it sounds just like an abarth 595 competizione. No where on wikipedia does the engine code link to any fiat/abarth, so I am genuinely unsure.

[@aljowen]

I couldn't sit in the standard Adam for more than 2 mins without being in pain because of how bad the seats were. I have a fairly flat back and the seats had a huge amount of non adjustable lumbar. I had never considered them beyond that, but I guess the sport one has different seats. So maybe worthy of consideration.

[@Stanley88845]

I don't have a flat back, but do find my back gets quite sore very easily. I find in these Recaro seats, it doesn't start to ache until the 2-3 hour mark.

[@squeakers27]

As than R56 Cooper S owner, I think that it looks pretty good, especially with the spoiler and two tone roof. Assume Stanley is a fairly new driver with those insurance prices, I paid £1500 for a years insurance on my 2012 Cooper S (184hp) and I'm the same age but have 2 years experience plus added my dad + sister as named drivers.

[@Stanley88845]

Yes I am a brand new driver, I got my Adam as soon as I passed my test (December 2023) So it is my first ever car and I have a fresh license.

[@whichwasher2007]

The one thing i don't get is the name. Adam - its a lads name. and it doesn't follow the vauxhall naming philosophy either where all their names end in 'a'.

[@Stanley88845]

It’s the name of the founder of Opel. Mr. Adam Opel

[@Stanley88845]

It’s the name of the founder of Opel. Mr. Adam Opel

[@mbr8308]

Hi man , love the content could touch do a video on the Astra GTC from the same era by any chance

[@ML-ws6ce]

Wasn´t it the first car with a starlight car sky? Such a cool car

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

No, the first car was a Rolls Royce. 😉

[@russlerjones3278]

I always liked these and I’m not a Vauxhall fan, shame they never made a hot version

[@camskye]

Personally, I like the Adam S , wanted 1 (still do tbf) but the lack of boot/rear space put me off so I chose a 2016 mk7.5 fiesta stline as my 2nd car at the time instead

[@werner.x]

They stopped the Fiesta production as well.

[@camskye]

​@werner.x yep I know, I've got a mk8 st since mid 22 and it's a keeper because of that reason

[@WmAHughes]

I always felt that this should have been what the MK2 Ford Ka should have looked like. The exterior shape and proportions looked like a homage to Claude Logo

[@joelbrown2782]

I haven't driven this, but have done its rivals. The 595 is fun, but seems like it might fall apart. The ST is nice, has a good gearbox as well. I like the Fiesta. I have also driven a 695 biposto. Which is mainly a road legal track car. To be honest, they are quite expensive and only have one purpose. I drove it on road and liked it, but it would break your back over every bump. Not recommended as a daily for sure.

[@Stanley88845]

If you liked the 595/695 you’d like this too. James said himself that he prefers the Adam S over the Abarth’s 😄

[@joelbrown2782]

@Stanley88845 they are okay, I will drive an Adam S eventually. I think it will be a fun car to drive.

[@Stanley88845]

@@joelbrown2782 it’s a right bucket of fun given what it is. It definitely helps it’s got heritage from its R2/Cup versions of the car.

[@BeEzZZzZ1991]

Hi! Thank you for the video but why so little about suzuki? ;) there is a really good car suzuki ignis manual hybrid with all wheel drive. Would be nice to listen what you could tell about it, thank you in advance! 😉

[@chalupamatej]

Sounds surprisingly good to be honest

[@andyhowlett2231]

It wasn't really a flop. It was regarded by Opel as a 'limited edition luxury hatch' and (IIRC) was intended to sell only 750 in the UK.

[@Stanley88845]

It was meant to be 750 a year, not 750 in total. They ended up selling more like 200 a year

[@chrisadams4319]

What's the mods in this car? The exhaust sounds great 👌👌👌 even the engine sounds very diffent from my corsa 1.4 t unit

[@Stanley88845]

It’s just a centre resonator delete. I had it done at Rich’s Fabrication Shop

[@asandedidiza5679]

@@Stanley88845 , tuning required?

[@Stanley88845]

@@asandedidiza5679 nope it doesn’t effect the performance or airflow of the exhaust at all, just the noise.

[@ExAnimoPortugal]

A young woman I work with owns one in an orangy yellow color. Very interesting combo.

[@bebetrixxx]

I always thought that the Vauxhall Adam looked like what the 3rd gen Ford Ka should’ve looked like

[@jameshunterford4099]

I thought this would be more comparable to an Up or something considering how small it is. I would’ve thought a Corsa was more comparable to Fiestas and Minis 🤔

[@Stanley88845]

It makes 50hp more than the up gti whilst weighing about the same, it’s a class above I’d say

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

@@Stanley88845 UP GTI has 115 HP and his weight is about 100 kilos lighter.

[@Stanley88845]

@@melaniezimmermann-jv7th ah I thought it had 100hp. It’s still around 1-2 seconds slower than 60 though isn’t it?

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

@@Stanley88845 UP GTI IS about 9.0 to 60.

[@Stanley88845]

@@melaniezimmermann-jv7th so about a second slower than the Adam then. In external tests the Adam gets to 60 in about 8 seconds rather than Vauxhall’s quoted 8.5

[@brunocelas9751]

Stoooopppp you are going to raise its prices, i want one 😭

[@alexc2505]

Found loads less than £8000, one local to me £7499 , 32'000 miles !

[@Stanley88845]

That’s a really good deal

[@lanmastersassistant659]

Good video james. I enjoyed it

[@Swat_Dennis]

I’m an opel tech. These are nippy but… for a guy who’s 185 cm long… It’s cramped and there are a lot, LOT of cars from opel at the time that drove a whole lot better.

[@Stanley88845]

I’m about 175cm with very long legs. I find it spacious enough but I could understand how it could be a struggle for someone your size

[@georgetaper]

Coincidentally, I’ve been looking at these as a cheap, fun runabout.

[@Unwoken_European]

Why Opel had to rebrand in UK and USA? They have a nice short name.

[@murrieteacher]

Didn't make it to Oz Jay. Looks like a good car though.

[@McGrory_The_Second]

My girlfriend bought an Adam S 2 years ago for £8000 with 45k miles... within the first 9 months it cost us £4000 in repairs after the thermostat failed, cooked the head, valve seats, crack the turbo/exhaust manifold (the turbo is one piece with the exhaust manifold for no reason at all), then the top mounts and front shocks went along with lower ball joints due to the suspension being so stiff with tiny rubber band tyres. Fun to drive around town but useless on the motorway due to the short ratio gear box, 70MPH in 6th is about 3.5k RPM in a car with very little sound deadening and a 4 cylinder so not even remotely smooth

[@Stanley88845]

The example in this video has over 70k miles and has been pretty reliable to me so far in my ownership. On the motorway at 70 it is sitting just below 3k rpm thanks to the 6th ratio.

[@McGrory_The_Second]

@Stanley88845 interesting, I wonder if they changed the ratios or something, hers is a 2016 with the track pack. It's a fun car to drive but with a bill like that I quickly lost all interest in it unfortunately. She still loves it and wants to keep it and run it into the ground until she is forced to scrap it. Think it's on around 65k miles now and not had any issues since the full over haul last year. Hope the best for yours buddy 😁

[@Stanley88845]

@@McGrory_The_Second track pack? I didn’t know they did that?

[@elliotroles7502]

I bought one very recently and its been horrific. I love the way it looks and how it drives and is a good condition car however the car is just issue after issue. Cooked itself on saturday after the thermostat got stuck and killed the fuel pump. It's had a reconditioned abs pump and new abs sensors yet an abs issue still persists. I want to love it, but by far the worst car ive ever bought and its the newest and most sensible.

[@Stanley88845]

@@elliotroles7502 surprising that. Mines now at nearly 74k miles and has only had the extremely common coolant housing failure. Other than that, it’s been perfect.

[@LuMnOsITi]

I'll tell you why it flopped, I didn't even know this car existed. The only adverts I see are for Grammarly.

[@Stanley88845]

Advertising for the S was awful. Not one mention of its great success in its rally and racing series.

[@superseven7947]

That 'Pram' roof looks weird

[@alex_and_er_g]

Describing the decision and car shopping processes mid-video made me giggle at the idea there was a quirky automotive side quest in the video game The Stanley Parable.

[@Stanley88845]

That’s brilliant 🤣

[@OrlandoMGarcia]

I would love this on the 500 platform, would be cool from a competitor to a brother

[@haydeneasy5915]

My mrs has had one of these for 5 years never been any trouble at all . They are cool with every option ticked like hers with the spoiler the seats and all the heated goodies that go with it . Also pretty nippy keeps up and feels safer than the abarth her sister drives . Personally i dont even mind it , im 6ft3 and dont struggle to fit in it and have become quite fond of driving it . Hers it just on 50k miles and i reckon itll be good for another 100k with how its been . In short id reccomend one over its competitors . If and when it does go i think ill be sad about it , part of the family is her adam ✌️

[@realnutteruk1]

It's kind of a Vauxhall Ka, isn't it! It's a shame they didn't do a VXR, in the same way it's a shame Ford never made a Ka Si!

[@stephaniedale8302]

The corsa GTE with the same engine is a better popular choice. Probably just as rare too. Great roll out model. Brilliant video as always 👏 👍😊

[@scott8919]

Until I realized who it was named after, I always thought they just gave it a placeholder name and forgot to change it. 😅

[@theroadblog2858]

It is a cool little car. Would love to own one!

[@elemar5]

Grand slam isn't atrocious if you play tennis.

[@john1703]

Or bridge.

[@nathant8951]

Or watch F1. Genuinely hadn't thought it any other way

[@atticstattic]

...or baseball

[@BobGeogeo]

Or villain's master plan in the Goldfinger movie.

[@atticstattic]

@@BobGeogeo Nice one!

[@Janshevik]

Cool cars for young people is also my favourite feature

[@RikAindow]

These are great looking cars but to me, I always thought the 500 and the Adam were rather expensive for such small cars, same with the DS3, although that was slightly larger. I didn't even know they made a sporty version and seeing it in this video, it sounds great! Sadly, I think Stellantis means that fun cars like this will never happen again from Vauxhall or Opel as cost cutting and badge engineering takes hold. For example, the heated steering wheel switch is on the left hand side of the dashboard, when the steering wheel is on the right in the UK. Your comments about parts availability for these has been echoed in the Jeep and Chrysler communities I'm in. Stellantis have no interest in making parts of the cars which pre-date the mega merger. I know they couldn't wait to dump the Corsa D (or was it E) quickly enough because apparently they had to pay licencing rights to GM..

[@Stanley88845]

I think the fact they are expensive can be offset by the fact they will hold their value wonderfully, there is an Adam S on autotrader right now with 125,000 miles on it that is still selling for over £5000. And yes, the fact that Vauxhall/Opel are not doing fun cars anymore is a real shame, I mean look at the new corsa. They haven't even bothered with an S version of it let alone a VXR model. Yet they still use it in rally racing? In terms of spare parts, the regular Adam models are pretty decent due to the fact they widely share so many bits with so many cars. However, as stated in the video, the S had many bespoke parts for it. Off the top of my head, this includes: "vxr" body kit, S badging on the sides, S style dials, S dash faceplate, mesh/leather recaro rear seats, (yes they did a separate rear seat design for the optional recaro seats) S key fob and rear wing. Mon of these parts are easy to find brand new or second hand, and when it can be found direct from Vauxhall/Opel it is horribly expensive.