Erik van Dijk ‘unpaupered’ Opel Astra GSi and now has a beautiful copy

It was the tragic fate of many ’90s hot hatches. As resale values ​​fell, they came within reach of youngsters with fresh drivers’ licenses who, filled to the brim with testosterone, wanted only two things: to go hard and to be tough . Going fast was well spent on those hot hatches, but the toughness sometimes left something to be desired. That is to say, the businessman who spent 40,000 guilders on a new hot hatch could appreciate a little modesty in his car, unlike the youngsters who bought such a car a decade or so later. They all managed to find their way to the auto parts store that sold spoilers, skirts and thick exhausts for little. One hot hatch became even more grotesque than the next, and often you could hear them coming from miles away. That bragging did not always end well. No engine likes to be driven to full throttle from the first minute, so many hot hatches ended up smoking on the emergency lane, bathed in a puddle of oil. The specimens with less luck often ended up in a total loss against a tree.

Kadett GSi even more popular than Astra GSi

The foundations for all that violence were laid in 1976, when Volkswagen decided the world needed a fast version of its newest all-time friend, the Golf. The world itself did not know that it had the need, but it was not long before the Golf GTI was no longer available. Other brands had no choice; they also had to adapt to the fast hatchback. Slowly but surely, a whole line of legends was born. In random order, Ford came up with the Fiesta XR2 and the Escort XR3, Renault with the 5 Alpine and later the 5 Turbo, Peugeot came up with the 205 GTI, followed by the 309 GTI, Citroën came with the AX GTi, Fiat equipped his Uno with a Turbo and Opel, Volkswagen’s biggest competitor, was of course not missing from the party. The Kadett GSi became almost as iconic as the Golf GTI, if only because of its fantastic digital dashboard. Monitoring such a car is a difficult job, especially if the accountants decide that an analogue dashboard is also good enough. The Astra GSi would not become as popular as its predecessor, but it has nevertheless become a fun and coveted youngtimer. The problem for the enthusiast is only: where can you find an unspoiled Astra GSi?

Here are the Borbet wheels, the wrong exhaust and the M3 mirrors still on the Opel Astra GSi.

Obviously rotten screens

One of the people who puzzled over that problem is 27-year-old Erik van Dijk. “I’ve always found the Astra GSi to be a fantastic car,” he says. “When I was little, my neighbor had one and it has always stuck with me. My mother also had an Astra, but it was an ordinary one. You hardly ever see them anymore.” Erik grew up and started a career in the automotive world. As the owner of a car company, he comes across the most beautiful things. The Astra GSi that a colleague offered him sometime in 2020 certainly didn’t deserve the qualification ‘nice’, but Erik’s interest was still aroused – he clearly hadn’t forgotten his former neighbor. Erik sighs a little at the memory: “It was an old box with rotten screens, which was supposed to be scrapped. Lowered, with a big exhaust, those Borbet wheels and M3 mirrors on it. It was lower at the front than at the back, you couldn’t cross a threshold with it. It was bad, really bad. Still, I immersed myself in the car. Then it turned out that it belonged to the second owner and had run 170,000 kilometers, with a correct NAP. Moreover, it was a 1.8 16V, which is a fairly rare version of the GSi, which was only made for a short time. When I saw that, I thought: damn it, I’m going to get him!”

The weak point of this generation of Opel Astra, rotten screens. So that was also addressed.

The Opel Astra GSi 16V. It initially stood only for the 150 hp 2.0 16V, when the 2.0 8V with 115 hp was released, a GSi 16V with 1.8 sixteen valve was also added, good for 125 hp.

GSi parts hard to find

Erik did that with only one noble goal: to restore the Astra to its former glory. “De-paupering”, he calls it himself. He didn’t know at the time how much perseverance that would require, and maybe that’s a good thing. Certain parts of the GSi correspond to those of the normal Astra F, but not everything, as Erik discovered. Renewing the rear screens was still possible, and that was badly needed. When they had to be sprayed, the grille could be taken immediately. But where can you still find good mirrors? Or a parcel shelf without holes? And original GSi wheels, where on earth are you supposed to find them? It took Erik on a tour of Polish dealers in Brabant, scrap Astras of all shapes and sizes and even a former rally driver in Belgium. Miraculously, he found almost all the parts he was looking for and saw his GSi becoming more and more original and, as far as he was concerned, also becoming more and more beautiful.

Beating position, with NAP.

Also a Calibra next to it

After a year of intensive searching and hard work, the GSi is back as the factory in Rüsselsheim intended it to be. In the meantime, Erik continues to work on the last dots, which have to be done at all costs. He is still looking for an original radio, and because the headliner has come loose, it should also be renewed. He did find the original brochure of the Astra GSi in the meantime, which he keeps with the car as a valuable gem. The ultimate goal is to make beautiful road trips with the Astra, but sometimes something comes in between. A beautiful Calibra, with only 160,000 on the clock, for example. It is now brotherly next to the Astra, but Erik does not have time to dot the i’s there yet. “A collection of fun, original young timers, that also sounds like something to me,” says Erik. “A nice Golf GTI and an Escort RS2000, I like that.”

Picture of a Calibra next to it!

The Opel Astra GSi donor car. These wheels have been refurbished and went under Erik’s and of course many more parts.

Peers call it old pear box

Even without that entire collection, there is plenty to enjoy, Erik thinks. He still thinks the Astra GSi is just as beautiful as before: “Those looks! It is a beautiful car to see! And it easily reaches 200, while you only have 125 hp under the hood. I like that, but I’m not alone. Along the way I get thumbs up everywhere and people wave after me. What strikes me is that they are always older people, never people my own age. I have friends from the IVA, they are enthusiasts and they like my Astra, but most people my age want a Golf VI GTI, not such an old pear box as my Astra. They don’t know what they’re missing.”