VAUXHALL's Firenza started out life in 1971 as a neat little coupe version of the popular Viva model.

It was not bad looking and found a healthy number of friends in the Vauxhall camp but it was hardly going to make a dent in the Ford Capri's raceway sales successes, so Vauxhall put on its thinking cap over how to give the range a powerful boost.

Initially the Firenza was available in a base model of 1,159cc and larger capacity enginses came on line later.

The top-of-the-line 2300 Sport SL model with its big torque curve went a long way to answer this need but it was not quite enough.

So in 1973 Vauxhall developed a radically different version known officially as the High Performance (HP) Firenza which became colloquially known as the ‘droop-snoot' because of its sloping front end.

This dramatically styled aerodynamic nose, moulded from GRP featured two pairs of Cibié headlamps behind toughened covers.

Many have likened its appearance to the Renault Alpine 310 and like this car the droop-snoot could deliver the power.

The engine was the 2.3-litre variant of the OHC slanted four-cylinderengine, uprated to an impressive 131bhp and featuring a very useful torque factor.

A maximum speed of 120mph was on tap with a razor-sharp 0-60mph sprint of eight seconds. Economy was not a forte at 25mpg.

Utilising a variety of parts developed by BlydensteinRacing, it had twin 175 Stromberg carburettors, a high-lift camshaft and a free-flow, tubular exhaust manifold.

American designer Wayne Cherry improved the original design giving the car an exceptionally low drag coefficientfor its era.

Another unusual and unique feature of the car was the use of Avon alloy safety wheels.

These were designed to retain the tyre safely in the event of a puncture. This was the first car to use these wheels in production.

All were painted silver and the exclusivity of the car played a part in it being hailed a design triumph.

As an image leader for Vauxhall it was exceptional but not such as a sales success. It was launched in the midst of a fuel crisis and just 204 examples were built. This was far short of the 30,000 projected sales.

But this rarity value has meant that the droop-snoot has become a treasured collectors' car.

Its look started off a fashion trend in automotive circles with Vauxhall Chevette, Carlton and early Cavaliers dropping their snoots in tribute. Even the Ford Sierra adopted the look.