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Vauxhall

Frontera World Challenge, 1997

Image copyright © BMIHT
Make
Vauxhall
Manufacturer
Vauxhall Motors
Location Made
Luton
Accession Number
L2021:141
Collection
Vauxhall Heritage Collection
Type
Car
Status
On loan from a private collection
Engine
4 cyl, 2198 cc, 134 bhp
Fuel
Petrol
Top Speed
100 mph (160 km/h)
Body Style
Utility
Price When New
not quoted
Materials
metal, rubber glass, textiles
Dimensions
4692mm (l), 1764mm (w), 1753mm (h)
Location
Not on Display

First introduced in 1991, the Frontera was Vauxhall’s offering for the all-terrain market. Produced at the Luton plant, this SUV was a rebadged Isuzu MU and formed part of a joint venture between General Motors and Isuzu. The resulting company of this partnership was named IBC Vehicles (Isuzu Bedford Company).

The hope for the Frontera was that the surging popularity at the time for Japanese imported vehicles would rub off on the project – it paid off, with the Frontera jumping into second place in the off-road sales charts behind Land Rover. With selectable four-wheel drive and a robust box-section ladder chassis, it was a solid off-roader, even if the dashboard switchgear and interior materials met with some criticism. In 1998 the car was remodelled, with brand new body panels and a completely revised interior. The last Frontera rolled off the line in 2004.

Driven by Graham McGaw, Colin Bryant and Garry Sowerby, this car set a new Guiness world record for driving around the world when it arrived in Greenwich at 10.32am on 11 December 1997 after globetrotting for twenty-one days, two hours and fourteen minutes. The car still has the evidence of its 18,344-mile trip with the interior and the exterior dents and scrapes left as found.