The latest version of the Corsa Griffin will be list-priced from just £11,695 on-the-road for the 72bhp model (an extra £245 for the 87bhp alternative) and features an outstanding level of standard equipment. Checking the list, the car features 16.0-inch gloss black alloy wheels, complemented by a black roof, door mirrors and front radiator grille, which match the privacy-glazed rear windows.
All Corsa Griffin models are provided with a set of unique ‘Griffin’ badges on the front wings of the car and a set of high-quality, ‘Griffin’ branded floor mats for the driver and front passenger. Extra equipment includes satellite navigation, front fog lights, air conditioning, heated front seats, leather-trimmed and heated steering wheel, automatic-on lights and wipers and an automatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror. Different exterior colour choices are also available for the Corsa Griffin.
Customers can select any of four Corsa Griffin models, either in three, or five door forms, powered by two tunes of the 1.4-litre petrol engine rated as above. The Euro 6.2-compliant petrol unit can achieve up to 49.6mpg, with CO2 emissions pegged at 130g/km for an annual road tax bill of £140.
Of course, the Vauxhall name and its Griffin logo both have a fascinating history. The 12th Century Plantagenet mercenary, Fulk le Breant, was granted lands by King John and it was his property that became known as Fulk's Hall, then corrupted into Fawkes Hall, later Foxhall and ultimately Vauxhall, where the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were opened in London, in 1661.
In 1857, Alexander Wilson set up a business making marine engines, the Vauxhall Iron Works, named after its location near the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens on Thames-side and, in 1903, it began manufacturing motorcars before Vauxhall Motors was relocated to Luton in Bedfordshire two years later.
Vauxhall adopted the Griffin as its logo in 1915. The Chief Engineer and Designer, Laurence H Pomeroy, offered the prize of two guineas for the design of a new symbol. The brief was for a heraldic design and the prize was won by a young apprentice called Harry Varley, who proposed the image of a griffin, a mythical creature depicted on the coat of arms of Fulk le Breant, driving a ‘V’ flag into the ground. Once the Griffin had been selected, the logo itself started to evolve over the years, with the design becoming progressively rounder and more graphic.
Of course, by next summer, Vauxhall Motors, now part of the French PSA Groupe, will close the doors at its former 1960s-built headquarters in Luton. A much-reduced office-based workforce will be rehoused in a nearby location, until PSA decides what to do them. Luton, at one time home to the hat trade, has been home to Vauxhall for more than 100 years, so it is quite sad to watch it being slowly (but surely) dismantled.
In the meantime, thanks to a long and worthwhile specification, buyers can have access to their own little slice of Vauxhall ‘real estate’, in the form of a Corsa Griffin. Were you to order a 1.4-litre Corsa and then specify all of the items included in the Griffin package, it could cost £2,000 more than its stated list price and, naturally, Forces Cars Direct will endeavour to obtain an even better price for its customers.
