The Vauxhall Corsa. It debuted in the UK way back in 1993 and immediately picked up where the Nova left off and offered everything from cheap, frugal motoring to pocket sized fun in GSi guise and like it’s predecessor, we weren’t slow to realise its tuning potential and over the years if it can be done, it probably has been done and still is being done.

In 1999 the Corsa C arrived and changed the way we modified our cars, wedging in 2.0 16v engines and relieving ill fated Cavalier of their brakes and 15” alloys started to fade out. By the time the Corsa D had morphed in to the Corsa E in 2014, engine swaps and raiding the breaker yards for bits was all but over, although Vauxhall had been good enough to give us the VXR with its turbocharged engine, 17” alloys and Recaro seats. “It’s the Novas spiritual successor” some cried, but was it, really?

Whilst all of this was going on and Vauxhall were putting millions of Corsa Limited Editions out the door, in the background, largely ignored by many there was another small hot hatch bearing the Vauxhall badge which you could argue is the true spiritual successor. That car was the Vauxhall Adam and specifically, the Adam S. Based on a shortened Corsa floor pan, it had the 1.4 turbo with 150bhp, a mildly tweaked suspension setup, subtle bodykit and up front, 257mm brakes… not taken from a Cavalier. 

On paper then, it was starting to read a bit like a Nova or a Corsa of old with a Redtop conversion or maybe an 1.6 16v with some breathing mods and on the road, it was remarkably good and it had potential for modifying but for some reason, it just never seemed to win that many people over and always remained a rather rare sight on our roads. But, some people did see potential and have gone on to transform an Adam into something altogether rather special.

One such man is 38 year old Danny Barnett from Wakefield. Danny, being no stranger to all things Vauxhall and all things modified bought his Adam S back in 2017 through a local dealership. “I wasn’t actually looking to buy one” he laughs “I was looking for an Insignia estate.” Makes absolute sense really. “I was pretty familiar with the Adam but hadn’t really had much experience with the S but it was sat there and it just appealed, it was different and that was that really!.” Test drive completed, ink still drying and Danny was en route home with both the Adam and grand plans. 

“My initial plan was to go down the track day / stripped out route” Danny ponders “I’d fitted a set of coilovers soon after buying the car and had some work done to the engine.”

 The engine, the tried and tested 1.4 16v turbo mildly modified with an Airtec front mounted intercooler, induction kit and a stainless exhaust which thanks to the Adams rarity, had to be custom fabricated which would become a common theme in the cars build. Once remapped, the car was producing 185bhp and weighing in at a little over a ton, after the back seats were lobbed in the bin, made for a pretty quick point to point little car.

It was around that point that Danny decided to change direction and, having looked into the now empty space behind the Recaro seats, went full Max Power circa 1999 and decided to go for a full boot install. “Ha, I love my tunes” he laughs, though evidently loves his tunes with some added extra bass as two, 15” Edge subwoofers now sit in a custom made enclosure which at full tilt, definitely test the Adams fit and finish to breaking point. To bring some balance to the equation, custom built door pods courtesy of Brett at Sideline Audio now house a pair of 8” mids and some high end Cerwin Vega tweeters. Car now weighs in at quite a bit more than a ton. 

Sporting several thousand watts of audio, it’s fair to say the track car ship had sailed and the coilovers were now no longer really fit for purpose. They were removed, put in the ever growing pile of redundant bits and replaced with a Intermotiv Stealth air ride setup which is actually intended for a Corsa by Danny advises with some minor fettling, it went on fine and drives very well but with the added party piece of being able to sit its sump on the ground.

This is all infinitely controlled by Airlift 3P management which for those of you who are still mourning the demise of the compact disc, will be deemed some sort of voodoo magic and witchcraft but rest assured, it’s all very very impressive stuff and most definitely not “broken”. Air kits have come a long way since the early days of questionable installs and burst bags on the back of your Dad’s old Range Rover and a quick run round the block confirms, this Adam handles and rides uncannily well. With the car now sporting an eclectic blend of old school builds in the form of the install and the latest technology in the form of the air ride kit, a few visual touches inside finished that side of the build and left Danny facing what was arguably, the biggest challenge… the exterior.

Whilst most other small Vauxhall’s are well catered for as far as styling goes, the Adam well, isn’t. With next to nothing available off the shelf and the S model only getting the most subtle of factory tweeks, aside for a choice of about 60,000 colour, trim and wheel combinations the options were pretty limited if you wanted to change the look of your Adam.

Not one to be deterred, self taught Danny, who clearly has a Blue Peter badge for making stuff, disappeared into the shed and emerged with a bespoke front splitter and side skirt extensions and crafted a de-badged grill whilst he was at it. The final piece of the puzzle was a set of 18” Rotiform LAS-R alloys and with that, it was deemed finished. For now at least. 

Would Danny have done anything different, does he regret not buying the Insignia estate?

“No, not at all!” he laughs “It’s pretty much exactly how I wanted the car to be - it’s got the install, it’s pretty quick and it handles well so it’s great fun to drive and when I do shows with it, I can drop it down and it looks great.”

And who are we to argue with that? For daring to be different and building one of the best examples of one of the rarest Vauxhalls of modern times, Danny can rightly stand back and be proud of his achievement. 

Words Courtesy Of Dave McKechnie

Photographs Courtesy Of Ade Brannan