At the 1973 Motor Show, the Vauxhall stand featured a radical re-style on the Firenza coupe, the High-Performance Firenza featured a tuned engine, five-speed gearbox and an aerodynamic front end with glass-covered Cibie headlamps. Although the visual changes were quite limited in number, they had a major effect in changing the look of the vehicle, a look which was to remain in other Vauxhall products for years to come. The HP Firenza became known as the “Droopsnoot Firenza” because of the way the front end sloped to a point.
But the HP Firenza was not just a styling exercise – far from it. The engine was modified to feature a competition cylinder head and camshaft, the exhaust system featured a tubular manifold to help the new head “breathe” properly, the suspension was modified and the front brake discs enlarged. The gearbox was replaced with a five-speed unit manufactured by ZF in Germany, which had an unusual gear pattern where first was to the left and the rear of the car.
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