Start with what the Vauxhall Equus is: a 2-door convertible with 2.3 L (2,279 cc) OHC Vauxhall I4, built from 1978, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Wayne Cherry (design director).
The story
The Vauxhall Equus was a two-door concept car first presented by Vauxhall in spring, 1978. The word equus is Latin for horse. It was the last concept car from Vauxhall for 25 years until August 2003, when the VX Lightning was unveiled at the 2004 Sunday Times Motorshow as part of the centrepiece to the company's centenary celebrations.
What is underneath
The engine is 2.3 L (2,279 cc) OHC Vauxhall I4. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Toyota Supra, the GM (General Motors) Saab 900, the Mazda RX-7. Nearby in the Vauxhall catalogue sit the Vauxhall 10-4 and the Vauxhall 30/98.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Vauxhall Equus has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.