Small coupé supremacy might have belonged to the Vauxhall Tigra if it hadn’t been for that meddling Ford Puma. To be fair, you don’t need to take a ride in The Mystery Machine to understand why the Puma succeeded where the Tigra failed. Bosses at Vauxhall didn’t have a ‘Scooby Doo’ what to do when Ford’s pert and pretty coupé rolled into town in a blaze of Steve McQueen glory. A little help from Lotus in 1997 made only a whisker of difference to the Tigra’s ride and handling; the Puma would remain top cat.
The Ford Puma’s future classic status is secured. Widely acknowledged as one of the best handling front-wheel drive cars of all time, the Puma was also blessed with a 1.7-litre engine co-developed with Yamaha, the presence of a halo model in the Racing Puma, and one of the most memorable television ads of all time. The Tigra should be sharpening its claws before digging a tunnel in which to make its great escape. When it comes to small coupés, there’s nothing cooler than a Puma.
But what if we sent away the Puma and viewed the Tigra in isolation? Does it stack up as a convincing coupé of the 1990s? Very much so, but we’re left with an overwhelming sense of what might have been. Kudos to Opel/Vauxhall for pressing ahead with production following a positive response to the 1993 concept, but it’s a shame the roadster variant never saw the light of day. Looking even prettier than the coupé, there were rumours that the soft-top Tigra would arrive in 1995. There was even talk of the Tigra being sold in America as a Pontiac, with the roadster likely to be a replacement for the Geo Metro. Neither the roadster nor the proposed Tigra V6 made it beyond the concept stage, so we’re left wondering what effect a ragtop or V6 engine would have had on the chassis of a Corsa B.
CAR called the Tigra ‘a design classic from day one’, arguing that it would ‘make you reassess how often you need the rear seats and big-booted versatility of a regular hatchback’. Admiring the beauty of the curved B-pillar would take your mind off the cramp and pins and needles you’d experience when forced to sit in the ‘cosy’ confines of the rear seating area. Steve McQueen would have been through the ski hatch and across the border into Switzerland before sunrise.
The crystal ball at CAR was in full working order when, in 1993, it said: ‘given poor dynamic qualities of Corsa hatch, it will be a surprise if this pair don’t look better than they drive’. Vauxhall’s claim that the Tigra was ‘the most fun you can have with your clothes on’ was hideously wide of the mark, but the coupé would have looked dapper parked outside New Look when you were in store shopping for new clobber. It’s just a shame we were robbed of the opportunity to go topless.
The Vauxhall Tigra enjoyed a short time in the sun before the Puma loomed into view like a nimbostratus at a barbecue. Faced with a right hook from McQueen and a kidney punch from Richard Parry-Jones, the Tigra slumped to the floor and into terminal decline. The once fashionable Vauxhall’s fall from grace was swift and sudden, with the arrival of the BMW Mini sealing its fate. It might not be a classic (yet), but the Tigra has had the last laugh. While the Tigra badge was dusted off for use on another Corsa-based creation, this time with an electric folding roof, the Puma name has been used to adorn a small crossover. McQueen couldn’t make the jump, but the Tigra pulled off The Great Escape.
This article first appeared in issue 3 of Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine.
