Step into the 1994 automotive market for a Freedom Day nostalgia trip

South African Freedom Day, celebrated on the 27th of April each year since 1994, honours the anniversary of our country’s first true democratic elections. While it would be difficult to single out one car to summarise such a momentous day, we decided to step into the past and look at what cars were hot in the same year instead. 

The Kadett/Astra F range which included a hatchback, sedan and wagon.

This was a vastly different era; true democracy loomed for millions of South Africans for the first time, Gen Z’s weren’t yet a thing, cell phones were in their infancy and limited to a few businessmen and cars were arguably in a golden age where technology was advanced enough to produce marvels yet driving was still analog and engaging. 

This is immediately evident when looking at the 1994 Car of the Year as voted by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists; the Opel Kadett 140. Other international markets had already adopted the Astra nameplate for the German hatchback but the local branch insisted on retaining Kadett after the revered success the Superboss inspired from the generation before.

While the Kadett name fell away shortly thereafter in 1999, the Kadett/Astra F (T92) left quite the impression on South Africans by winning the award with the 140 model which can occasionally be seen on the roads today. The few that do still perform their intended duties will likely show their 28 years of wear and tear. The model itself included a 1.4-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder motor that was good for 44 kW and 103 N.m. 

The Opel Kadett/Astra F facelift of 1994.

Delve into our archives with the more potent Opel Kadett 200 ts here. 

The now Stellantis-absorbed automaker won the lucrative title once again in 2017 with the Kadett 140 successor; the Astra K. Although we are sure the Kadett 140 selling price, according to our archives of that year, of R44 157 is something new car buyers will never see again. 

A visual history of the Opel Kompaktklasse which the Kadett and modern day Astra fall into.

This asking price is considerably less than the potent-for-the-time Volkswagen “Voora” VR6 which demanded buyers to part with just over R110 000. While the price was about three times as much as Opel’s Car of the Year, so was its power output with an impressive 128 kW from the clever six-cylinder motor that only employs one cylinder head. 

The Volkswagen Golf Mk3 which included the famed VR6 derivative.

While Freedom Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the past with local icons that paved the way for democracy, so too are both of these hatchbacks, each iconic in their own right.

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