Vauxhall is marking 25 years of the top-selling Corsa range by revealing the highly appointed, limited edition Corsa Griffin.

The new Corsa Griffin will be priced from £11,695 on-the-road and features exceptional levels of equipment. As standard, it features 16-inch gloss black alloy wheels complemented by a black roof, door mirrors and front grille logo bar, matching the dark tinted rear windows.

All Corsa Griffin models are fitted with a set of unique ‘Griffin’ badges on the front wings of the car and a set of ‘Griffin’ branded floor mats for the driver and front passenger. Extra features as standard include satellite navigation, front fog lights, air conditioning, heated front seats, leather-trimmed and heated steering wheel, automatic lights and wipers and an automatic anti-dazzle rear view mirror. The exterior colour of the Corsa Griffin is also customisable.

Customers can select any of four Corsa Griffin models, either in three or five door body style, with a 1.4-litre petrol engine rated at 75PS or 90PS. The Euro 6.2-compliant petrol engine can achieve up to 49.6mpg and CO₂ emissions as low as 130g/km.

The Vauxhall name and its Griffin logo both have a fascinating history. The 12^th Century Plantagenet mercenary, Fulk le Breant, was granted lands by King John and it was his property that became known as Fulk’s Hall, then corrupted into Fawkes Hall, later Foxhall and ultimately Vauxhall where the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were opened in 1661.

In 1857 Alexander Wilson set up a business making marine engines, the Vauxhall Iron Works, named after its location near the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and in 1903 it began manufacturing cars before Vauxhall Motors relocated to Luton in Bedfordshire in 1905.

Vauxhall adopted the Griffin as its logo in 1915. The Chief Engineer and Designer, Laurence H Pomeroy, offered the prize of two guineas for the design of a new symbol. The brief was for a heraldic design and the prize was won by a young apprentice called Harry Varley who proposed the image of a griffin, a mythical creature depicted on the coat of arms of Fulk le Breant, driving a “V” flag into the ground.

Once the Griffin had been selected, the logo itself proceeded to evolve over the years, with the design becoming progressively simpler and more graphic.