Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Riley Blue · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1750 Location: Derbyshire

I just spent a very enjoyable weekend watching the activity from the Goodwood Festival of Speed on YouTube. Of all the vintage and classic cars to take part, only one failed to reach the top of the hill, not once but twice, a Vauxhall - doesn't reflect well on the marque, does it?
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David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

old iron · Joined: 22 Mar 2016 Posts: 185

MikeEdwards · Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2470 Location: South Cheshire

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby

Riley Blue · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1750 Location: Derbyshire

Rootes75 · Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 8:38 am Post subject:

We went to a show at the weekend and there was a lovely 50's Vauxhall Cresta, nice to see them as they are unusual to see these days. It had a lot of interest.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22446 Location: UK

Apart from a brief encounter with a tatty Carlton estate years ago (one that I planned to re-engine, but in the end sent to the scrapyard), and rescuing a 1934 ASY (in a swap for my Saab van), I've not owned a Vauxhall, but I'd quite happily own a vintage example (£££££££££££), while the E-Series of the 1950s also appeals.

Coincidental to this thread, a two-tone F-Type Victor (Phase 2) was spotted in town yesterday evening.

RJ
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Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby

JohnDale · Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:54 am Post subject:

I was an apprentice when the F range of Vauxhalls appeared as the Victor. I remember the exhaust exit was THROUGH the back bumper which didn't help the bean cans rusting. The dealership manager's company car at that time was an (LIP) L model with a 6 cylinder engine which put the new cars to shame. The E models were also rusty but not as bad with the (EIPC) Cresta a fine car to drive. The previous(to the L model) cars, H & J ranges stood the ravages of time much better, & the older(proper Vauxhalls) even more so. An EIX Wyvern (with the side opening bonnet) is often seen at the shows here & is in splendid order, but who knows how much work it has taken to get to that. Cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

old iron · Joined: 22 Mar 2016 Posts: 185

Keith D · Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:56 pm Post subject:

I don't think the quality of the mechanical engineering side of GM Vauxhalls was ever in question. IMHO General Motors engines have always been superb, It was the bodies that were disastrous!

Like Ray, I loved the look of the fifties Victors; believe me, in their day the styling was truly American space-age and put many other car offerings in the shade.

There is a very well established, large Vauxhall Club in Western Australia and their cars are a credit to them. Many Vauxhalls, especially post-war tourer models were built by Holden in Australia.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
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Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby

Coming from a rather modest background, the idea of buying a new car was something, as a family, we would never have contemplated so when our fortunes changed with an inheritance it was a very exciting time. I can't seem to post the photo on here but if you go to Wikipedia there is a beautifully restored early F type Victor. It is in pale blue and looks identical to the one we had back in 1960. Fabulous. The early version featured many styling clues from the '57 Chevrolet Bel Air but we were unaware of that at the time.

It is hard to imagine the impact these Vauxhalls had because if you look at a new car in a showroom these days you are unlikely to say "WOW" !

falconriley · Joined: 06 Mar 2013 Posts: 15 Location: Brisbane, Australia

Part of the reason Veteran Vauxhalls are so thin on the ground is that I don't believe there were many A-type cars built before the war, and while there were certainly many D-type cars produced during the war they, like Sunbeam, were used as staff cars. I expect that by the end of the war the cars just weren't worth repatriating as there are very few of either make surviving from that period. Production was slow to begin again for cars after the war, plus there was an export market amongst the colonies.
There are many 14/40, 23/60 and 30/98 cars from the vintage years surviving.
Matthew

poodge · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 687

The last Vauxhalls sold in new zealand were the FD series,and there is an original 2 litre FD running around locally.
There is also a mid 50's E series Cresta about,but painted in a god-awful metallic green.
When Vauxhall stopped selling cars in NZ,the spares supply dried up rapidly,which is possibly one reason so few are about here.
I owned a couple of PB's in the 70's,and although powerful,the gear linkage was a right PITA to keep adjusted.They also had a habit of the inlet manifold burning through into the exhaust manifold it was on top of,leading to a hard to find misfire!My fix was apiece of thin steel plated slid between the manifolds,which would last about 5 thousand miles.
A fiend of mine had an FB Victor,but I found it rather a ponderous thing to drive,and a bit gutless.