1. A Vauxhall F-Type Victor Series 2 De Luxe (198 HMB).
Firstly, a pair of David's photographs showing the 1959 Vauxhall F-Type Victor he once owned, reg. 198 HMB, shown before and after an unfortunate crash with an Italian ice cream van.
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David adds: "I hit an Italian ice cream van on the Sidcup bypass in 1963 in my first car, and left about 1cwt (45kgs) of rust on the road. I knew
he was Italian because he waved his arms about a lot and was driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a dual carriageway btw. I drove it the 200
miles home. It was a 1959 Vauxhall Victor FD. It was the De Luxe version (!) which meant it had two front seats instead of a bench, and a
chrome fronted valve radio. Oh, and it had a De Luxe badge on the sides! I loved it, but then I loved American cars. My father had had the MK I in
Gypsy Red some years earlier."
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Thanks for the photos David. The photo showing the Victor in the breaker's yard is interesting, note the cars parked alongside - a mangled A35 van (with windows), a Minor saloon, and a Minor-based van for company.
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2. A Vauxhall Victor receiving a good wash down.
Next, a photo sent in by Howard. It shows his late brother washing a car that Howard hadn't been able to identify thus far. Despite very little in the way of badging visible, the rear lights and the wraparound front screen quickly gave up the car's identity as an F-Type Vauxhall Victor. Thanks to Howard for allowing me to show the photo on this page. The registration number VVN 605 suggests that the car was registered in the county of Yorkshire, some time after January 1960 which is when the VVN series was first issued. Just visible in the distance is another old car - an A35 perhaps?
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A look back at the F-Type Victors.
In the early 1950s, Vauxhall had enjoyed sales success with the E-Series cars (Wyvern, Velox and Cresta), but by the mid 1950s their thoughts were focused on the E-Series' replacements. The PA would take over where the Velox and Cresta left off, and it would be the new F-Type Victors that would replace the outgoing four-cylinder Wyvern. At this time, General Motors were adopting all the latest styling ideas, and this included the wraparound front screen, something that would feature on the F-Type and the PA Cresta, cementing their American-inspired body designs in the eyes of the British public (much of the early design work taking part in the US).
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The first F-Type rolled off the line in 1957, the base model costing £485. Opinions on the car's radical stateside appearance were mixed, with many finding the extra ornamentation of the Super model just a trifle over-the-top, with tricks such as the exhaust exiting the rear of the car via the car's chrome bumper a little frivolous. Many were underwhelmed by the wraparound screen too; few drivers in the UK had encountered this feature before, and cracking your knee on entering the car was a regular occurrence. Despite this, and a quickly-gained reputation for rampant corrosion, sales were strong, both in the UK and in the export markets of the late 1950s. |
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In 1958 the Newtondrive two-pedal transmission option was offered, the same as had already been offered on cars such as the Morris Oxford (Manumatic) and the Standard 10 (Standrive). In 1959 the Series 2 F-Type was introduced, toning down some of the chrome ornamentation. The De Luxe Victor, as shown at the top of this page, became the range-topper. In 1961 the FB Victor would take the place of the F-Type in the Vauxhall showrooms, introducing a simpler look to Vauxhall's mid-sized cars, tackling many of the criticisms levelled at the outgoing model by certain quarters.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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