1. David's pre-war Vauxhall 14.
This latest old photo sent over by David, shows his third motorcar, a circa 1939 Vauxhall 14hp saloon (Model J Type), the Anglia E494A by this point already having fallen apart. The pre-war Vauxhall 14 was an altogether more luxurious machine than the Anglia, featuring as it did a straight six engine, and comfy leather interior. Not bad going considering David still wasn't old enough to drive on the road. Again, the car was to see out its days being driven energetically in the neighbouring field: "While I had the car running, I drove it in the 10 acre field next to our house, and I do remember 50mph was quite an achievement, especially as I struggled to see over the steering wheel. Failure to stop would result in ending up in a 6' deep drainage ditch, but I managed to avoid that".
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"This was my third car, it cost £4 and lasted for about 9months. One day I dropped the clutch too hard on leaving the garage (in left of the pic), and broke the crown wheel. There was no chance of repairing it, so some parts were stripped out, including the passenger seat .... the remains of the car were buried in an old quarry, I think at Smeeth (Kent). I still have the steering wheel - a souvenir you understand".
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There's a reason why David mentioned the front seat of his Vauxhall. In 2004(ish), before I met David, I went to a local general auction sale, and bought, for the princely sum of £1, an old leather car seat. I thought it might come in useful one day, perhaps in my old Dodge lorry which is being rebuilt. I popped it in the cab of the Dodge when I returned from the sale, and thought no more of it.
A year or two later, I met David and a while after that, he called by and had a look in the garage while we were talking. He peered inside the Dodge and, in a slightly surprised tone, asked where I had acquired the seat from. I told him, and it turned out that it was the old seat from his '30s Vauxhall. He'd put a few car-related items in the auction, including the seat, which is where I found it.
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2. Photos of an earlier Vauxhall 14
Paul emailed some photos over, and agreed to them being added to the site. They show a Vauxhall 14 that once belonged to his family, and wonders if the unusual-looking boot arrangement was normal for Vauxhalls of the mid/late 1930s? It does look like an add-on to me, with a curious opening hatch at the top, rather than having a fully-opening bootlid. The Vauxhall shown is a little earlier than the first 14 shown on this page, as it still has running boards.
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3. A Vauxhall 14 in Japan.
Next, is this interesting photo sent over by Vic, showing a lefthand drive Vauxhall 14 parked alongside a Renault in Japan. Both were British-owned.
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4. A postwar Vauxhall Fourteen with a Pemberton caravan.
Adrian kindly sent over the next two photographs, they show a Vauxhall Fourteen that belonged to his parents in the late 1950s. The FCR registration series was first used in November 1947, confirming this example as a post-war 14hp car. From what Adrian remembers of this car, it wasn't the best towing vehicle ever invented: "In 1956 my parents bought a Pemberton caravan, parked it in the drive most of the year, and took us all to Cornwall for holidays. At about the same time they bought a Vauxhall 14 (FCR 516), which I recall was very quiet compared to the wooden-backed 'shooting brake' they'd had previously. The Vauxhall used to puff and wheeze up anything like a hill whilst towing the caravan, and eventually steam would appear followed by an AA man to change the top hose."
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 7. Anyone who runs or is restoring a classic or vintage Vauxhall today, may find the Vauxhall pages within the free ads section of use.
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