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PAUL BEAUMONT
Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 1281 Location: Barnsley S. Yorks
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:20 pm Post subject: Where have all the Vauxhalls gone? |
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As a youngster in the days before imported cars devoured the domestic marketplace motor choice was BLMC (or whatever they were called that week!) Ford, Rootes Group or Vauxhall.
Vauxhalls seem to have almost disappeared off the face of the earth. I have not seen a Velox or a Cresta at a show for ages. Same goes for Vivas, Magnums, early Cavaliers and the ubiquitous Nova. Were these so awful cars?(Never owned one personally) that no one continued to love them?? I was at an event this past weekend where Jowetts outnumbered Vauxhalls by 6 to 1 and the 1 was an "A" registered Cavalier. Of course it may just be that Vauxhall owners are shy!
I could extend this to GM offerings generally. I have not seen a Manta A or B in living memory and they both seems very desirable motors to me.
Paul |
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peter scott

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7211 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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They've all turned into spare parts! Whenever I look at boxes of engine parts (bearings, pistons etc) at autojumbles there is always plenty of Vauxhall parts. (Never what I want!)
Peter  _________________ https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon |
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22778 Location: UK
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4229 Location: South Cheshire
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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I believe many of them ended up at Corrodo by Oxide.
Dave |
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Ellis
Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 1386 Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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I agree, you see less old and classic Vauxhalls than any other British marque.
There are however several in regular use around my area. One is a particularly rare Vauxhall Velox PB with hydramatic transmission. It's in a mid grey colour and a leather interior and every time I see it I don't have a camera with me.
I keep a camera now in my everyday car to photograph it and when I do I will post a photo on here.
There are two HA Vivas in regular use locally and several FB Victors.
The model I have not seen for years is a FD Victor or Ventora. Thousands were built but they must now be very rare. North Wales Police used FD Ventoras with the 3.3 litre engines as their patrol cars in the early 1970s.
When did you last see a Bedford Beagle - a HA van with side windows ?
The last Victor 101 (FC) I saw was is in 1994 and that was an estate version with a red bench front seat.
As for FE Victors, are there any left? _________________ Starting Handle Expert
1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet |
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MikeEdwards
Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2700 Location: South Cheshire
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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Sadly we don't have such a good following, so it follows that the parts people don't cater for Vauxhalls so much, so it puts people off buying them because it's hard to get parts, and back round and round.
Peter, I'd love to see these autojumbles, because other than the VBOA (Vauxhall-Bedford-Opel Association) autojumble in spring I don't see much in the way of Vauxhall bits.
The rise in prices of Escorts and Capris is having a positive effect on the popularity of Vivas and Chevettes, as people who can't afford the Fords move on to something else. The show at Billing is very popular, and we do get quite a turnout at some of the shows we do here in the north west. But for now we have to remain a bit more 'exclusive'.
Rick, I hadn't noticed the Vauxhall forum had gone in all honesty, that said I can't remember when I last looked in there, I think it was when matey was talking about line-up on his Astra Mk1 panels. I'm posting stuff about my rebuild in the Droopsnoot Group forum, I even stopped posting new photos on my own web site because it gets to be too much work posting in more than one place. |
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welder
Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 265 Location: North Warwickshire
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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A little off topic, but my brother used to own a 1970 Ventora 3.3 and it was fast! Needed a higher diff or 5 gears but it would accelerate very well indeed! It was a bit erm..back endy in the wet but we were young and frivolous.........
Ian |
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BigJohn
Joined: 01 Jan 2011 Posts: 954 Location: Wem, Shropshire
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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A guy in our car club has an FE Ventora. I saw him on Thursday night and he said he had needed a front wheel bearing and had taken a couple of months to locate one and it had cost him £50! I had told him previously to take it to a bearing factors in Preston to get one, but he snapped one up off Ebay. If parts are that difficult to get not suprising Vauxhalls are getting rare. Or he maybe incompetent, possibly the later to be fair to Vauxhalls. |
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Mog
Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 663 Location: Sydney
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:52 am Post subject: |
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I have got the two chrome strips off the bonnet of a 1950's Vauxhall . The car sits on a tip in NW Q'land. Many parts are there , sadly the shire council worker decided to drop the blade onto the top of the car. Of course the rad . has gone, but the carby is still there and engine. I hope to be up there next year. |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4229 Location: South Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 7:55 am Post subject: |
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I'd be interested to know where this particular VX490 has gone:
It was owned from new by my father in law, around 1992 he gave it to someone in a Vauxhall club (not sure which one) we then saw it at a show at Tatton Park around 1995, but never since....
Dave |
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D4B

Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 2083 Location: Hampshire UK
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:21 am Post subject: |
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Vehicle enquiry
The enquiry is complete.The vehicle details for JKX 748N are:
Date of Liability 01 09 1995
Date of First Registration 21 05 1975
Year of Manufacture 1975
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 2279cc
CO₂ Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type PETROL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
Vehicle Excise Duty rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate £123.75
12 Months Rate £225.00 |
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MikeEdwards
Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2700 Location: South Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:59 am Post subject: |
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Parts vary really. For example lower front ball joints and outer (I think) front wheel bearings on my Firenza are unique to that car (204 made) and the FD 3.3 Ventora (no idea how many made, certainly not many left) so not easy to find. For the FEs I'm surprised there was a problem as more bits are metric, but then I don't know directly as almost nothing is the same as my car. Prices seem to be rising all the time, eBay often isn't the cheapest place to get stuff like this.
I've always been a bit wary of trying to get parts when I needed them, so as far as I can I've tried to buy then when I saw them (at the right price) rather than leave it. Takes a bit of space, but when my water pump packed in on a Friday night before a show it was nice to just have the problem of fitting it in a hurry, not the problem of finding one first. That only works if, like me, you're planning on keeping the car for a decent length of time. |
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JohnDale

Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 790 Location: Kelvin Valley,Scotland
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:09 am Post subject: |
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For Vauxhall lovers everywhere - belongs to a member of SWTVC.
Cheers,JD. _________________ 1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia. |
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Greg
Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 445 Location: Dreamland Margate
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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Beautiful. .....what a lovely car. |
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