This Vauxhall Viva is honestly a nice looking car. Truly it doesn’t matter how old the car is. Good trustworthy condition taking people from place to place via place in an old car. What a sweet car it is. Now 52 years old in 2022. Hopefully should be around in the year 2030 when the car will be 60 years old if it can make it. Very rare of them on the roads. There are 2, 4 doors saloon and 3 door estate Vauxhall Viva. 😊
My first car was one of these. USM 502H. 1159cc, but when the main bearings went on it I replaced the engine and gearbox from a newer Viva HC 1256cc. I had the fastest HB on the block! So fast I got stopped by the police and the copper was so impressed by my engineering skills he let me off with caution. :)
I had all three vivas ha ha & a hc all lovely cars easy to work on lovely to drive those we’re the days Also my friends dad had a 2.3 sl estate the only one I’d ever seen or herd of
When I was a GM apprentice (1972-'76) I had a 1968 GT HB Viva in Monza Blue (VLT 481G) with the black bonnet & dummy air vents. It had the 2.0 litre slant 4 engine. As we did back then it got modified quite a bit with Blydenstein parts (stage 2 head & cam, tubular exhaust manifold, neg camber wishbones etc), twin webbers, Koni adjustable shocks, Wolfrace wheels, custom colour matched fully frenched in front chin spoiler, uprated brakes & two straight through Thrush side exhausts which sounded like thunder. It got a fair bit of attention from the police but I never got done for speeding because I think they just kept stopping me to have a look at it!! I had an HA Viva before that which was a "hand me down" from my dad. During my time at GM I also drove around in a lot of other Vauxhall & Opel cars like the the Ascona, Manta, Monza, Kadett, Victor (estate, VX4/90), Ventora, HC Viva / Magnum, CF Bedford van, Chevette & the last of the Viscount models. Great times & I still have a soft spot old Vauxhalls & Opel cars to this day. Wished I had kept the '68 Viva GT though because they are so rare now.
Nice one..! In Australia they were badged as Holden HB Torana. My dad purchased one in 1970, bright blue, black interior 4 speed. The sportier version was the Brabham HB.
My first ever car was a 67 plate SL90 - same shape, white with red upholstery. Fond memories - though she used to brake gearbox input shafts regularly and also had a habit of split the sump weld where it joined the bell housing. Good days though
Mine was a 67 SL90 too, that little extra power made a big difference on the hills. Mine was Pageant Red with black Ambla interior. I resprayed it in Monaco White then fitted a black Vinyl roof and it looked gorgeous.
@@levelcrossing150 Monaco White - there's a blast from the past! That was the colour! Can't remember the mileage on mine but used quite a few cans of paint covering the P38 filler and keeping the rust at bay. Eventually the door hinges and the rear shock mounts just crumbled away...
@@philipjames8012 In the engine compartment they used to rot too. The last days were rather sad for my car too, I hit some tree roots sticking out from a bank. It was in the dark and I was travelling too quickly down a narrow lane. I messed the whole offside of the car up and the following morning I told my dad that I would never do anything so stupid again. It took a large bucket of P38 to put this one right and I sold it in the auction that week while the paint was still hardening off.
Something odd just happened. I love that little beauty, from someone that have been collecting LR over the last 35 years, I honestly desire to buy one.
It's a credit to you for keeping it on the road and looking so good for its age. When you look back at cars you really didn't get much in extras for you money compared to today as standard. 👍
I remember seeing a white one in the summer of love a l was in my dads ford popular and thinking they were so modern ,looks similar to a cortina 1600e that does, rostyle wheels ect
28/01 23, Had a 4 door G plate SL in Monza Red - no wynal woof though. Are those BL door mirrors ? Fitted over-riders & mudflaps. Generally easy to work on. A pal removed the grill centre strip on his making it like the GTs. GMs then were built for easy DIY maintenance. Remember fitting a Winter thermostat which was no trouble running all year round. Many UK Knock down kits exported worldwide then too. Best regards !
Loved your Gold 1970 Vauxhall Viva SL, noted it was not the "SL90", i.e twin exhaust manifold, loved the interior & dash, this was known as the Envoy Epic in Canada, it had either a ohc slant 4, or some V6 from GM. Greetings from New 🇳🇿 Zealand.
05/11 22 Wauxhall Wiva With Wynal Woof ! Made in UK - Latter models had alternators & radials. Exhaust seems low. 50+ year old MJ plate a Herts reg' ? From a DIY Maintainence Friendly era. Opel Kadett was its German cousin. Happy motoring all !
very good video.. when i was a child a near neighbour had a pea green estate g reg i think they then had a matalic blue h reg estate of all the viva designs this the hb is the best and work really well in estate form
This car is in a very good condition. It looks very nice with those two colours. From outside it looks a little bit like a mixture of our German Opel Ascona A and Kadett B and C. The frontlights look like those from the Rekord C. But it's in fact a very interesting car.
Served my apprenticeship servicing this generation Vauxhall. I've always had a soft spot for all the early Vivas and victors. Such simple cars but with a character that the fords of the time lacked I think. Not a bad drive for such a simple car as well though they could all have used a bit more power.
The car looks great. I've been a Vauxhall man all my days. I've had Ventoras, Victors, Magnums and VX490s....I'm running them. At present I have a V6 Calibra and my daily is an Insignia. The only fault I can see is that someone has fitted Leyland door mirrors.....this should have wing mirrors.
In my opinion the HB is the best looking of the Viva range and this one is in excellent condition. I now wished I'd got one of these as a first motor instead of going down the road of Mini, Escort, Cortina as all my mates did ☹
Loved mine. First car a great car to learn basic mechanical repairs on. Had the two door which unfortunately had a habit of rusting in a drain sill under the rear side windows. Wired in a GTR dash and fitted steering wheel of the same and Hella H4 halogen headlights.
Btw that accent on the vid gets me confused is from northern England or from Southern Scotland. Is there any detail to identify clearly because the accent due to influence of gaelic transmit over the centuries to other languages. I as example I speak galician but if I start talking in english anyone would think that I’m from the south of Ireland, in fact most that hear a galician fluent speaker also fluent in english may assume we are from county Cork due to ancestors common language accent that is still present.
Terrible rotboxes. Briefly worked in main dealer when one brought in straight after collision to wing, 13 miles on clock. Took wing off next morning , inner wing already red with rust.
Took the wing off. You mean drilled and cut the wing off, they were welded on. Didn't rust any worse than any Ford or BMC. And a lot better than any Italian car.
Great car had one in the 1980s,great vid ta mate
My first car was a Vauxhall viva HB. I loved it.
This Vauxhall Viva is honestly a nice looking car. Truly it doesn’t matter how old the car is. Good trustworthy condition taking people from place to place via place in an old car. What a sweet car it is. Now 52 years old in 2022. Hopefully should be around in the year 2030 when the car will be 60 years old if it can make it. Very rare of them on the roads. There are 2, 4 doors saloon and 3 door estate Vauxhall Viva. 😊
What a lovely and stylish car. Underrated in their day, can't imagine why.
My first car was one of these. USM 502H. 1159cc, but when the main bearings went on it I replaced the engine and gearbox from a newer Viva HC 1256cc. I had the fastest HB on the block! So fast I got stopped by the police and the copper was so impressed by my engineering skills he let me off with caution. :)
I put the engine of an HC into by Bedford HA van so that was a 50% power increase! I had the same Rostyle wheels on the van as well.
I had all three vivas ha ha & a hc all lovely cars easy to work on lovely to drive those we’re the days Also my friends dad had a 2.3 sl estate the only one I’d ever seen or herd of
A vinyl roof looks so good on almost any Vauxhall. 👍🏻
When I was a GM apprentice (1972-'76) I had a 1968 GT HB Viva in Monza Blue (VLT 481G) with the black bonnet & dummy air vents. It had the 2.0 litre slant 4 engine. As we did back then it got modified quite a bit with Blydenstein parts (stage 2 head & cam, tubular exhaust manifold, neg camber wishbones etc), twin webbers, Koni adjustable shocks, Wolfrace wheels, custom colour matched fully frenched in front chin spoiler, uprated brakes & two straight through Thrush side exhausts which sounded like thunder. It got a fair bit of attention from the police but I never got done for speeding because I think they just kept stopping me to have a look at it!! I had an HA Viva before that which was a "hand me down" from my dad.
During my time at GM I also drove around in a lot of other Vauxhall & Opel cars like the the Ascona, Manta, Monza, Kadett, Victor (estate, VX4/90), Ventora, HC Viva / Magnum, CF Bedford van, Chevette & the last of the Viscount models. Great times & I still have a soft spot old Vauxhalls & Opel cars to this day. Wished I had kept the '68 Viva GT though because they are so rare now.
Nice one..! In Australia they were badged as Holden HB Torana. My dad purchased one in 1970, bright blue, black interior 4 speed. The sportier version was the Brabham HB.
hb is probably the best looking of all the vivas but still have fond memories of the HC
My Dad had one it was always reluctant to start
Looks like an FD Victor’s wee sister 😃 I owned an FD 2000SL in early 70’s and I 🥰 it.
My Dad had a green SL90 in 73. exact same interior with the centre console and imitation wood and bucket seats. Great memories
I use to own a 1969 Vauxhall Viva. Red colour. Great little car.
My first ever car was a 67 plate SL90 - same shape, white with red upholstery. Fond memories - though she used to brake gearbox input shafts regularly and also had a habit of split the sump weld where it joined the bell housing. Good days though
Mine was a 67 SL90 too, that little extra power made a big difference on the hills. Mine was Pageant Red with black Ambla interior. I resprayed it in Monaco White then fitted a black Vinyl roof and it looked gorgeous.
@@levelcrossing150 Monaco White - there's a blast from the past! That was the colour! Can't remember the mileage on mine but used quite a few cans of paint covering the P38 filler and keeping the rust at bay. Eventually the door hinges and the rear shock mounts just crumbled away...
@@philipjames8012 In the engine compartment they used to rot too. The last days were rather sad for my car too, I hit some tree roots sticking out from a bank. It was in the dark and I was travelling too quickly down a narrow lane. I messed the whole offside of the car up and the following morning I told my dad that I would never do anything so stupid again. It took a large bucket of P38 to put this one right and I sold it in the auction that week while the paint was still hardening off.
Something odd just happened. I love that little beauty, from someone that have been collecting LR over the last 35 years, I honestly desire to buy one.
Love those wheels , classic for the time !
It's a credit to you for keeping it on the road and looking so good for its age. When you look back at cars you really didn't get much in extras for you money compared to today as standard. 👍
Honey star mist is a lovely colour
I remember seeing a white one in the summer of love a l was in my dads ford popular and thinking they were so modern ,looks similar to a cortina 1600e that does, rostyle wheels ect
Had a couple back in the 80’s including an SL90, great cars!
28/01 23, Had a 4 door G plate SL in Monza Red - no wynal woof though. Are those BL door mirrors ? Fitted over-riders & mudflaps. Generally easy to work on. A pal removed the grill centre strip on his making it like the GTs. GMs then were built for easy DIY maintenance. Remember fitting a Winter thermostat which was no trouble running all year round. Many UK Knock down kits exported worldwide then too. Best regards !
lovely car but i'm biased as its mine. thanks for doing the video. was good chatting to you. Tam
Your car is lovely & thanks for letting me film it Tam 👍
@@The_Scottish_Guy new one coming tonight hopefully. feel free to film that too.
That would be great Tam I will definitely take you up on that offer 👍
Hi Tam hope your well 👍 Just checking if it is still OK to come through and see and film your other car , at a time that is suitable to you
One of the last Viva HB's and what a pretty looking car they are. I had a 67 model, was my second car.
Always loved the 1970s vinyl roof.
I had a HB and a HC in the 70s, preferred the HB
Thats in excellent condition for a 1970 viva tony good cars back then❤❤❤🏴🏴🏴👍
Passed my driving test in one identical in 1975.
What a lovely shape forgot how good they looked ah remember them as bein bigger too cherish that one mate
Loved your Gold 1970 Vauxhall Viva SL, noted it was not the "SL90", i.e twin exhaust manifold, loved the interior & dash, this was known as the Envoy Epic in Canada, it had either a ohc slant 4, or some V6 from GM.
Greetings from New 🇳🇿 Zealand.
05/11 22 Wauxhall Wiva With Wynal Woof ! Made in UK - Latter models had alternators & radials. Exhaust seems low. 50+ year old MJ plate a Herts reg' ? From a DIY Maintainence Friendly era. Opel Kadett was its German cousin. Happy motoring all !
exhaust hangers broken
very good video.. when i was a child a near neighbour had a pea green estate g reg i think they then had a matalic blue h reg estate of all the viva designs this the hb is the best and work really well in estate form
In my opinion it's one of the best looking estate cars ever.
2nd hand cars are rising in value.They were great except the heaters on older cars were rubbish.thanx for the vid,enjoyed it
This car is in a very good condition. It looks very nice with those two colours. From outside it looks a little bit like a mixture of our German Opel Ascona A and Kadett B and C. The frontlights look like those from the Rekord C. But it's in fact a very interesting car.
Grandad had an FD Victor in the same metallic gold colour.
Served my apprenticeship servicing this generation Vauxhall. I've always had a soft spot for all the early Vivas and victors. Such simple cars but with a character that the fords of the time lacked I think. Not a bad drive for such a simple car as well though they could all have used a bit more power.
They drove sowell compared to Anglia and Morris 1000 in my opinion . The engine bearings were a bit soft though and lasted no more than60k
I owned one in blue, comfortable and easy to drive. It used more oil than petrol though.
The car looks great. I've been a Vauxhall man all my days. I've had Ventoras, Victors, Magnums and VX490s....I'm running them. At present I have a V6 Calibra and my daily is an Insignia.
The only fault I can see is that someone has fitted Leyland door mirrors.....this should have wing mirrors.
prefer door mirrors that are actually functional. no they aren't leyland they're just retro door mirrors.
@@tomdouglas7466 I can assure you, they are British Leyland copies.
Who's fkn car is it? I was fitting these to new vauxhalls in the main dealers way back in the 70's.
@tomdouglas7466 infact.....take a look at the GREEN VIVA GLS you commented on......that has the proper VAUXHALL DESMO MIRRORS.
my second car- H Reg. like yours. Loved the look etc. but boy, did it rust. Went to the breakers 1978 barely 8 years old.
I had a square one also tony in blue👍🏴❤❤
Cool 👍
Known as the HA
@@ianwelburn5158 thankyou ian👍❤️🏴
In my opinion the HB is the best looking of the Viva range and this one is in excellent condition. I now wished I'd got one of these as a first motor instead of going down the road of Mini, Escort, Cortina as all my mates did ☹
More commonly known as a HB Holden Torana 1100 in OZ with a different grill n round seal beams for headlights.
Loved mine. First car a great car to learn basic mechanical repairs on. Had the two door which unfortunately had a habit of rusting in a drain sill under the rear side windows. Wired in a GTR dash and fitted steering wheel of the same and Hella H4 halogen headlights.
these were the nicest of the viva range ,more style
Remember my ma had a yellow estate
An SL wow, whit a beauty min
put some black shoe poliish on the roof ihad a cortina gt with the same kind of roof came up great
I had one it looked nice but the rod went through the sump and that was it.
I want that car!
ha ha make an offer
HA, boxy, HB prettiest, HC best overall. Had my HC for 45 years now.
Wow was my first car but was green with white vinyl roof hb H reg too lol to think I now own a Audi R8 v10 spyder lol
I bought a red one for £50 in the 90’s to learn to drive
My first car MTE779G
😍😍
Btw that accent on the vid gets me confused is from northern England or from Southern Scotland. Is there any detail to identify clearly because the accent due to influence of gaelic transmit over the centuries to other languages. I as example I speak galician but if I start talking in english anyone would think that I’m from the south of Ireland, in fact most that hear a galician fluent speaker also fluent in english may assume we are from county Cork due to ancestors common language accent that is still present.
prop shafts a thing of the past but i think bmws still have them
Holden torana in saust
Terrible rotboxes. Briefly worked in main dealer when one brought in straight after collision to wing, 13 miles on clock. Took wing off next morning , inner wing already red with rust.
Took the wing off. You mean drilled and cut the wing off, they were welded on.
Didn't rust any worse than any Ford or BMC. And a lot better than any Italian car.
@@sportshatchRust was standard on most cars in those days, unless you made a good job at rust preventing them..
calling bullshit on that.
Bedfordshire registered plate
I hated these cars when I was a kid. Nothing changed. Mediocrity in metal.
Nice 👍.....my car FORD Corsair GT V4 year's 1969