Victors could occasionally be spotted in my hometown in Missouri, USA, when I was a young’n. Dad (who knew about such things) told me it was a Vauxhall, and this was the model I’ve associated with the name ever since… although I learned much more about the marque in later years. What a delightful example this one is!
This is why I loved Vauxhalls. In the 70s, scrappys were full of them so I sat in them when my Dad was scavenging parts for his FB or 101. This video has made my day.
I was eight years old my dad came home on leave for 6 weeks and rented a grey Victor, he normally had Fords so made a difference. To be fair it went well. My favourite was the PA Cresta lovely car.
In 1964 my dad bought a 1959 Victor. You're correct about the rusting. He patched it up with isopon & wood filler and traded it in for a Ford Consul mk2. We did get to go on some holidays in it, so he must have kept it for 2-3 years.
One had to go to the quality marques to find a car with a solenoid engaged starter at that time. At least inertia starters did not need whacking with the wheel brace or starting handle.
Love it. In the late 1960s, my brother had an early Series 2 in primrose yellow over powder blue, so pretty. It was a torquey little thing and I loved it. Thanks for the test 👍😊
I was born in '73 and my Dad had a '62 Mark II Zephyr lowline growing up. The dash and layout of this car including the steering wheel, horn and boss, speedo, "three on the tree" gear change, umbrella handbrake, bench seat, high beam floor button, window winder etc. is VERY reminiscent of that car.
I was chosen by my company to have a trip around Vauxhalls in Luton,around 1975.I couldn't believe when I saw sheets of metal,stacked on top on each other, left outside all day, in all weather..The sheets were used to make the bodies of their cars and were rusty even before they were taken to be pressed as body parts.At some stage they were rubbed down by some workers to remove the rust before they were sprayed. .I never did find out why the sheets weren't stored inside,or at least covered up. The factory was very noisy as the presses hammered out the parts every minute or so. That visit made me more sympathetic to the car workers in this country,and I could understand why they were always on strike for more money.
I had a 1959 Victor brought it in 1962 when i was 21yrs It was Laurel Green, It was a nice car but the rust was its biggest enemy, the 59 had a narrow rear window, I remember it cost £385 seconhand of cause, got lots of pleasure driving it. Thanks for posting the video on a good old car.
My Dad bought a gray 1958 in 1962. It was our first "second" car. My Mom was driving it when the clutch went and thought she did it and never drove a manual transmission since. Dad traded the Vauxhall in 1964 for a new SAAB 96. But, that's another story!
Wow! Does this bring back memories! In 1962, right after we arrived in Germany from America (Dad was a MSgt in the US Army), Dad had to find a car for the family and he bought this cars' twin: A green 1961 Vauxhall Victor. This was in October. In December, two of the pistons in the engine failed, with big holes in their tops! I do remember one weekend that December, in the freezing cold in Karlsruhe, removing the head and the oil pan, replacing all four pistons with new rings, new rod bearings and the odd assortment of gaskets, seals and such, then buttoning that POS back up and promptly placing a big FOR SALE sign on it. For all I know, it's probably still running around Karlsruhe, but Dad just couldn't justify keeping it. So much for our Vauxhall adventure. Other than that, it was a pretty good family hauler.
Doesn't crack me up, I find it irritating after a while. We all know the dangers of smoking and how socially unacceptable it is now. I don't see the need to labour the point. These old cars stink when your behind them too, but that doesn't get mentioned.
Gee whizz in the 80's I must of lost count on how many of these and other (now classics) through the crusher. Hind sight is a great thing, but it does not stop me wishing I could go back in time and put some of them scrappers aside to be restored.
They are only classic and desirable because you did your job demolishing most of them. As long as a select few survive for collectors , we are good because these old cars are inferior in everything except styling.
A bloke in Torquay Victoria Australia had one of those back in the 70's. Exactly the same colour too, kept it immaculate. Quiet fella lived at home with his mum.
As a small child in the early sixties here in Texas, I had a little toy version of this car. Of course I didn't even realize that Pontiac had been selling them in its dealerships here. I'll always have a soft spot for this semi-fifties American styling. Great video as usual!
Hi! My dad owned the German stable mate of this Vauxhall Victor: the Opel Rekord. It had also the American look with the wraparound windshield. The dashboard was similar, but with an aluminium bright plate as deco and the speed indicator was a moving tricolor band, green, orange and red instead of the needle. I enjoyed driving it when I was at home in the early 60s
Absolutely beautiful car I had the FC/ 101 which was mechanically pretty much the same with a totally different body. Excellent thank you beautiful start to the morning
Yes Matt it had a great ‘ Sterning circle’ I remember it well 😂 my dad had one but second hand in the late 60s and he brush painted it black / red 2 tone , looked amazing , I still remember the smell of hot sticky vinyl seats on a day trip to seaside. Nice video Matt , nice memories too 👌🏻.
On balance probably the best time to be turning 16 looking back over the decades. Even without rose tinted Specs Britain was still a force, music, fashion, design, some of our greatest actors and films and a lot more freedom.
@@alanbellwood3902 the best thing about being 15 in 1961 is being 25 in 1971 thus being able to buy my first house witch I bought for £2500 was sold for over £800.000 in 1995. Happy days.
Great video, Matt. Neat car. One correction, though. The Victor was not the only Vauxhall sold in North America. The Velox and Cresta came here in the late 50s and early 60s. The Vauxhall Firenza was sold here on the late 60s and early 70s. Ma had a 58 Velox. A neighbour had a 59 Victor Super. The Victor was by far the better car, both mechanically and in terms of rust resistance. Miss Duckworth drove her Victor for a good 15 years until she was forced to stop driving. Another neighbour bout it to use as a daily runabout at their cottage. Seatbelt mounts were built into the car. All cars built after January 1, 1960 had to have the mounts for lap belts built into them in North America.
The HA and HB Viva were sold as the Envoy Epic in Canada only. The United States got the related Opel Kadett. The Canadian tariff structure favoured British cars over German or Japanese. The Hillman Avenger (Plymouth Cricket), Mini, and Morris Marina (Austin Marina) also enjoyed longer sales lives in Canada once leaving the United States.
Thanks Matt for reminding me that Vauxhall made some wonderful cars in the 60s & 70s. I had a Cresta and a VX490 Intercontinental both of which were huge boats sporting straight 6 engines with enormous torque. In 76 I took the Cresta to the Welsh Rally as a spectator, totally unsuitable for forest roads but good for sleeping in. Rust buckets they were but great fun for minimum money.
My dad & mum had a 1958 Vauxhall Victor Super exported to Antigonish, Nova Scotia Canada. Antigonish is a University Town home of St. Francis Xavier University & The Cody International Institute. Love & all the best from Canada.
Another excellent review of the vaxhall victor i am 66 years old and i remember these cars and the exhaust pipe coming out of the rear bumper i do not know how many are still kicking around australia
Two abiding memories of a 1958 one my father had. Went out one morning and the rear springs had collapsed, I think the garage must have collected it and repaired it-wasn't very old at the time. The other memory was reving like mad in that 2nd gear up hills in a desperate attempt to overtake, not good in a hilly area like Dorset. The FB he got next also had 3 on the tree but was a much nicer car and you didn't bang your knee on entry, still revy in 2nd. My favourite was the brand new FC he got in 1967 that I passed my test in. That was like floating on air and it had 4 on the floor.
Yes people forget that when blaming the cars, it would snow for weeks in some years and then there was acid rain from coal burning.These days if they see an inch of snow they will not go out, in those days they would plough on in their cars regardless.
Wonderful little car! . Being a kid in the US i had Matchbox cars. I didn’t know or probably care at the time where they were made but now as an adult I see your videos and realize I was playing with British models like this one all along.
Love most of the British cars of this era, I well remember when very young being brought home from a trip to Sheerness with my mother in one of these, owned by a family friend after my father sopped driving. Very rare to see one now but an absolute delight when one does appear on the road. Thanks for this.
OOOHH!!! Had the Matchbox version that I picked up long after it was in production. Here in the US, the closest I recall seeing the real thing was a Cresta on the roads of Ontario where British cars were more popular. I know Vauxhall was a "captive import" sold through North American Pontiac dealerships circa 1958 to 1961. GREAT STUFF!!!!!!
Bout time someone did a proper video of one of these Vauxhalls 👌👍. Hardly ever see these, but my favourite is the FE series of the late 60s and the Crests PC of the 70s
My Dad's first car, same colour which I learnt to drive on. We drove miles in this car in the early 60's, out early on a Sunday morning driving through central London heading for the coast. Never the same destination but often through the Ashdown Forest heading for Eastbourne / south coast. Lovely reliable engine, comfortable seats and big boot. Could have done with four speed gearbox, but engine was quite torguey. Door sill rust was the biggest issue. We loved that car.
In 1970, someone we knew was about to scrap their 10-year-old Victor as its engine had failed. My brother took it off them to £10, intending to move the tyres to his 100E Pop. The body wasn't bad though, so we sourced a scrapyard Bedford van engine and it became his daily driver. The registration is still extant.
Just saying I'm addicted to your reviews, been subscribed for 2,5 years, I might be a bit of a hardcore car nerd :) Keep up the magnificent content, cheers from Finland! 🤘
I don't recall ever seeing one in those colours before. Very nice. My father had a red and grey deluxe version as his first company car in the very early sixties. It brings back memories of family holidays going down to Cornwall over night. The deluxe model had leather seats so rather nice. Much better than the vinyl seats he had in a later FB facelift super which got painfully hot when the car was left in the sun. The car used to cruise reasonably well at an indicated 70. My father said that he once took it up to an indicated 80 (optimistic Speedo I imagine) but said it felt quite scary and he was never tempted to try it again!
Good informative doc--there is a good Vauxhall car club here in New Zealand and I have seen several Victors at classic car shows in Auckland thanks for the post
Growing up in the Sixties there were loads of these old Vauxhalls knocking about but I thought they were ugly compared to the new and very swish (boxy) Vivas and Crestas that seemed so much more up to date. Now I've changed my mind. What a lovely old F model! Love and peace.
Yes please! Gorgeous colour too First car I remember, as a kid, one of the family having, followed by a Cresta two Zephyr 6s then two Arrow Rapiers. Nice company cars in their day but he worked for an oil company whereas my first company cars were Escorts and Corollas 😂 Some popular Fermanagh registration plates about with BIG, DIG, FIG, GIG etc then the IL range.
I remember one of my neighbours in Ireland had a rusty one he bought for £3. He put loads of filler and steel wool in it and re sprayed it with a vacum cleaner on the side of the street one sunny Saturday morning. It looked the buissness!
Great video Matt! Gorgeous old thing...especially love that very pretty two-tone paint as well! Column shifts always make me think of the Trabant, haha! Would love to see you do a review of one of those someday! :D
I wish 1961 to 1965 had been the years of my birth, instead of been born in the year 1969 and the classic era of Dr Who started on bbc1 with Bill Hartnell in monochrome and ran for 26 years .
My dad had one of these. I learned to drive on it! We even drove it to the Costa Brava on holiday with 5 on board. No problem. The suspension was a bit soft. The cross ply tyres really squealed if you went just a bit too fast around a corner, which was probably just as well!
Hi to you both another transformation from a scrap wreck to a reprieved car and a new life courtesy of the parts car and your skill and passion many thanks once again for being there and showing us another interesting and entertaining videot
It is Fermanagh - however, it's not that car's original reg. as "G" wasn't used on the original series of UK Reg marks (1903). The IG for Fermanagh came out in 2004. It does give the car an original "look" though, especially with the black and ally plate. Wonder what the car's actual original plate was ??
Pontiac sold them in the US - or rather attempted to. By the time I started car spotting as a kid, these were long off the market and seeing one was rare - some older eccentric ex pat Brit maybe. Slightly (very slightly) more common was the Opel Rekord (brought to you by Buick) of the same era which to my young eyes looked almost identical; they seemed to find a wider audience over here.
I used to like the Cresta´s, Velox´s and for ford, the Zodiak. they did remind me of a slice of Americana. The vauxhall´s had some really delicious colour combinations too. Lovely car´s-
Victor (with its Canadian-design Envoy model, tastefuly tweaked front & rear) was a bigger hit in Canada than in US, partly due to our less intense north-of-border highway construction and thus less demand for speed. I saw *many* Victors and Envoys as a car-geek boy, age 4 in 1960.
Interesting how both Vauxhall and Holden aped the '57 Chevrolet styling in smaller and more austere packages. I saw a FB or EK Holden parked next to a '57 Chev at a car meet and although the styling cues were the same, the Chev was way bigger, bolder and classier. The Holden was produced from 1960 to mid 1962 and instantly looked dated once the low and squarer Ford Falcon XK was released in late 1960.
My dad had Vauxhall's in the 60's and 70's he loved the bench seat i think the last one he had was an F D with one fitted and they stopped with the early Transcontinental. I remember he had a Corsair as well for a short while 🚗🚗👍👍
Excellent renavation on that Vauxhall,they were an easy car to drive on country roads as they were fairly low geared Rust was the problem as with all cars of that Erie. If l rust l bust, no rust no bust. Some people called them the Luton dustbin
My Dad bought one new in 1961, it was a deluxe with leather seats, and brown and cream colour scheme. Good car but started showing rust issues two years later. He traded it in for a Victor FB which didn't seem to have rust problems as he kept it for 17 years
The FB was really excellently rust free, like an over compensation for the bad name they got. FC, FD and FE models were good but FBs seemed to outlast these later cars.
Yes, there were many still around throughout the mid-60s. But don't forget it was really a mid-50s design, and a 'run out' model, before ending later in the year (61). So it was not really typical of the 60s in terms of overall design.
The interior is almost minimalist and really attractive. When I was a kid we all knew that Vauxhall Victors (right up to later ones like the FD) would only last a couple of years before dissolving.
Or course! My HA Viva had the spare snugly against the side panel, so it must have been outside the line of the spring leaves. A square body would have helped with packaging! :-) Interesting to play spot-the-common-part between the two vehicles.
Refreshed '59, in part to tone down some more-showy, oft-derided US styling cues e.g.heavy bonnet (front hood) ornamenting and "Darrin Dip" (behind front doors) named for famed US auto man Howard "Dutch" Darrin.
I think it was my third car way back in the 60s which was one of these. Mine was the deluxe model so had individual front seats. A fabulous car except for the fact that the rear floor collapsed due to rot.
The 'deluxe' was the one to have..with individual comfy leather seats and IIRC a padded dash. That 1508 powertrain was a lovely little thing.The estates made the rather staid looking later Victor FB and Cresta PB look great IMHO.
My first car, I did not have it very long. The handbrake was fantastic, it turned out that the "Y" handbrake cable was the only thing supporting the rear of the rear springs !! It was taken back to the seller, who after a chat with my father, reluctantly returned the purchase price.
My dad bought a deluxe model in this colour combination. Leather trim. Cost £850, 10 shillings and 10 pence. Plus £15 for heater. Loved that car but so disappointed he didn't spend a bit more and buy the pink cresta.
An absolutely beautiful car. I have never seen one. I was born in 1967 and my memories of Vauxhalls are only of the FB Victors which were very popular in our local area and of course the square FC models and the big muscular looking coke bottle Victors. Obviously the F series had all rusted into scrap before the end of the 60s.
Victors could occasionally be spotted in my hometown in Missouri, USA, when I was a young’n. Dad (who knew about such things) told me it was a Vauxhall, and this was the model I’ve associated with the name ever since… although I learned much more about the marque in later years. What a delightful example this one is!
This is why I loved Vauxhalls. In the 70s, scrappys were full of them so I sat in them when my Dad was scavenging parts for his FB or 101. This video has made my day.
I was eight years old my dad came home on leave for 6 weeks and rented a grey Victor, he normally had Fords so made a difference. To be fair it went well.
My favourite was the PA Cresta lovely car.
Yep. My favourite Vauxhall of all time is the PA.
In 1964 my dad bought a 1959 Victor. You're correct about the rusting. He patched it up with isopon & wood filler and traded it in for a Ford Consul mk2. We did get to go on some holidays in it, so he must have kept it for 2-3 years.
Love the 60s saloons! They are really growing on this kid from the 90s.
That triangle of doom, more like a massive unswept area, will give Ian nightmares.
I couldnt let him near it, just in case
I recognise that sound of an enerthia starter motor...love it brings back good memories.
They were called alarm clocks on the Ford Cortina as those ones would wake up the neighbourhood LOL.
One had to go to the quality marques to find a car with a solenoid engaged starter at that time. At least inertia starters did not need whacking with the wheel brace or starting handle.
Love it. In the late 1960s, my brother had an early Series 2 in primrose yellow over powder blue, so pretty. It was a torquey little thing and I loved it. Thanks for the test 👍😊
sounds like the perfect colour combo for the shape!
Love the colour
What a great video! I love how Matt shows all the styling details.
I was born in '73 and my Dad had a '62 Mark II Zephyr lowline growing up. The dash and layout of this car including the steering wheel, horn and boss, speedo, "three on the tree" gear change, umbrella handbrake, bench seat, high beam floor button, window winder etc. is VERY reminiscent of that car.
I was chosen by my company to have a trip around Vauxhalls in Luton,around 1975.I couldn't believe when I saw sheets of metal,stacked on top on each other, left outside all day, in all weather..The sheets were used to make the bodies of their cars and were rusty even before they were taken to be pressed as body parts.At some stage they were rubbed down by some workers to remove the rust before they were sprayed. .I never did find out why the sheets weren't stored inside,or at least covered up.
The factory was very noisy as the presses hammered out the parts every minute or so.
That visit made me more sympathetic to the car workers in this country,and I could understand why they were always on strike for more money.
I had a 1959 Victor brought it in 1962 when i was 21yrs It was Laurel Green, It was a nice car but the rust was its biggest enemy, the 59 had a narrow rear window, I remember it cost £385 seconhand of cause, got lots of pleasure driving it. Thanks for posting the video on a good old car.
My Dad bought a gray 1958 in 1962. It was our first "second" car. My Mom was driving it when the clutch went and thought she did it and never drove a manual transmission since. Dad traded the Vauxhall in 1964 for a new SAAB 96. But, that's another story!
Wow! Does this bring back memories! In 1962, right after we arrived in Germany from America (Dad was a MSgt in the US Army), Dad had to find a car for the family and he bought this cars' twin: A green 1961 Vauxhall Victor. This was in October. In December, two of the pistons in the engine failed, with big holes in their tops! I do remember one weekend that December, in the freezing cold in Karlsruhe, removing the head and the oil pan, replacing all four pistons with new rings, new rod bearings and the odd assortment of gaskets, seals and such, then buttoning that POS back up and promptly placing a big FOR SALE sign on it. For all I know, it's probably still running around Karlsruhe, but Dad just couldn't justify keeping it. So much for our Vauxhall adventure. Other than that, it was a pretty good family hauler.
Really liked the peppy, humorous first 5 minutes of presentation, very slick and authoritative!
"Ashtray for the kids in the back." Cracks me up every time. 😆 Start 'em early! A syrup? You should've tried a beehive on yer bonce, Matt! 😁
Steph, from "I drive a classic" had plenty of room for Hers.
Doesn't crack me up, I find it irritating after a while. We all know the dangers of smoking and how socially unacceptable it is now. I don't see the need to labour the point. These old cars stink when your behind them too, but that doesn't get mentioned.
It's funny, but I suppose back in those days less people had cars or driver's licenses and you chaffeured your smoking friends around more often.
Rock & Roll on wheels. Love it.
Gee whizz in the 80's I must of lost count on how many of these and other (now classics) through the crusher. Hind sight is a great thing, but it does not stop me wishing I could go back in time and put some of them scrappers aside to be restored.
They are only classic and desirable because you did your job demolishing most of them. As long as a select few survive for collectors , we are good because these old cars are inferior in everything except styling.
Brilliant video Matt 👍
I have a photo of an estate version in Charleston south Carolina USA from the early 1960's.
A bloke in Torquay Victoria Australia had one of those back in the 70's. Exactly the same colour too, kept it immaculate. Quiet fella lived at home with his mum.
As a small child in the early sixties here in Texas, I had a little toy version of this car. Of course I didn't even realize that Pontiac had been selling them in its dealerships here. I'll always have a soft spot for this semi-fifties American styling. Great video as usual!
Hi! My dad owned the German stable mate of this Vauxhall Victor: the Opel Rekord. It had also the American look with the wraparound windshield. The dashboard was similar, but with an aluminium bright plate as deco and the speed indicator was a moving tricolor band, green, orange and red instead of the needle. I enjoyed driving it when I was at home in the early 60s
Absolutely beautiful car I had the FC/ 101 which was mechanically pretty much the same with a totally different body. Excellent thank you beautiful start to the morning
Man I love this car it looks so much like a 50s Ford that shrunk in the wash.
Pure Americana the first Victor my Dad remembers these back in the day lovely Matty
Yes Matt it had a great ‘ Sterning circle’ I remember it well 😂 my dad had one but second hand in the late 60s and he brush painted it black / red 2 tone , looked amazing , I still remember the smell of hot sticky vinyl seats on a day trip to seaside. Nice video Matt , nice memories too 👌🏻.
I was 15 in 1961 and I remember the family next-door sitting in their's for hours parked outfront.
On balance probably the best time to be turning 16 looking back over the decades. Even without rose tinted Specs Britain was still a force, music, fashion, design, some of our greatest actors and films and a lot more freedom.
@@alanbellwood3902 the best thing about being 15 in 1961 is being 25 in 1971 thus being able to buy my first house witch I bought for £2500 was sold for over £800.000 in 1995. Happy days.
@@billgriffiths1685 sod fashion with returns like that ;-)
@@alanbellwood3902nice comments AB, stay safe.
Greetings from sunny Adriatic coast. A perfect car for cruising along the seaside.
The sea air would cause terminal rust by the time you got to your destination...
@@williamegler8771 lol
Great video, Matt. Neat car. One correction, though. The Victor was not the only Vauxhall sold in North America. The Velox and Cresta came here in the late 50s and early 60s. The Vauxhall Firenza was sold here on the late 60s and early 70s. Ma had a 58 Velox. A neighbour had a 59 Victor Super. The Victor was by far the better car, both mechanically and in terms of rust resistance. Miss Duckworth drove her Victor for a good 15 years until she was forced to stop driving. Another neighbour bout it to use as a daily runabout at their cottage.
Seatbelt mounts were built into the car. All cars built after January 1, 1960 had to have the mounts for lap belts built into them in North America.
The HA and HB Viva were sold as the Envoy Epic in Canada only. The United States got the related Opel Kadett. The Canadian tariff structure favoured British cars over German or Japanese. The Hillman Avenger (Plymouth Cricket), Mini, and Morris Marina (Austin Marina) also enjoyed longer sales lives in Canada once leaving the United States.
My 1959 Victor had belt mounts (in England). I'm not sure if the belts were an optional extra, but after market ones were available.
Thanks Matt for reminding me that Vauxhall made some wonderful cars in the 60s & 70s. I had a Cresta and a VX490 Intercontinental both of which were huge boats sporting straight 6 engines with enormous torque. In 76 I took the Cresta to the Welsh Rally as a spectator, totally unsuitable for forest roads but good for sleeping in. Rust buckets they were but great fun for minimum money.
Great fun for me in about 1967 68 driving my Dad’s around
Fun times ✌🏼🌈
Thanks for posting
My dad & mum had a 1958 Vauxhall Victor Super exported to Antigonish, Nova Scotia Canada. Antigonish is a University Town home of St. Francis Xavier University & The Cody International Institute. Love & all the best from Canada.
What an amazing car!!! So quintessentially 1950s! I had a yellow matchbox model of that.... loved it!
The Matchbox mod els didn't rust as much as the real ones - you were lucky.
Another excellent review of the vaxhall victor i am 66 years old and i remember these cars and the exhaust pipe coming out of the rear bumper i do not know how many are still kicking around australia
Two abiding memories of a 1958 one my father had. Went out one morning and the rear springs had collapsed, I think the garage must have collected it and repaired it-wasn't very old at the time. The other memory was reving like mad in that 2nd gear up hills in a desperate attempt to overtake, not good in a hilly area like Dorset.
The FB he got next also had 3 on the tree but was a much nicer car and you didn't bang your knee on entry, still revy in 2nd.
My favourite was the brand new FC he got in 1967 that I passed my test in. That was like floating on air and it had 4 on the floor.
I remember seeing a lot of terminally rotten ones of these. The harsh winters of the 60s did them in.
Yes people forget that when blaming the cars, it would snow for weeks in some years and then there was acid rain from coal burning.These days if they see an inch of snow they will not go out, in those days they would plough on in their cars regardless.
They used salt on the roads to melt the snow - terrible for setting up serious corrosion which ate the car!
Wonderful little car! . Being a kid in the US i had Matchbox cars. I didn’t know or probably care at the time where they were made but now as an adult I see your videos and
realize I was playing with British models like this one all along.
My first car was one of these in 1971, bought for £40.00, brown and cream, very solid car. Followed by a 1964 Victor 101
Love most of the British cars of this era, I well remember when very young being brought home from a trip to Sheerness with my mother in one of these, owned by a family friend after my father sopped driving. Very rare to see one now but an absolute delight when one does appear on the road. Thanks for this.
OOOHH!!! Had the Matchbox version that I picked up long after it was in production. Here in the US, the closest I recall seeing the real thing was a Cresta on the roads of Ontario where British cars were more popular. I know Vauxhall was a "captive import" sold through North American Pontiac dealerships circa 1958 to 1961. GREAT STUFF!!!!!!
Bout time someone did a proper video of one of these Vauxhalls 👌👍. Hardly ever see these, but my favourite is the FE series of the late 60s and the Crests PC of the 70s
FE / VX series are my favourite too - we 3 estates when I was a kid - I thought they were much more interesting than a Cortina.
@@simonhodgetts6530and little bit bigger than the cortina and with a front bench seat quite roomy
My Dad's first car, same colour which I learnt to drive on. We drove miles in this car in the early 60's, out early on a Sunday morning driving through central London heading for the coast. Never the same destination but often through the Ashdown Forest heading for Eastbourne / south coast. Lovely reliable engine, comfortable seats and big boot. Could have done with four speed gearbox, but engine was quite torguey. Door sill rust was the biggest issue. We loved that car.
In 1970, someone we knew was about to scrap their 10-year-old Victor as its engine had failed. My brother took it off them to £10, intending to move the tyres to his 100E Pop. The body wasn't bad though, so we sourced a scrapyard Bedford van engine and it became his daily driver. The registration is still extant.
Just saying I'm addicted to your reviews, been subscribed for 2,5 years, I might be a bit of a hardcore car nerd :) Keep up the magnificent content, cheers from Finland! 🤘
haha thanks for watching!
I don't recall ever seeing one in those colours before. Very nice. My father had a red and grey deluxe version as his first company car in the very early sixties.
It brings back memories of family holidays going down to Cornwall over night.
The deluxe model had leather seats so rather nice. Much better than the vinyl seats he had in a later FB facelift super which got painfully hot when the car was left in the sun.
The car used to cruise reasonably well at an indicated 70. My father said that he once took it up to an indicated 80 (optimistic Speedo I imagine) but said it felt quite scary and he was never tempted to try it again!
Series 1 better looking more charater. Always enjoy your vids.
I've just brought a 61 Victor the same as this but in Maroon and it's not rotten great video.
I lije your reviews because they are quite detailed with the design, technical and historical information. Please don't change the format!
Like the GRRC sticker, and you can live the 50s lifestyle at the Revival. Great video for a rustbucket par excellence.
Happy memories I had a 1960 Victor in two tone black and grey bucket seats the ohv engine was very smooth and tough...but rust was issue
Good informative doc--there is a good Vauxhall car club here in New Zealand and I have seen several Victors at classic car shows in Auckland thanks for the post
Growing up in the Sixties there were loads of these old Vauxhalls knocking about but I thought they were ugly compared to the new and very swish (boxy) Vivas and Crestas that seemed so much more up to date. Now I've changed my mind. What a lovely old F model! Love and peace.
i love the fa just cant find them now i have a pa cresta love that car cheers davey
I remember a neighbor had one in the same colour as the one in the video less the black.He was a sales rep for Cadbury’s. It was a company car.
This final series 'run out' model was the best version, - cleaner lines and nice colour schemes. Is the car running on radial tyres?
Yes please!
Gorgeous colour too
First car I remember, as a kid, one of the family having, followed by a Cresta two Zephyr 6s then two Arrow Rapiers.
Nice company cars in their day but he worked for an oil company whereas my first company cars were Escorts and Corollas 😂
Some popular Fermanagh registration plates about with BIG, DIG, FIG, GIG etc then the IL range.
My family had one of these in Canada. Left hand drive export model. Drove like a truck. Lots of vibration from the low gearing.
I remember one of my neighbours in Ireland had a rusty one he bought for £3. He put loads of filler and steel wool in it and re sprayed it with a vacum cleaner on the side of the street one sunny Saturday morning. It looked the buissness!
Great video Matt! Gorgeous old thing...especially love that very pretty two-tone paint as well!
Column shifts always make me think of the Trabant, haha! Would love to see you do a review of one of those someday! :D
Theese old british cars are underrated. They are very cool!
I wish 1961 to 1965 had been the years of my birth, instead of been born in the year 1969 and the classic era of Dr Who started on bbc1 with Bill Hartnell in monochrome and ran for 26 years .
What a wonderfully looked after and cared for car. Top review!
My dad had one of these. I learned to drive on it! We even drove it to the Costa Brava on holiday with 5 on board. No problem. The suspension was a bit soft. The cross ply tyres really squealed if you went just a bit too fast around a corner, which was probably just as well!
That's awesome..... you do find some interesting cars to review!
Hi to you both another transformation from a scrap wreck to a reprieved car and a new life courtesy of the parts car and your skill and passion many thanks once again for being there and showing us another interesting and entertaining videot
Loved driving my old cars with the column gear change , basic but they lasted . Thank you for the review
Loving the original Northern Irish County Fermanagh registration!
It is Fermanagh - however, it's not that car's original reg. as "G" wasn't used on the original series of UK Reg marks (1903). The IG for Fermanagh came out in 2004. It does give the car an original "look" though, especially with the black and ally plate. Wonder what the car's actual original plate was ??
Pontiac sold them in the US - or rather attempted to. By the time I started car spotting as a kid, these were long off the market and seeing one was rare - some older eccentric ex pat Brit maybe. Slightly (very slightly) more common was the Opel Rekord (brought to you by Buick) of the same era which to my young eyes looked almost identical; they seemed to find a wider audience over here.
I used to like the Cresta´s, Velox´s and for ford, the Zodiak. they did remind me of a slice of Americana. The vauxhall´s had some really delicious colour combinations too. Lovely car´s-
Great car, Great colour, very 2023 on point !
My Grandad had a red one and I've travelled miles and miles sat in the front when I was a kid. His finally rusted and fell apart.
Sounds familiar 😊
Victor (with its Canadian-design Envoy model, tastefuly tweaked front & rear) was a bigger hit in Canada than in US, partly due to our less intense north-of-border highway construction and thus less demand for speed. I saw *many* Victors and Envoys as a car-geek boy, age 4 in 1960.
Remember seeing a few around in the early 70s, great nostalgia thanks !
Interesting how both Vauxhall and Holden aped the '57 Chevrolet styling in smaller and more austere packages. I saw a FB or EK Holden parked next to a '57 Chev at a car meet and although the styling cues were the same, the Chev was way bigger, bolder and classier. The Holden was produced from 1960 to mid 1962 and instantly looked dated once the low and squarer Ford Falcon XK was released in late 1960.
Got it in yellow, from Matchbox :) Lovely design 🥰
My dad had Vauxhall's in the 60's and 70's he loved the bench seat i think the last one he had was an F D with one fitted and they stopped with the early Transcontinental. I remember he had a Corsair as well for a short while 🚗🚗👍👍
10:57.....fantastic sounding starter motor !! Lovely little clunk from the pinion 👍👍👍
My father had one of these ,a1959 model when it was 3 years old the front wings had started to rust through very badly.
A great looking car. I enjoyed this. Thanks for the video.
Excellent renavation on that Vauxhall,they were
an easy car to drive on country roads as they were fairly low geared
Rust was the problem
as with all cars of that Erie.
If l rust l bust, no rust no bust.
Some people called them the Luton dustbin
My first old banger in 1967. Passed my test in it but it was 90% rust and soon bits fell off with increasing frequency.
My Dad bought one new in 1961, it was a deluxe with leather seats, and brown and cream colour scheme. Good car but started showing rust issues two years later. He traded it in for a Victor FB which didn't seem to have rust problems as he kept it for 17 years
The FB was really excellently rust free, like an over compensation for the bad name they got. FC, FD and FE models were good but FBs seemed to outlast these later cars.
Just imagine that this car was made in the same year as the first E-Types...
Yes, but the E-Type was about 2.5 times dearer, and you couldn't get your mother in law in the back.
@@replevideo6096 Which was a bonus! 😉
@replevideo that was what you were paying for!
Yes, there were many still around throughout the mid-60s. But don't forget it was really a mid-50s design, and a 'run out' model, before ending later in the year (61). So it was not really typical of the 60s in terms of overall design.
The interior is almost minimalist and really attractive. When I was a kid we all knew that Vauxhall Victors (right up to later ones like the FD) would only last a couple of years before dissolving.
The reason for inboard spare wheel, most American are the same, is leaf spring rear suspension.
Excellent review.
Or course! My HA Viva had the spare snugly against the side panel, so it must have been outside the line of the spring leaves. A square body would have helped with packaging! :-) Interesting to play spot-the-common-part between the two vehicles.
Refreshed '59, in part to tone down some more-showy, oft-derided US styling cues e.g.heavy bonnet (front hood) ornamenting and "Darrin Dip" (behind front doors) named for famed US auto man Howard "Dutch" Darrin.
I think it was my third car way back in the 60s which was one of these. Mine was the deluxe model so had individual front seats. A fabulous car except for the fact that the rear floor collapsed due to rot.
Some very smart friends of my parents had one of these, circa 1960. Sybil drove the Victor and her husband Bob drove a Mk IX Jaguar.
He looks a bit like the Opel Rekord from this time ,but the Vauxhal has his more a british Style
That makes sense, as both companies were owned by GM at the time. The design focus would be Americana with just a tiny bit of local influence.
The 'deluxe' was the one to have..with individual comfy leather seats and IIRC a padded dash. That 1508 powertrain was a lovely little thing.The estates made the rather staid looking later Victor FB and Cresta PB look great IMHO.
My first car, I did not have it very long. The handbrake was fantastic, it turned out that the "Y" handbrake cable was the only thing supporting the rear of the rear springs !! It was taken back to the seller, who after a chat with my father, reluctantly returned the purchase price.
My dad bought a deluxe model in this colour combination. Leather trim. Cost £850, 10 shillings and 10 pence. Plus £15 for heater. Loved that car but so disappointed he didn't spend a bit more and buy the pink cresta.
I'm lead to believe that one of these was the first car I ever travelled in when I was brought home from the maternity ward.
Superb drive. Not watched a Vauxhall feature earlier. Your right the styling of the car is more 'Detroit' than 'Luton'.😁
Looking back at the car at 11:38 you can see the body rolling about like a boat, at about 15 mph lol
An absolutely beautiful car. I have never seen one. I was born in 1967 and my memories of Vauxhalls are only of the FB Victors which were very popular in our local area and of course the square FC models and the big muscular looking coke bottle Victors. Obviously the F series had all rusted into scrap before the end of the 60s.
I bought one in 1965 and my cousin and his pal also both had them.
@@replevideo6096 the were indeed fine cars.
My first car lover it had it for about 3 years £400 got rid just as rust set in memories
My dad had a two tone blue one, the first car that I ever travelled in.