Thanks for this blast from the past. My first ever car was a 74 Viva special edition which was a tarted up base model. This meant it had such luxuries as plaid cloth inserts on the seats, carpet, tan vinyl roof and stripes. It still had the external bonnet release, unassisted drum brakes, skinny crossply tyres, no heated rear window and no passenger sun visor. This was at a time when you could buy Japanese cars for the same money with all the equipment you needed plus reliability. I'll never forget my Viva broke down on Park Lane in London during the rush hour; that was fun.
Oh my goodness me! That doesn't sound like fun. I think around 1974 would have been the last time that the Vivas had unassisted drum brakes from what I discovered in my research. I was a bit careful with this because of that. Crossply tyres sound absolutely terrifying, but not quite as much as breaking down on Park Lane! Thank you for watching and commenting.
I loved driving this one so much. Yes the Avenger, feels tighter to drive, released around the same time, but I have soft spot for the HC Viva. This one is an absolute stunner condition wise both inside and out. Another excellent review sir.
It was a bit of a pain to start, and it was insanely basic, especially in this pre-1973 form with no disc brakes or servo assistance. Can't believe my family owned three of these at roughly the same time!
That car is in lovely shape. They didn't survive well here in Canada. I had 58,59,60 and 61 vauxhalls and I loved those cars. When they went to the viva and epic they were a much lighter and less reliable car. I intend to get the better of my 60s back on the road.
Yes, the condition is absolutely incredible. It was a privilege to drive this, even if there were some other cars (as you will see in the description) that I drove that day which I preferred. Thank you for watching all the way from Canada! Any Envoy or Vauxhall must be really rare where you are now.
One Envoy Epic still exists on Quadra Island BC, did I spell that island correctly ? I think the white two door had 42,000 miles with a yellow bonnet ( hood ), complete with the mandatory quad round front lights on the HB Epic. Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 😀 ❤
There was four of us in my family 👪 that had these cars, hb, hc & magnum & Chevette & ( CA & CF ), my dad and I had multiple models out in the colony of NZ, incidentally, my 👩 mother imported them which helped ❤
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting! These were extremely popular cars back in the day, despite their shortcomings, but seemingly forgotten now.
HB's were very bad for rust, particularly in the sills, front guards & where suspension was attached, sometimes in the family had two or three Viva's / Magnum & CF all at once, happy carefree motoring nearly half a century ago ❤@@lloydvehicleconsulting
Yes, as I think that I mentioned in the video, back in the 1970s, we had at least three Vivas in the family. They might have rusted badly, and not been the most sophisticated cars at the time, but they were extremely popular!
The button below the steering column is pushed simultaneously when removing the ignition key. It activates the steering lock. How sad I remember that from my 1976 Viva in the early 80s! Great review of a nostalgic icon!
I bet if you had a pound for every time someone commented ‘my Dad had one of those’ you’d have a lot of pounds. But my dad really did have one of those. In that exact spec, colour, even age (it’s not that exact car though!). The only brand new car he’s ever bought……sold a year later for a yellow Cortina mk3 estate………because he couldn’t get his electric piano in the boot……..excellent video as always Sir!
Glad you enjoyed it, sir! Well, my father had one of these too, and it broke down on my parents' honeymoon. I think theirs was a bit of a higher specification than this one, however! I think you have just hit upon the rationale behind the whole Drive Dad's Car experience, and I do hope to try a Mark III Cortina Estate at some point soon too.
Brilliant video. This is identical to my first car, L reg, same colour, same spec. Rubber mats rather than carpets, all round drum brakes, no servo, no heated rear window, no internal boot lock, fixed seats, reusable oil filter (just change the internal catridge. Very easy to work on. Mirrors are obviously an add-on. There were no external ones on mine
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. This car was incredibly basic, but clearly some people wanted this sort of thing, so Vauxhall provided it for them. The lack of brake servo and drum brakes were not as quite as scary as I thought. Indeed, lots and lots of room under the bonnet!
Thankyou for sharing Sir. Cracking survivor & wonderful colour, a North East registration, should have rusted away years ago. Back when Vauxhall had amazing styling, I always loved the HC fluted wheel arches. These were everywhere in the 70s & 80s, a lot of later 70s cars had metallic paint.
That's right, American influenced design, quite a colour, and in amazing condition. As my family had three of these, they must have been everywhere back in the day!
Excellent review Sir. I well remember a friend's dad getting a brand new blue Viva on a P-plate, making it 1975 or 76. With 2 kids, he left the protective polythene on the rear seat for a long time afterwards!
Ha started off in Luton and the HA Van was only built there, all the HBs and HCs were built in Ellesmere port. 1256 was also used in MK1 Cavaliers. The Firenza coupe in south Africa had was badged Chevrolet Firenza had a V8 in it
Thank you very much indeed, yes, there was a base Mark I Cavalier with the 1256, which would have been a bit slow, I think. I don't think they have a Mark I you can drive at the museum, but I would certainly like to try one. Plenty of room in a Viva/Firenza engine bay for much bigger units than even the 2.3!
Yes, just a very basic and handsome car, my family had at least three of these owned by separate people. There is another car which I drove after this one which I preferred, but I am pleased to have tried a Viva as well.
I think I only ever saw two Magnums, one an 1800 and the other a 2300. I think the latter had a detuned Firenza engine but would be quite a decent performer. I've been in the van version of a Viva HA, badged as a Bedford. My pal and former neighbour Malcolm used one in his TV repair business and very briefly in a Viva HB but they'd be dog slow for modern traffic over a great distance on faster roads.
Oh yes, the good old Bedford HA! I think that they made those until around 1983. I can't remember ever seeing a Magnum myself... Thank you for watching!
In 1977 my mum took me and my sister out for a spin in our Viva...unfortunately she hit a pot hole at 15mph and snapped the steering column...none of us were wearing seat belts ...my sister and l were both in the front passenger seat...and all of us exited via the windscreen as the car went off the road. I still have a scar on my forehead 45 years later from where I smashed the windscreen...this car played a major part in my life.
Excellent review MR Lloyd, One of these was parked not too far away from where I lived, as children. I vividly remember the Garnet Starmist Metallic, with the same colour interior as this one. I'm going back well over 30 years ago.
Yes, I imagine it would be a while ago, as, like everything else at the time, these absolutely loved to rust. It is in amazing condition for over 50 years old.
@Lloyd Vehicle Consulting That Garnet Starmist Metallic paintwork, looked incredible when the sunlight shone on it, funny the things you remember from childhood. Yes, amazing condition, and quite a pretty design, Vauxhall had some lovely-looking cars around this era.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , they did have a lot of American influence back in the day, probably most obvious in the PC Cresta/Viscount and the FD Victor/Ventora, which were contemporary with the HB and HC Viva.
My mate had one at uni, good grief it felt dated. Quite a roomy car, but the asthmatic 1256 had a great deal of trouble pulling it around.. Coupled with rolling suspension, dodgy brakes and tyres, it felt positively ancient. They were definitely simpler times we lived in.
Ah! A staple of New Zealand motoring! Thanks for this video! We had various Vivas here, even some high performance ones! They were even popular with hot-rodders and car-customizers. Some even had V8s put in them for drag-racing! Believe it or not many survived into the late-1990s as high school student cars. A friend back then had an 1800 model and his Dad owned the wagon/hatch. Both cars were brown. This model's color was typical here too.
I can't imagine that the rust-proofing was any better on the New Zealand market cars than here, sir, and they were just cheap and disposable things for years, which explains why they would have all disappeared.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting We didn't salt our roads, so cars like this were more, ahem venerable. Clarkson did his 'nana when he did a show here in the mid 1990s and found that we still had Marinas and Avengers. They only disappeared because of tougher vehicle safety laws here.
In south africa 🇿🇦 they were factory fitted 🏭 there HC's with V8's from America 🇺🇸, they were branded Chevrolet Firenza ( aka the "Can-Am" ) used a 4 speed muncie manual shifter. Only 100 were made, only several in Europe and one in America. Here in my native New Zealand, a popular conversion in the Magnum with former OHC suspension was the Buick V6 3800cc used in Australian Holden Commodores. Incidentally, I have also seen this in Canadian Vauxhall Viva's ( and Envoy Epic's - Canadian HB & GT's ) Thanks for the 72 Vauxhall Viva, it needs to garaged and cherished. Both my parents were connected to Vauxhalls mother was a franchised importer downunder in New Zealand.😊
My late father had one of these , actually he was my stepfather, when we first met him . His was a 71 model in brown then he got a 76 Magnum in cedar green then a 1800 magnum in blue
I can't believe how popular these were back in the day! I suppose you could choose one of these, an Escort or something slightly larger like an Avenger or a Marina. Certainly, the latter two I tried the same day (links in the description below), and I think those are better cars, to be honest, but these just kept on selling.
Yes, my parents weren't very happy when theirs broke down on their honeymoon either! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Richard.
The Viva was one of my favourite cars, the doctor said he thought I needed to up my medication.However my first car and the car I learnt to drive in as well as the driving school car, which was also a Viva.I started to do some of the prestigious Motoring News road rallys and on one in South Wales car 1 was a DTV Viva driven by George Hill I think it won but I was told in less than 90 miles on country lanes he used 28 gallons of petrol and completely wore out the rear tyres I don,t think he would be on GrettaThomburg,s Christmas card list.Later I worked for a Vauxhall main dealer in Kent it was about the time of the release of the Cavalier and Chevette we had a 1300 GLS Viva in stock which looked a bit dated by comparison, so we registered as a runaround or general hack, this car was amazing it had a set of wheels on it I had not seen on other Vivas and sat a bit lower at the back, Seem to remember the rev counter started about the 2 o'clock position and finished about 10 o'clock it used to go to the end 10 o'clock and you could hold it there doing power slides and it never complained unlike the manger who thought a 1300 GLS shouldn't be driven like that.I also sold a blue 2 door that a customer had traded in because it was so unreliable it made his wife ill Against my better judgement I sold it to another customer my service manager said it would be more sensible to drive it in the River Thames however when I saw that customer years later he had no trouble with it and thought it was the best car he had ever had!
Thank you, Tim, for watching, commenting and subscribing. We all remember our first car, don't we? Good old Dealer Team Vauxhall! I drove a 1981 Chevette HSR last year, and that was really something quite extraordinary, these Vivas are a bit of a different prospect, really. Two out of the three of the HC Vivas owned by my family ended up having breakdowns, unfortunately....
When the HC Viva appeared in 1970 replacing the HB it retained the 1159cc OHV engine before the 1256 engine was fitted about a year later. There was a bigger 1800 engine, with the Firenza coupe, and the more upmarket Magnum.
When the HC retained the HB 1159cc, the HC retained the 1599cc slant 4 from both the HB and Victor FD as well. In fact you could also find it on early CF ( bedford vans ). The 1975cc slant 4 from the FD & GT could be found on early HC Firenza ( UK ) and the Canadian ( Federal ) Viva HC.
In OSCA racing in New Zealand, Paul Stanley ran a Mazda Rotary-powered monster built up from a standard Viva. The engine bay could just about take anything. Truly the BMW One Series of its age... Funny thing was that the distantly-related American Vega was originally intended for a Rotary!
I understand there were plans for an HD Viva in the mid to late 1970s as a hatchback but that was shelved completely for a FWD design. The pointed wings on the HC were smoothed out by 1974/5. I passed my driving test in January 1995. It was either later on in that year or 1996 when an old classmate came rocking up to wherever I was (with my V reg Mini) in a white T reg Viva. Can't really remember the conversation but he would have just passed his driving test and acquired the Viva for a few hundred quid.
Yes, I can well imagine that Vivas were available really cheaply back in the mid 1990s. The Astra was probably what that front wheel drive replacement for the Viva became. These were indeed everywhere when I was growing up as well!
My family had three of these in the 1970s (including one that broke down on my parents' honeymoon in 1975), so when I first saw this car in the museum in 2021, I knew I wanted to try it, and I was glad that I did.
That's a now very rare fleet model Viva Standard. As basic as they came and usually bought by company fleet buyers for junior sales staff. Private buyers usually at least bought a Deluxe with carpets!
"It pulls OK" That's not what my Nan thought when my Grandad bought her one. She told him to get rid of it after it scared her to death pulling onto a roundabout more slowly than the Beetles she was used to.
The 59 bhp Polo I drove recently was scarier than this, as it only had slightly more power and was significantly heavier, so when I pulled out of a junction, it was absolutely terrifying. The Chevette HSR, on the other hand...
My grandmother had two HC Vivas. A white K-reg one very similar to the one you drove, then a newer blue metallic one which I think had a bit more power. Clutches and fuel pumps were the weak points. Both failed with great regularity.
Yes, I can't remember the reason for the breakdown on my parents' honeymoon! I couldn't believe how many my family had owned during the 1970s. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting This car is very nostalgic for me, so I enjoyed the video very much. I think the square thing on the underside of the steering column was some sort of release for the steering lock. Quite tricky to operate as I recall.
I agree entirely that more powerful servo assisted brakes, together with fade free discs would make these cars still acceptable today! But we have had to come a lo g way with ALL THINGS in general. Those times got good styles alright - but not the refinement! You mentioned you drive a Ssangyong (well done!), with heated seats - even in the rear. Isn't THAT what all cars should feature TODAY? Ilike your reviews best, that are about cars from BEFORE your time - because that really is a blank canvas for you to review. Your reviews are NOT prejudiced, and it is interesting to see what you will make of such cars!
I think that I should probably make a video at some point about the ten cars that least enjoyed driving, and this Viva was certainly on that list. Scary handling, slightly rubbish brakes, strangely non-compliant gearbox and a very old-fashioned feeling, even for the early 1970s. The Chrysler Avenger and the Morris Marina I drove on the same day were an awful lot better, particularly the Avenger. I like driving both very old cars and very new cars (and everything in between on the channel), but the visits I have done to this museum will always be extremely special.
The Mark I Escort really isn't a very sophisticated car at all. Neither is the Marina, but I preferred the Marina to this, even though it was a basic model too. I can't remember if they have a 1970s Escort at the museum, they certainly have a Mark IV and a Mark VI.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I have to disagree, back in their day I found a newish Mk1 Escort a lovely smooth running little car. Road holding was solid and it felt part of you. It definitely had the edge on a Viva and Marina. A lot of these cars when new were so much better than ones with 80,000 miles on the clock. There was only 4 gears in those days and the engines were shot a lot quicker.
@@levelcrossing150 , the market clearly agrees with you, given that two door Mark I and Mark II Escorts these days are worth about a million pounds each, and the Marinas and Vivas....aren't!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting No rear seatbelts either. Us kids were little missiles in the back. I used to stand up in the middle, one hand on each front seat, looking forward at the view. Brother lay supine along the seat behind me. Sister often lay along the rear parcel shelf. 😄 God knows how we survived! Those were the days. 😉
Well, I have just been to the Enfield Pageant of Motoring and they had a whole display of Vivas and related cars there, with lots of HCs! As you say, little child shaped missiles with no seat belts in the back.
I did ask if they were still under £5,000 on the whole, and I think that they are, although it's probably getting hard to find one. Thank you for watching, sir!
What a lovely example, but if you want a decent spec then the basic Viva is not the one for you. It never sold well and it was the Viva Deluxe that was the best seller followed by the Viva SL, which would have been the car I would have chosen. I had a HB Viva SL90 for my second car and I think it was a very pretty car in in it's day. The HC gained it's smoother shape in an attempt to increase window space and make the car brighter inside. The button underneath the column was to prevent the driver from accidentally pulling the key out if they decided to do some coasting. Static seat belts were not uncommon in cars of this age, 10 years earlier we never even had any seat belts. Mk2 Cortinas and early Mk1 Escorts had a bonnet catch in the front too. The small engined Viva auto was a complete disaster. I sold a used deluxe 1159cc auto to a customer who brought it back because of lack of power. My sales manager thought it had been nursed and so it just needed a long run and a good blow out, so I took it home for a few nights to do that, but it never got any better. To be fair we found the Vivas very reliable and running my own HB supports this.
There's not really any specification at all, is there? Having had three of these in the family before I was born, and two having had quite serious problems (I asked my uncles about them the day before filming), it would appear that it would depend on whether you got a good one or a bad one. The condition of this one is simply amazing. I have driven a few cars with static seat belts, and I am afraid I absolutely hate them, and they would be the first thing to go if I were to buy something of this age. Of course, you didn't need to wear them until 1983 anyway! That 1159 Viva Automatic sounds like a bit of a waste of time, to be honest.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Ahh basic was extremely basic in those days. Just look at the early Mk1 Escort 1300 Sport to see what Ford tried to get away with. Eventually they added a few goodies on it to make it more attractive, but it still did not make much difference for them. They did not learn anything from that though as they tried to do it again with the Mk2 RS2000 base model but it didn't work again. Seat belts were not a big deal in those days, nothing like they are considered now. The autos were old technology in those days and were a hell of a drag on the engine, certainly not good on a small engined car.
@@levelcrossing150 , in the mid-1970s, my parents did consider buying a Mark II Escort Popular, but my mother got put off by the fact that it didn't even have carpets in it, just rubber mats! I think that the oldest automatic I have ever driven was the 1967 Rover 2000 Automatic. That wasn't too bad, to honest.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes the pop was pretty basic again. Ok if your not really interested in cars or comfort and just wanted a car to get you from A to B with nothing much else for the least money, and then they brought out the pop plus, lol. I think the "L" spec was a realistic starting level with these cars. The Rover 2000 was always a nice car and the decent size engine worked fine with an auto gearbox. To be honest most cars back in my day had manual gearboxes. It was only when I started selling the British Leyland range did I realise that most Jag XJ6 4.2's we sold had the auto option included, as the engine and gearbox worked so well together.
@@levelcrossing150 , yes, automatics were rare at the time of the Rover 2000 I tested. The Jaguar XJ6 would have been perfect for a nice smooth automatic at the time.
Thanks for this blast from the past. My first ever car was a 74 Viva special edition which was a tarted up base model. This meant it had such luxuries as plaid cloth inserts on the seats, carpet, tan vinyl roof and stripes. It still had the external bonnet release, unassisted drum brakes, skinny crossply tyres, no heated rear window and no passenger sun visor. This was at a time when you could buy Japanese cars for the same money with all the equipment you needed plus reliability. I'll never forget my Viva broke down on Park Lane in London during the rush hour; that was fun.
Oh my goodness me! That doesn't sound like fun. I think around 1974 would have been the last time that the Vivas had unassisted drum brakes from what I discovered in my research. I was a bit careful with this because of that. Crossply tyres sound absolutely terrifying, but not quite as much as breaking down on Park Lane! Thank you for watching and commenting.
I loved driving this one so much. Yes the Avenger, feels tighter to drive, released around the same time, but I have soft spot for the HC Viva. This one is an absolute stunner condition wise both inside and out. Another excellent review sir.
It was a bit of a pain to start, and it was insanely basic, especially in this pre-1973 form with no disc brakes or servo assistance. Can't believe my family owned three of these at roughly the same time!
That car is in lovely shape. They didn't survive well here in Canada. I had 58,59,60 and 61 vauxhalls and I loved those cars. When they went to the viva and epic they were a much lighter and less reliable car. I intend to get the better of my 60s back on the road.
Yes, the condition is absolutely incredible. It was a privilege to drive this, even if there were some other cars (as you will see in the description) that I drove that day which I preferred. Thank you for watching all the way from Canada! Any Envoy or Vauxhall must be really rare where you are now.
One Envoy Epic still exists on Quadra Island BC, did I spell that island correctly ?
I think the white two door had 42,000 miles with a yellow bonnet ( hood ), complete with the mandatory quad round front lights on the HB Epic.
Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 😀 ❤
There was four of us in my family 👪 that had these cars, hb, hc & magnum & Chevette & ( CA & CF ), my dad and I had multiple models out in the colony of NZ, incidentally, my 👩 mother imported them which helped ❤
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting! These were extremely popular cars back in the day, despite their shortcomings, but seemingly forgotten now.
HB's were very bad for rust, particularly in the sills, front guards & where suspension was attached, sometimes in the family had two or three Viva's / Magnum & CF all at once, happy carefree motoring nearly half a century ago ❤@@lloydvehicleconsulting
Yes, as I think that I mentioned in the video, back in the 1970s, we had at least three Vivas in the family. They might have rusted badly, and not been the most sophisticated cars at the time, but they were extremely popular!
The button below the steering column is pushed simultaneously when removing the ignition key. It activates the steering lock. How sad I remember that from my 1976 Viva in the early 80s! Great review of a nostalgic icon!
Yes, we soon found out what that release was for when I had to take out the key! Thank you for watching, sir, I hope that you are doing really well.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting All is well thank you. Watching the used car prices with interest too 🙂
@@AndrewKNI , glad to hear that you are doing well, sir! Yes, we are all focused on those prices, aren't we?
I bet if you had a pound for every time someone commented ‘my Dad had one of those’ you’d have a lot of pounds. But my dad really did have one of those. In that exact spec, colour, even age (it’s not that exact car though!). The only brand new car he’s ever bought……sold a year later for a yellow Cortina mk3 estate………because he couldn’t get his electric piano in the boot……..excellent video as always Sir!
Glad you enjoyed it, sir! Well, my father had one of these too, and it broke down on my parents' honeymoon. I think theirs was a bit of a higher specification than this one, however! I think you have just hit upon the rationale behind the whole Drive Dad's Car experience, and I do hope to try a Mark III Cortina Estate at some point soon too.
Brilliant video. This is identical to my first car, L reg, same colour, same spec. Rubber mats rather than carpets, all round drum brakes, no servo, no heated rear window, no internal boot lock, fixed seats, reusable oil filter (just change the internal catridge. Very easy to work on. Mirrors are obviously an add-on. There were no external ones on mine
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. This car was incredibly basic, but clearly some people wanted this sort of thing, so Vauxhall provided it for them. The lack of brake servo and drum brakes were not as quite as scary as I thought. Indeed, lots and lots of room under the bonnet!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Great introduction to motoring as an 18 year old.
@@v99nda, yes, I imagine that it must have been! Popular driving school cars back in the day too!
Thankyou for sharing Sir. Cracking survivor & wonderful colour, a North East registration, should have rusted away years ago. Back when Vauxhall had amazing styling, I always loved the HC fluted wheel arches. These were everywhere in the 70s & 80s, a lot of later 70s cars had metallic paint.
That's right, American influenced design, quite a colour, and in amazing condition. As my family had three of these, they must have been everywhere back in the day!
Your 2 door standard looks like UK British Racing Green 😊
Luton was where they assembled the HC / HB estate along with mk1 & 2 GT's. The four door was Ellesmere Port.
Thank you ever so much indeed for the extra information!
Excellent review Sir. I well remember a friend's dad getting a brand new blue Viva on a P-plate, making it 1975 or 76.
With 2 kids, he left the protective polythene on the rear seat for a long time afterwards!
Yes, I think polythene left on the seats was a sign of someone being very careful back in the day! Thank you for watching, sir.
I have seen this practice done on CBU Viva's imported into my native New Zealand 🇳🇿 and the cars were ten years old !
Ha started off in Luton and the HA Van was only built there, all the HBs and HCs were built in Ellesmere port. 1256 was also used in MK1 Cavaliers. The Firenza coupe in south Africa had was badged Chevrolet Firenza had a V8 in it
Thank you very much indeed, yes, there was a base Mark I Cavalier with the 1256, which would have been a bit slow, I think. I don't think they have a Mark I you can drive at the museum, but I would certainly like to try one. Plenty of room in a Viva/Firenza engine bay for much bigger units than even the 2.3!
Excellent review as always Sir, a great little car in that shade of green, you can see why they were popular back in the day.
Yes, just a very basic and handsome car, my family had at least three of these owned by separate people. There is another car which I drove after this one which I preferred, but I am pleased to have tried a Viva as well.
I think I only ever saw two Magnums, one an 1800 and the other a 2300. I think the latter had a detuned Firenza engine but would be quite a decent performer. I've been in the van version of a Viva HA, badged as a Bedford. My pal and former neighbour Malcolm used one in his TV repair business and very briefly in a Viva HB but they'd be dog slow for modern traffic over a great distance on faster roads.
Oh yes, the good old Bedford HA! I think that they made those until around 1983. I can't remember ever seeing a Magnum myself... Thank you for watching!
In 1977 my mum took me and my sister out for a spin in our Viva...unfortunately she hit a pot hole at 15mph and snapped the steering column...none of us were wearing seat belts ...my sister and l were both in the front passenger seat...and all of us exited via the windscreen as the car went off the road. I still have a scar on my forehead 45 years later from where I smashed the windscreen...this car played a major part in my life.
That sounds like an utterly traumatic experience. I take it that your mother did not buy another Vauxhall Viva after that happened?
Excellent review MR Lloyd,
One of these was parked not too far away from where I lived, as children. I vividly remember the Garnet Starmist Metallic, with the same colour interior as this one. I'm going back well over 30 years ago.
Yes, I imagine it would be a while ago, as, like everything else at the time, these absolutely loved to rust. It is in amazing condition for over 50 years old.
@Lloyd Vehicle Consulting
That Garnet Starmist Metallic paintwork, looked incredible when the sunlight shone on it, funny the things you remember from childhood. Yes, amazing condition, and quite a pretty design, Vauxhall had some lovely-looking cars around this era.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , they did have a lot of American influence back in the day, probably most obvious in the PC Cresta/Viscount and the FD Victor/Ventora, which were contemporary with the HB and HC Viva.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. didn't vauxhall finish their paint off with a coating called "Magic Mirror" ?
My mate had one at uni, good grief it felt dated. Quite a roomy car, but the asthmatic 1256 had a great deal of trouble pulling it around.. Coupled with rolling suspension, dodgy brakes and tyres, it felt positively ancient. They were definitely simpler times we lived in.
Oh my goodness me! The body roll on these at just 15-20 mph was absolutely comical. Most certainly simpler times 51 years ago!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I remember the 1256cc flat out was 147kph, never forgot those days.
I seem to remember the 2 door, estate and GT (hb) were assembled at Luton, whilst the 4 door was assembled at Ellesmere port 😮❤
You may well be right about that, actually...
Ah! A staple of New Zealand motoring! Thanks for this video! We had various Vivas here, even some high performance ones! They were even popular with hot-rodders and car-customizers. Some even had V8s put in them for drag-racing! Believe it or not many survived into the late-1990s as high school student cars. A friend back then had an 1800 model and his Dad owned the wagon/hatch. Both cars were brown. This model's color was typical here too.
I can't imagine that the rust-proofing was any better on the New Zealand market cars than here, sir, and they were just cheap and disposable things for years, which explains why they would have all disappeared.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting We didn't salt our roads, so cars like this were more, ahem venerable. Clarkson did his 'nana when he did a show here in the mid 1990s and found that we still had Marinas and Avengers. They only disappeared because of tougher vehicle safety laws here.
In south africa 🇿🇦 they were factory fitted 🏭 there HC's with V8's from America 🇺🇸, they were branded Chevrolet Firenza ( aka the "Can-Am" ) used a 4 speed muncie manual shifter.
Only 100 were made, only several in Europe and one in America.
Here in my native New Zealand, a popular conversion in the Magnum with former OHC suspension was the Buick V6 3800cc used in Australian Holden Commodores.
Incidentally, I have also seen this in Canadian Vauxhall Viva's ( and Envoy Epic's - Canadian HB & GT's )
Thanks for the 72 Vauxhall Viva, it needs to garaged and cherished.
Both my parents were connected to Vauxhalls mother was a franchised importer downunder in New Zealand.😊
My late father had one of these , actually he was my stepfather, when we first met him . His was a 71 model in brown then he got a 76 Magnum in cedar green then a 1800 magnum in blue
I can't believe how popular these were back in the day! I suppose you could choose one of these, an Escort or something slightly larger like an Avenger or a Marina. Certainly, the latter two I tried the same day (links in the description below), and I think those are better cars, to be honest, but these just kept on selling.
I remember my Dad had a Viva like this, L reg & green ,it was nothing but trouble always conking out🤔
Yes, my parents weren't very happy when theirs broke down on their honeymoon either! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Richard.
The Viva was one of my favourite cars, the doctor said he thought I needed to up my medication.However my first car and the car I learnt to drive in as well as the driving school car, which was also a Viva.I started to do some of the prestigious Motoring News road rallys and on one in South Wales car 1 was a DTV Viva driven by George Hill I think it won but I was told in less than 90 miles on country lanes he used 28 gallons of petrol and completely wore out the rear tyres I don,t think he would be on GrettaThomburg,s Christmas card list.Later I worked for a Vauxhall main dealer in Kent it was about the time of the release of the Cavalier and Chevette we had a 1300 GLS Viva in stock which looked a bit dated by comparison, so we registered as a runaround or general hack, this car was amazing it had a set of wheels on it I had not seen on other Vivas and sat a bit lower at the back, Seem to remember the rev counter started about the 2 o'clock position and finished about 10 o'clock it used to go to the end 10 o'clock and you could hold it there doing power slides and it never complained unlike the manger who thought a 1300 GLS shouldn't be driven like that.I also sold a blue 2 door that a customer had traded in because it was so unreliable it made his wife ill Against my better judgement I sold it to another customer my service manager said it would be more sensible to drive it in the River Thames however when I saw that customer years later he had no trouble with it and thought it was the best car he had ever had!
Thank you, Tim, for watching, commenting and subscribing. We all remember our first car, don't we? Good old Dealer Team Vauxhall! I drove a 1981 Chevette HSR last year, and that was really something quite extraordinary, these Vivas are a bit of a different prospect, really. Two out of the three of the HC Vivas owned by my family ended up having breakdowns, unfortunately....
When the HC Viva appeared in 1970 replacing the HB it retained the 1159cc OHV engine before the 1256 engine was fitted about a year later. There was a bigger 1800 engine, with the Firenza coupe, and the more upmarket Magnum.
Yes, there was also a 2300 engine. I actually mention all of what you say in the review.
When the HC retained the HB 1159cc, the HC retained the 1599cc slant 4 from both the HB and Victor FD as well.
In fact you could also find it on early CF ( bedford vans ).
The 1975cc slant 4 from the FD & GT could be found on early HC Firenza ( UK ) and the Canadian ( Federal ) Viva HC.
In OSCA racing in New Zealand, Paul Stanley ran a Mazda Rotary-powered monster built up from a standard Viva. The engine bay could just about take anything. Truly the BMW One Series of its age... Funny thing was that the distantly-related American Vega was originally intended for a Rotary!
I am not sure the Vega was related to this, sir, but they look vaguely similar.
I understand there were plans for an HD Viva in the mid to late 1970s as a hatchback but that was shelved completely for a FWD design. The pointed wings on the HC were smoothed out by 1974/5.
I passed my driving test in January 1995. It was either later on in that year or 1996 when an old classmate came rocking up to wherever I was (with my V reg Mini) in a white T reg Viva. Can't really remember the conversation but he would have just passed his driving test and acquired the Viva for a few hundred quid.
Yes, I can well imagine that Vivas were available really cheaply back in the mid 1990s. The Astra was probably what that front wheel drive replacement for the Viva became. These were indeed everywhere when I was growing up as well!
Have been following "Retro Rebuild" on UA-cam restoring his 75. Nice to see one this channel :)
My family had three of these in the 1970s (including one that broke down on my parents' honeymoon in 1975), so when I first saw this car in the museum in 2021, I knew I wanted to try it, and I was glad that I did.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting This ones a great example, great vid as always.
@@mikefoley360, thank you, sir, still got two more cars from this filming session to come.
That's a now very rare fleet model Viva Standard. As basic as they came and usually bought by company fleet buyers for junior sales staff. Private buyers usually at least bought a Deluxe with carpets!
Yes, the specification is ridiculously basic, isn't it? Incredible condition, however. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
"It pulls OK"
That's not what my Nan thought when my Grandad bought her one. She told him to get rid of it after it scared her to death pulling onto a roundabout more slowly than the Beetles she was used to.
The 59 bhp Polo I drove recently was scarier than this, as it only had slightly more power and was significantly heavier, so when I pulled out of a junction, it was absolutely terrifying. The Chevette HSR, on the other hand...
My grandmother had two HC Vivas. A white K-reg one very similar to the one you drove, then a newer blue metallic one which I think had a bit more power.
Clutches and fuel pumps were the weak points. Both failed with great regularity.
Yes, I can't remember the reason for the breakdown on my parents' honeymoon! I couldn't believe how many my family had owned during the 1970s. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting This car is very nostalgic for me, so I enjoyed the video very much. I think the square thing on the underside of the steering column was some sort of release for the steering lock. Quite tricky to operate as I recall.
@@chrisweddle2577 , yes, you are absolutely right! I worked that out as well, and managed to nail it first time...
My parents had a 1.2 Chevette. Some of the Viva's interior features and layout rings a bell. The Chevette had red vinyl seats - and no rear belts...
The Chevette as almost exclusively sold with that 1256cc engine!
I agree entirely that more powerful servo assisted brakes, together with fade free discs would make these cars still acceptable today! But we have had to come a lo g way with ALL THINGS in general. Those times got good styles alright - but not the refinement!
You mentioned you drive a Ssangyong (well done!), with heated seats - even in the rear. Isn't THAT what all cars should feature TODAY?
Ilike your reviews best, that are about cars from BEFORE your time - because that really is a blank canvas for you to review. Your reviews are NOT prejudiced, and it is interesting to see what you will make of such cars!
I think that I should probably make a video at some point about the ten cars that least enjoyed driving, and this Viva was certainly on that list. Scary handling, slightly rubbish brakes, strangely non-compliant gearbox and a very old-fashioned feeling, even for the early 1970s. The Chrysler Avenger and the Morris Marina I drove on the same day were an awful lot better, particularly the Avenger. I like driving both very old cars and very new cars (and everything in between on the channel), but the visits I have done to this museum will always be extremely special.
,Had an 1800 magnum in blue got it when stationed in Germany in 1975 used to drive back to UK 5 up lovely motor
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching! That is fascinating, I am not sure that I have seen a Magnum in a really long time.
Would be very interesting to drive this back to back with the contemporary Escort mark 1. I suspect the Escort would have run rings around it.
The Mark I Escort really isn't a very sophisticated car at all. Neither is the Marina, but I preferred the Marina to this, even though it was a basic model too. I can't remember if they have a 1970s Escort at the museum, they certainly have a Mark IV and a Mark VI.
Viva had reclining seats as standard . For a young gentleman that was a rather important advantage over the Ford lol
@@robtt997 , I see what you mean....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I have to disagree, back in their day I found a newish Mk1 Escort a lovely smooth running little car. Road holding was solid and it felt part of you. It definitely had the edge on a Viva and Marina. A lot of these cars when new were so much better than ones with 80,000 miles on the clock. There was only 4 gears in those days and the engines were shot a lot quicker.
@@levelcrossing150 , the market clearly agrees with you, given that two door Mark I and Mark II Escorts these days are worth about a million pounds each, and the Marinas and Vivas....aren't!
My dad had a light blue, 1972 model viva 1.3.
Top speed was 90 mph going down a steep hill, foot to the floor.
Yes, these 1.3 Vivas are not very fast at all. That sounds a bit scary in terms of creating maximum speed that way.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting No rear seatbelts either. Us kids were little missiles in the back. I used to stand up in the middle, one hand on each front seat, looking forward at the view. Brother lay supine along the seat behind me. Sister often lay along the rear parcel shelf. 😄
God knows how we survived!
Those were the days. 😉
Well, I have just been to the Enfield Pageant of Motoring and they had a whole display of Vivas and related cars there, with lots of HCs! As you say, little child shaped missiles with no seat belts in the back.
My 72 conifer green HC (bought in 77) sits in the garage next to my late father’s 72 (bought73) Carib blue avenger 1500.
Funnily enough, I drove a 1979 Chrysler Avenger on the same day as the Viva. The link is in the video description below if you are interested...
No 'Id Like To Teach The World To Sing' on the stereo? 😁
I can't remember if this even had a stereo in it, sir.
A car I'd love to own. Always ahd a soft spot for the HC's....but they're getting expensive now :(
I did ask if they were still under £5,000 on the whole, and I think that they are, although it's probably getting hard to find one. Thank you for watching, sir!
I have a 1972 Vauxhall Firenze fastback with a 1.8 slant 4
That sounds fantastic, I am sure that yours is probably a bit faster than this with better brakes!
Do you know that there WAS a V8 Viva made in South Africa? Called the Chevrolet Can-Am. Actually, it had the Firenza body.
I think that it was based on the Firenza, yes sir!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Looked it up! Terrifying car.
What a lovely example, but if you want a decent spec then the basic Viva is not the one for you. It never sold well and it was the Viva Deluxe that was the best seller followed by the Viva SL, which would have been the car I would have chosen. I had a HB Viva SL90 for my second car and I think it was a very pretty car in in it's day. The HC gained it's smoother shape in an attempt to increase window space and make the car brighter inside. The button underneath the column was to prevent the driver from accidentally pulling the key out if they decided to do some coasting. Static seat belts were not uncommon in cars of this age, 10 years earlier we never even had any seat belts. Mk2 Cortinas and early Mk1 Escorts had a bonnet catch in the front too. The small engined Viva auto was a complete disaster. I sold a used deluxe 1159cc auto to a customer who brought it back because of lack of power. My sales manager thought it had been nursed and so it just needed a long run and a good blow out, so I took it home for a few nights to do that, but it never got any better. To be fair we found the Vivas very reliable and running my own HB supports this.
There's not really any specification at all, is there? Having had three of these in the family before I was born, and two having had quite serious problems (I asked my uncles about them the day before filming), it would appear that it would depend on whether you got a good one or a bad one. The condition of this one is simply amazing. I have driven a few cars with static seat belts, and I am afraid I absolutely hate them, and they would be the first thing to go if I were to buy something of this age. Of course, you didn't need to wear them until 1983 anyway! That 1159 Viva Automatic sounds like a bit of a waste of time, to be honest.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Ahh basic was extremely basic in those days. Just look at the early Mk1 Escort 1300 Sport to see what Ford tried to get away with. Eventually they added a few goodies on it to make it more attractive, but it still did not make much difference for them. They did not learn anything from that though as they tried to do it again with the Mk2 RS2000 base model but it didn't work again. Seat belts were not a big deal in those days, nothing like they are considered now. The autos were old technology in those days and were a hell of a drag on the engine, certainly not good on a small engined car.
@@levelcrossing150 , in the mid-1970s, my parents did consider buying a Mark II Escort Popular, but my mother got put off by the fact that it didn't even have carpets in it, just rubber mats! I think that the oldest automatic I have ever driven was the 1967 Rover 2000 Automatic. That wasn't too bad, to honest.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes the pop was pretty basic again. Ok if your not really interested in cars or comfort and just wanted a car to get you from A to B with nothing much else for the least money, and then they brought out the pop plus, lol. I think the "L" spec was a realistic starting level with these cars. The Rover 2000 was always a nice car and the decent size engine worked fine with an auto gearbox. To be honest most cars back in my day had manual gearboxes. It was only when I started selling the British Leyland range did I realise that most Jag XJ6 4.2's we sold had the auto option included, as the engine and gearbox worked so well together.
@@levelcrossing150 , yes, automatics were rare at the time of the Rover 2000 I tested. The Jaguar XJ6 would have been perfect for a nice smooth automatic at the time.
Styling was probably borrowed from Opels and smaller Chevrolets of the same era? Spot the '68 Impala back end!
Yes, some of the larger Opels of the time did look like this, as did the Impala.
Had a viva x14 1800 auto lovely car until rot got the better of it I couldn't weld then 😑
Yes, I think that most of these probably got killed off by rust back in the day!
fixed seats in 72? that's very out of date Joseph. Lovely looking motor though.
Yes, this was because it was the base model, I think. Better equipment was available. Thank you, my friend!
5th
Well done, sir!