Most cars of the day had wipers like the Vauxhall's. The no-draft vent on the door was a feature of most American cars up until the late 1960s. They also sold quite a few in Canada, along with the Canadian-only variant, the Envoy. The 4 cylinder inline engine made an astounding 55 HP and was coupled to a 3-speed column shift manual transmission. Top speed in my sister's Vauxhall, a better example than mine, was maybe 65 mph, going downhill with a tailwind. One measurement not on your scoring system is personality. These cars had a distinct personality, and I would score them at least 8.14. Availability today is limited not only by low original sales numbers but also due to the fact that like many cars of their day, they were pretty much bio-degradable since they rusted out quickly. Nonetheless, if I was to buy an old car, I'd seriously consider a Vauxhall Victor, since my first car was a pretty much clapped-out 5-year-old example.
As an authority on this model I was really pleased with the presentation of this video. Your facts are bang on so you did your research well. Obviously still under restoration with a lot still to do. I see you need a bit more chrome parts and these are extremely difficult to find nowdays. In the UK a top restored car (concours) will fetch $22,000 but they are few and far between. Alas the radio is not the genuine item. I really love the F Series but alas don't own one anymore but if anyone wants to give me one..........
Thank you! That means a lot to hear from an authority on the Victor! I don't know if anyone will give you one, but there are a few project cars for sale in the US from $1500 USD last I checked..
VictorMan, thanks for the comments. I am the owner of the car and have all of the chrome bits, just need to get the securing parts figured out. As for the radio, this is the original radio to the vehicle, it is different than the UK versions.
@@troyTDI Hi Troy. Glad you have the bits to finish her. I said was not original radio as I could not see the side of the facia plate. It would be cured so it hugs the curve of the dashboard. I am pretty sure the knobs are not correct as you can see the securing nuts clearly. Surely they should be covered by the knobs. Still that's me being the fussy . Keep up the good work and stay safe.
As a Brit and a fan, I would love to see Vauxhall become a brand in it's own right again instead of living in Opel's shadow. As mentioned in the video, the brand is now only available new in the UK, but these vehicles are simply re-badged Opel's. It would be great if Stellantis made the decision to break Vauxhall away from Opel to manufacture it's own vehicles again globally.
Great to see there are a few of the early Victors still on the road in the USA. A correction at 1:35: Vauxhall exported not only the 4-door sedan to the States but a station wagon was also available. I owned a 1960 Super wagon in 1970 and 1971. Wish I still had it here today. At 2:55 it should be mentioned that the Victor at one time was the second best selling import car in Canada after the VW Beetle. Dual zone climate controls? If I remember correctly one of the two levers controls the amount of coolant flow through the heater core, which adjusts the temperature. The other lever directs airflow to the floor or to the windshield. And, the third lever under the dash controls and/or shuts off the airflow into the car's interior.
My grandparents bought a used 1960 Vauxhall Victor in the US at a Pontiac dealer. It came to me when parts were no longer available pre internet. It was pretty rusty by the 90's and I sold it. It was a fun car to drive.
In 50 years or so, I've only seen one Vauxhall in the US - a weathered grey sedan sticking out of a the overgrowth, behind a falling-down barn. near Chrisfield, Maryland, in the mid '70s. I can imagine the difficulty in finding parts, by the missing trim and shift-knob on this one. Once Detroit introduced their compacts - Falcon, Corvair & Valiant - in 1960, weaker imports like the Vauxhall didn't stand a chance. When parts supplies dried up, most wound up junked or abandoned, like the one I saw so many years ago!
Vauxhall is only sold new in the UK. In other right hand drive markets they are sold as Opel's. Vauxhall hasn't designed engineered or manufactured a vehicle independently since the original Viva. Modern Vauxhall's are just production variations of equivalent Opel models. Opel was also sold the Rekord in the United States during the same period. The Victor and the Rekord were very similar but contemporary reviewers and owners rated the Rekord much higher in quality as well as reliability and durability. Vauxhall's tenure in the United States was short but Opel continued to sell vehicles well into the seventies.
I've never seen a Viva, but once owned a '68 Opel Kadett sedan. From photos, I always thought the original Viva and original Kadett had a lot in common.
That's fair. From the factory these cars had a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine that made approximately 55 horsepower, it was mated to a 3 speed manual gearbox, and it was rear wheel drive. This car was equipped with both a different aftermarket engine and aftermarket automatic transmission which significantly changes the original driving dynamic.
A 1960 Vauxhall measured 167.5" overall length, with a 98.0" wheelbase. The engine was rated 55 HP @ 4,200 rpm, torque was 85 ft/lbs @ 2,400 and the displacement of the little 4 banger was 1.5 liters or 98 CID, fueled with a 1 bbl carb. It weighed only 2,150 lbs. Something I did not know until years after mine went to the crusher was it had uni-body construction, which helps to explain maybe why it was bio-degradable, and why it was only the carpet that kept my feet inside the car.
These weren't very popular in the US but were much more accepted in Canada. Opel was far more popular. GM quit importing vauxhalls with few people noticing. In Canada they quit after 72 with the Firenza when there was a class action law suit against GM because the Firenza was horribly unreliable and were know to catch on fire when still fairly new. When Oldsmobile introduced the Starfire Firenza in Canada they had to drop the Firenza name because the Vauxhall firenza fiasco was still fresh in the minds of canadians
It's amazing how just one border causes a world of difference in terms of receipt and opinion. It's also amazing that not much has seemed to change in terms of GM quality from the 70s to today..
@@SaleProofCarReviews Which is a shame, because I think the Vauxhall Firenza is one of the purest and prettiest car designs of all time, particularly from the side. It was quite exotic in HP form and was hugely successful in racing as Baby Bertha with Gerry Marshall behind the wheel.
I remember these cars very well, and not for a good reason. They RUSTED so quickly that it couldn't be true! Some examples only three years old had terminal rust issues. Word was that if you listened carefully, you could hear the thing fizz as it rusted.
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Most cars of the day had wipers like the Vauxhall's. The no-draft vent on the door was a feature of most American cars up until the late 1960s. They also sold quite a few in Canada, along with the Canadian-only variant, the Envoy. The 4 cylinder inline engine made an astounding 55 HP and was coupled to a 3-speed column shift manual transmission. Top speed in my sister's Vauxhall, a better example than mine, was maybe 65 mph, going downhill with a tailwind. One measurement not on your scoring system is personality. These cars had a distinct personality, and I would score them at least 8.14. Availability today is limited not only by low original sales numbers but also due to the fact that like many cars of their day, they were pretty much bio-degradable since they rusted out quickly. Nonetheless, if I was to buy an old car, I'd seriously consider a Vauxhall Victor, since my first car was a pretty much clapped-out 5-year-old example.
As an authority on this model I was really pleased with the presentation of this video. Your facts are bang on so you did your research well. Obviously still under restoration with a lot still to do. I see you need a bit more chrome parts and these are extremely difficult to find nowdays. In the UK a top restored car (concours) will fetch $22,000 but they are few and far between. Alas the radio is not the genuine item. I really love the F Series but alas don't own one anymore but if anyone wants to give me one..........
Thank you! That means a lot to hear from an authority on the Victor! I don't know if anyone will give you one, but there are a few project cars for sale in the US from $1500 USD last I checked..
VictorMan, thanks for the comments. I am the owner of the car and have all of the chrome bits, just need to get the securing parts figured out. As for the radio, this is the original radio to the vehicle, it is different than the UK versions.
@@troyTDI Hi Troy. Glad you have the bits to finish her. I said was not original radio as I could not see the side of the facia plate. It would be cured so it hugs the curve of the dashboard. I am pretty sure the knobs are not correct as you can see the securing nuts clearly. Surely they should be covered by the knobs. Still that's me being the fussy . Keep up the good work and stay safe.
As a Brit and a fan, I would love to see Vauxhall become a brand in it's own right again instead of living in Opel's shadow. As mentioned in the video, the brand is now only available new in the UK, but these vehicles are simply re-badged Opel's. It would be great if Stellantis made the decision to break Vauxhall away from Opel to manufacture it's own vehicles again globally.
Great to see there are a few of the early Victors still on the road in the USA.
A correction at 1:35: Vauxhall exported not only the 4-door sedan to the States but a station wagon was also available. I owned a 1960 Super wagon in 1970 and 1971. Wish I still had it here today.
At 2:55 it should be mentioned that the Victor at one time was the second best selling import car in Canada after the VW Beetle.
Dual zone climate controls? If I remember correctly one of the two levers controls the amount of coolant flow through the heater core, which adjusts the temperature. The other lever directs airflow to the floor or to the windshield. And, the third lever under the dash controls and/or shuts off the airflow into the car's interior.
My grandparents bought a used 1960 Vauxhall Victor in the US at a Pontiac dealer. It came to me when parts were no longer available pre internet. It was pretty rusty by the 90's and I sold it. It was a fun car to drive.
Never knew about these. Love the central gauge, very artful combo!
They are obscure here! The gauge is artful and well designed for the time period
I am old enough to remember these Vauxhalls also the Cresta and the Viva
In 50 years or so, I've only seen one Vauxhall in the US - a weathered grey sedan sticking out of a the overgrowth, behind a falling-down barn. near Chrisfield, Maryland, in the mid '70s. I can imagine the difficulty in finding parts, by the missing trim and shift-knob on this one. Once Detroit introduced their compacts - Falcon, Corvair & Valiant - in 1960, weaker imports like the Vauxhall didn't stand a chance. When parts supplies dried up, most wound up junked or abandoned, like the one I saw so many years ago!
My father bought a new one in 1959 but traded it a year later.he said it was great in the snow but was too small for his 6 foot plus size.
Vauxhall is only sold new in the UK.
In other right hand drive markets they are sold as Opel's.
Vauxhall hasn't designed engineered or manufactured a vehicle independently since the original Viva.
Modern Vauxhall's are just production variations of equivalent Opel models.
Opel was also sold the Rekord in the United States during the same period.
The Victor and the Rekord were very similar but contemporary reviewers and owners rated the Rekord much higher in quality as well as reliability and durability.
Vauxhall's tenure in the United States was short but Opel continued to sell vehicles well into the seventies.
I've never seen a Viva, but once owned a '68 Opel Kadett sedan. From photos, I always thought the original Viva and original Kadett had a lot in common.
Neat. It would be cool to know the factory specs: Engine size, horsepower, how many gears and also a test drive.
That's fair. From the factory these cars had a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine that made approximately 55 horsepower, it was mated to a 3 speed manual gearbox, and it was rear wheel drive.
This car was equipped with both a different aftermarket engine and aftermarket automatic transmission which significantly changes the original driving dynamic.
Sale Proof Car Reviews Thanks for the reply. What drivetrain is in it now? Fascinating little car.
I had to ask the owner on that one; it's 1.9L Opel engine with an automatic transmission. The rear axle is an 82 Isuzu Pup diesel with a 3.42 ratio
1508 engine 3 speed column change all sycromesh gearbox.
A 1960 Vauxhall measured 167.5" overall length, with a 98.0" wheelbase. The engine was rated 55 HP @ 4,200 rpm, torque was 85 ft/lbs @ 2,400 and the displacement of the little 4 banger was 1.5 liters or 98 CID, fueled with a 1 bbl carb. It weighed only 2,150 lbs. Something I did not know until years after mine went to the crusher was it had uni-body construction, which helps to explain maybe why it was bio-degradable, and why it was only the carpet that kept my feet inside the car.
These weren't very popular in the US but were much more accepted in Canada. Opel was far more popular. GM quit importing vauxhalls with few people noticing. In Canada they quit after 72 with the Firenza when there was a class action law suit against GM because the Firenza was horribly unreliable and were know to catch on fire when still fairly new. When Oldsmobile introduced the Starfire Firenza in Canada they had to drop the Firenza name because the Vauxhall firenza fiasco was still fresh in the minds of canadians
It's amazing how just one border causes a world of difference in terms of receipt and opinion. It's also amazing that not much has seemed to change in terms of GM quality from the 70s to today..
@@SaleProofCarReviews Which is a shame, because I think the Vauxhall Firenza is one of the purest and prettiest car designs of all time, particularly from the side. It was quite exotic in HP form and was hugely successful in racing as Baby Bertha with Gerry Marshall behind the wheel.
is this still for sale ?
I been looking for a body of one of these even if its a little rough,but i wont pay a stupid price, anybody got one let me know if its for sale.
Hey Temir good job!
Hey thanks Chris! I saw that you are officially moving to Boise! That's a big step, congratulations!
Lovely motor❤❤❤
It’s funny how “investment” is the consideration. A real shame everything comes down to financial status. A great car let down by lack of knowledge
it looks like one of those old soviet cars made to look like 50s american cars
A tad, although there's nothing Soviet about it!
Part of American General Motors British division.
I remember these cars very well, and not for a good reason. They RUSTED so quickly that it couldn't be true! Some examples only three years old had terminal rust issues. Word was that if you listened carefully, you could hear the thing fizz as it rusted.