Vauxhall Viva
Encyclopedia
The Viva was a small family car produced by Vauxhall Motors
in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were known as the HA, the HB and the HC series.
The Viva appeared a year after Vauxhall's sister company Opel
launched the Opel Kadett A: visually the two cars' kinship was apparent.There was also a Viva van, badged as a Bedford
. It was extremely popular, notably with Post Office Telephones, predecessor to BT
. It was so popular that it was made until 1983, four years after production ended for the HC Viva.
In the UK the Viva's principal competitors at the time of its launch included the well established Ford Anglia
and Morris Minor
.
engine. The four cylinder front mounted engine drove the rear wheels. It was comparable in size and mechanical specifications to the new Opel Kadett released a year earlier in continental Europe. Both the Viva and Kadett were sold alongside each other in many markets. The Viva HA was just one inch longer than the Ford Anglia
which had not been rebodied since 1959.
No four-door or estate versions of the HA Viva were available. A limited-production estate car conversion by Martin Walter Ltd. of Folkestone
, based on the Bedford HA
van, was known as the Bedford Beagle
.
There was a van version of the Viva HA, which was known as the Bedford 8 or 10 cwt Van. This remained in production until 1983. Thousands of these vehicles were bought by the GPO (later British Telecom) and these bright yellow vans were a common sight.
These differed from the HA Viva saloon version in being taller. As the HA Van continued in production after the HA Viva had been replaced by the HB and HC models, the engine was uprated as were other items on it over the course of its production run.
The HA Van was eventually supplanted by the Chevanne. However, due to fleet orders, particularly from British Telecom, British Rail
and the Post Office, the HA van actually stayed in production using the later HC Viva's engine, gearbox - incredibly until 1983.
The HA set new standards in its day for lightweight, easy to operate controls, a slick short gearchange, lightweight steering and clutch pedal, good all-round visibility and relatively nippy performance. It was one of the first cars to be actively marketed towards women, perhaps as a result of these perceived benefits for them.
The front crossmember (steering, suspension and engine mounting) assembly from the HA became a very popular item for DIY hot rod
builders in the UK, due to its simple self-contained mechanics, similar to older designs such as those from the 1930s, and ability to accommodate much larger engines within its span. The assembly featured a double wishbone
/vertical telescopic dampers
suspension design in combination with a transverse leaf spring attached to the front cross member at its centre position and the entire unit could be removed and adapted to another vehicle as a complete unit. (For similar reasons the Jaguar
IRS assembly was often used at the rear of these custom cars). The rear suspension making do with conventional longitudial semi elliptic leaf springs and lever arm dampers.
In Canada, the HA was sold as the Vauxhall Viva by Pontiac/Buick dealers and also as the Envoy Epic by Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers, and was second in sales to the Volkswagen Beetle
amongst imported compact cars.
The Viva was initially launched in base and Deluxe versions, identifiable by their simple horizontal slatted metal grills. Minor changes in September 1964 included improved seats and more highly geared steering. A more luxurious SL (for Super Luxury) variant appeared in June 1965. Engines were available in two states of tune: entry level models came with a power output of 44.2 bhp, while the Viva 90, introduced in October 1965, having a higher 9:1 compression ratio
, provided 53.7 bhp. The availability of two engines and three trim options enabled Vauxhall to offer six Viva variants in some markets. 90 models came with front disc brakes, while SLs featured contrasting bodyside flashes, a criss-cross chrome plated front grille, full wheel covers, three-element round tail lights and better interior trim.
During its first ten months, over 100,000 HA Vivas were made, and by 1966 the HA had chalked up over 306,000 sales, giving Vauxhall a successful return to the small car market, which they had abandoned following World War Two
. One measure of the success is the extent to which budget was made available to design the car's successor with a virtually clean sheet. The Viva HB would inherit engines, but little else, from the HA.
The HA, however, suffered severely from corrosion problems along with other Vauxhall models of the time and very few of this model remain - one of the main problem areas being the cappings along the top side edges of the luggage compartment badly corroding and allowing water to enter, consequently leading to severe structural corrosion in the luggage compartment floor area. However, as with a lot of other British cars of that period, many Vivas failed to survive long term. In addition, the HA Viva suffered badly from handling and stability problems.
_reg_1965_biggleswade.jpg)
The Viva HB, announced in September 1966 and sold by Vauxhall until 1970, was a larger car than the HA, featuring distinctive coke bottle styling
, modelled after American General Motors (GM) models such as the Chevrolet Impala
/Caprice of the time. It featured the same basic engine as the HA, but enlarged to 1159 cc, but with the added weight of the larger body the final drive gearing was reduced from 3.9 to 1 to 4.1 (except the SL90 which retained the 3.9 diff) to keep the nippy performance.
Less nippy was the automatic Viva HB offered from February 1967, fitted with the ubiquitous Borg Warner Type 35 system. Cars of this size featuring automatic transmission were still unusual due to the amount of power the transmission systems absorbed: in a heartfelt if uncharacteristically blunt piece of criticism a major British motoring journal later described Viva HBs with automatic transmission as 'among the slowest cars on the road'.
The HB used a completely different suspension design from the HA, having double-wishbone and coil springs with integrated telescopic dampers at the front, and trailing arms and coil springs at the rear. Lateral location and anti-squat of the rear axle was achieved using upper trailing arms mounted at approximately 45° fixed to lugs at the top of the differential. Both front and rear could also be fitted with optional anti-roll bars. The HB set new standards for handling in its class as a result of the adoption of this suspension design, where many of its contemporaries stuck with leaf springs and Macpherson struts.
This time, apart from the standard and 90 stages of tune, there was also, for a brief time, a Brabham SL/90 HB that was purported to have been developed with the aid of world racing champion Jack Brabham
. Brabham models were marked out externally by distinctive black stripes at the front of the bonnet that curved round to the fenders and then headed back to end in a taper at the front doors. This model is almost impossible to find today. This model and the Viva GT are the two most sought after models made. The Brabham model differed from the standard Viva SL/90 in having a different cam-shaft, uprated suspension with anti-roll bars, different exhaust manifolds, and a unique twin-carb manifold, as well as differing interior trim.
Two larger overhead camshaft
engines from the larger Vauxhall Victor
were also offered - a twin carb 1975 cc in the Viva GT from Feb 1968 and a 1599 cc making up the Viva 1600 from May 1968.
With the expanded engine programme, the HB saw numerous permutations of model offerings, with base, deluxe and SL trims offered with a choice of standard 1.2, tuned 90 1.2, Brabham 90 1.2 and the aforementioned overhead cam units offered during its run. The Brabham was effectively replaced by the 1600, although many complained of high fuel consumption with this engine. Front disc brakes came with the 90 and overhead cam engine models, while a larger 12 gallon fuel tank was also part of the 1600 and GT package.
The brakes were problematic: a 1971 survey of passenger cars registered in Sweden during 1967 place the HB Viva at the top of a list of cars identified as having faulty brakes as part of an annual testing procedure. Problems were concentrated on uneven braking and dragging brakes, generally at the rear, and affected 26% of the cars tested. Second on the list, with 24% of cars triggering brake fault reports, was the similarly configured Opel Kadett estate. Although it avoided the bottom spot in other individual categories, the poor score achieved by the brakes left the Viva with the highest overall rate of failure of the 34 passenger cars included in sufficient numbers to feature in the reports of the Swedish test results.
Originally offered as just a 2 door saloon, an attractive 3 door estate joined the HB range in June 1967, but the advent of the 4 door in October 1968 saw the HB breaking sales records worldwide. The introduction of the four door option coincided with various minor improvements to the interior trim, while 'auxiliary' switches were relocated from a remote panel to positions nearer to the steering wheel. The GM 'energy absorbing' steering column was now fitted to all models and the fuel tank capacity was increased from 8 to 12 British gallons (36 to 55 litres). The 4 door saloon was designed and engineered by Holden in Australia who exported it as a kit of parts back to Vauxhall in England. Oddly enough despite being closer in physical location to Australia, all HB Vivas sold in New Zealand were produced from CKD kits imported from the UK and sold as Vauxhalls.
In the later 1960s and early 1970s, Britain's Motor magazine polled readers about their cars: they included a poll of HB Viva 1600 owners. The answers given greatest prominence were to the final question which asked whether or not respondents would buy another car of the same model: just 21% of Viva 1600 owning respondents answered “yes”, which was the lowest score for this question achieved by any of the first seventeen models for which surveys were conducted. By the time of the readership poll, the HB Viva was within a year of being replaced even though the 1600 version itself had only been offered since 1968, so the sample will have been relatively small: it appears that the low satisfaction rate may have reflected not so much the car’s design but rather a lack of effective quality control in the manufacturing processes.
The Viva GT had substantially different engine and running gear and interior from the standard Viva HB models. It was distinguished by having a black bonnet with twin louvres and being all-over white. Later GTs came in different colours.
A van version of the Viva HB was developed, but it never got beyond the prototype/mock-up stage. However, General Motors New Zealand did sell versions of the three-door station wagon with no rear seat as 'van' models and continued this with the later HC version.
Aftermarket conversion specialists, Crayford, also ran off some convertibles based on the 2-door Viva. Very few of these conversions exist still, only 2 GT model HBs were converted, but both are known to survive, and will likely be on the show scene in the coming years.
The HB Viva was also built in Australia by General Motors–Holden's
from 1967 to 1969 and marketed there as the Holden HB Torana
.
Canadian Chevrolet
/Oldsmobile
dealers continued to sell a rebadged HB as the Envoy Epic through 1970 while Pontiac/Buick dealers kept selling the car under its real name.
The HB's handsome lines and peppy performance made it a sales hit, with close to 560,000 units sold. Body design had improved after Vauxhall's poor reputation with corrosion on previous models. The HB had better underbody protection, but UK cars were still prone to rusting through the front wings in the area behind the headlights where water, mud and salt could accumulate. This ongoing problem with salt on UK roads affected many makes & model, not just the Viva, but Vauxhall's ongoing poor reputation for corrosion undoubtedly contributed to the development of bolt-on wings and wheel-arch liners in subsequent generations of family passenger car.
Today HB 2 door Vivas are very sought after, 4 door variants are rather rare (in contrast to the HC, where 2 door variants are rarer). The HB estate models, whose rear wings and tailgate showed coke bottle styling
at its best, are rarer still.
The Viva HC (1970–1979) was mechanically the same as the HB but had more modern styling and greater interior space due to redesigned seating and positioning of bulkheads. It offered 2 and 4 door saloons and a fastback estate with the choice of either standard 1159 cc, 90 tuned 1159 cc or 1600 cc overhead cam power. No 2.0 GT version was offered with the new range, although the 2.0 became the sole engine offering for Canada, where the HC became the Firenza, marketed by Pontiac/Buick dealers without the Vauxhall name. The cloned Envoy Epic was dropped as Chevrolet dealers now carried the domestic Chevrolet Vega
. The HC was pulled from the Canadian market after two model years amidst consumer anger over corrosion and reliability issues. A class action lawsuit launched against General Motors of Canada by dissatisfied owners was not settled until the early 1980s.
The American influence was still obvious on the design, with narrow horizontal rear lamp clusters, flat dashboard with a "letterbox" style speedometer, and a pronounced mid bonnet hump that was echoed in the front bumper.
A coupe version called the Firenza
was introduced in spring 1971 to compete with the Ford Capri
and forthcoming Morris Marina
Coupe. It was available in deluxe and SL forms, with the latter sporting four headlights and finally resurrecting the missing 2.0 twin carb engine from the HB Viva GT.
The basic 1159 cc engine was enlarged to 1256 cc in late 1971 and with this the 90 version was removed from the line-up.
The overhead cam engines were upgraded in spring 1972, the 1.6 becoming a 1.8 (1759 cc) and the 2.0 (1975 cc) twin carb became a 2.3 (2279 cc). At this time, the Viva 2300 SL and Firenza Sport SL did away with the letter-box speedometer and substituted an attractive seven dial instrument pack. Firenza SLs had a two round dial pack, though all other Vivas and Firenzas stuck with the original presentation.
In September 1973, the Viva range was divided, the entry 1256 cc models staying as Vivas, with optional 1.8 power if automatic transmission was chosen.
The 1.8 and 2.3 L models took on more luxurious trim and were rebadged as the Magnum
. At the same time, the Firenza
coupe was given a radical makeover with an aerodynamic nose and beefed up 2.3 L twin carb engine mated to a ZF five speed gearbox, turning it into the HP (High Performance) Firenza.
The Viva was again revised in 1975, with trim levels becoming the E (for Economy), L and SL. The E was Vauxhall's answer to the Ford Popular
and was first offered as a promotional edition two-door coupe using surplus Firenza body shells, before becoming a permanent Viva model in two-door saloon form. It was the only Viva to still have the strip speedometer after this as the L and SL adopted the Firenza SL's two round dial set up.
For 1977, the SL was replaced by the GLS, essentially marrying the plusher Magnum trim and equipment with the base 1,256 pushrod ohv engine. These models all had the full seven dial instrument panel, velour seating and Rostyle wheels, among many other upgrades.
In New Zealand, the Viva was re-named as the Magnum 1300 in 1976. This had the four headlight Magnum frontage and improved trim and equipment in a bid to overcome the Viva's basic car image and slowing sales. An 1800 engine option was also offered, often teamed with automatic transmission.
A version of the Viva HC, called the Chevrolet Firenza
, was produced in South Africa, where it offered the British 1.3 or a Opel
1.9 L engine. The UK Firenza coupe was also offered in South Africa, with a special batch even having the small block Chevrolet V8 stuffed in to make for a veritable wolf in sheep's clothing. S Africa also saw a three door hatch developed off the Viva rather than taking on the then new Chevette/Kadett City (see next paragraph).
Viva production was scaled down after the launch of the Chevette in spring 1975. Originally a 3 door hatchback, the Chevette offered 2 and 4 door saloons and a 3 door estate in 1976 that all usurped the Viva's position as Vauxhall's small car entry.
The Chevette hatch was also sold as the Opel Kadett
City, but the Viva remained on sale until the later part of 1979.
It was effectively replaced by the new Vauxhall Astra
, a variant of the front wheel drive Opel Kadett. By that time it was feeling very dated in comparison with more modern rivals like the Volkswagen Golf
. Production ceased at a time when European manufacturers were making the transition from rear-wheel drive saloons to front-wheel drive hatchbacks in the family car market.
The passing of the Viva marked a significant moment for Vauxhall, as it was the last car to be completely designed by the Luton
-based company. All future Vauxhalls would be simply badge-engineered Opel
s, or in the case of the 2004 Vauxhall Monaro
, a rebadged Holden
.
The domestic market launch of the Viva HC coincided with one of the UK's periodic surges of debt fueled economic growth, and the latest Viva became Vauxhall's fastest selling new model of all time, chalking up its first 100,000 units in just 7½ months. Total HC sales ran to about 640,000 units, making combined Viva production top the 1.5 million mark. The millionth Viva, a gold HC, was driven off the production line by a national politician
amid much celebration on 20 July 1971. Although most Vivas were produced at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port
plant in northern England, the company's production lines were by the standards of the time flexible, and the millionth car was a product of the Luton
factory. However, within seconds of the Millionth Viva's completion at Luton, Ellesmere Port celebrated what was described - over-optimistically as matters turned out - as the first Viva of the second million.
There's an interesting car (at least because of its origins) produced from 1970 to 1972, based on Vauxhall Vivas by General Motors in Uruguay.
They were called Grumett, and came only in double-cab, two-door pick-up models, with a 1100 cc engine. The body was fiberglass...some original Vauxhalls were imported to serve as molds. Mechanicals were either Vauxhall or Opel, depending on batch.
GM Uruguay also produced a car called the Indiana, also fiberglass, to all intents and purposes a Viva HC estate, but with a slightly shorter wheelbase and narrower track... which produced a very strange effect, not very nice. Apparently the cars were fully based on Opel Kadett mechanicals. The cars were relatively reliable, as fiberglass wouldn't corrode, even though they had steel tubing as an internal "chassis".
The HC Viva has been less popular with classic car enthusiasts, as until recently 1970s cars weren't really sought after or considered true classics. This attitude is slowly changing, with the best low mileage examples of HC Vivas changing hands for a couple of thousand, rather than hundred, pounds on sites such as ebay.
manufacturer AutoVAZ, General Motors launched the GM-AvtoVAZ Chevrolet Viva
in Russia. This was essentially a four-door Opel Astra
G (the model which was introduced as a Vauxhall
/Opel
in 1998 and was produced until 2004). The name is also used by Holden
in Australia and New Zealand on versions of the Daewoo Lacetti
and Nubira
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were known as the HA, the HB and the HC series.
The Viva appeared a year after Vauxhall's sister company Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
launched the Opel Kadett A: visually the two cars' kinship was apparent.There was also a Viva van, badged as a Bedford
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
. It was extremely popular, notably with Post Office Telephones, predecessor to BT
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
. It was so popular that it was made until 1983, four years after production ended for the HC Viva.
In the UK the Viva's principal competitors at the time of its launch included the well established Ford Anglia
Ford Anglia
The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more 1940s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille. Again it was a very spartan vehicle and in 1948 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
and Morris Minor
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971...
.
HA Viva (1963-1966)
The Viva HA, announced in September 1963, and replaced in September 1966, was Vauxhall's first serious step into the compact car market after World War 2. It was also the first new small car produced by Vauxhall since 1936. It had a 1057 cc overhead valveOverhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
engine. The four cylinder front mounted engine drove the rear wheels. It was comparable in size and mechanical specifications to the new Opel Kadett released a year earlier in continental Europe. Both the Viva and Kadett were sold alongside each other in many markets. The Viva HA was just one inch longer than the Ford Anglia
Ford Anglia
The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more 1940s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille. Again it was a very spartan vehicle and in 1948 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
which had not been rebodied since 1959.
No four-door or estate versions of the HA Viva were available. A limited-production estate car conversion by Martin Walter Ltd. of Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, based on the Bedford HA
Bedford HA
The Bedford HA was a car derived van introduced in 1963 by the Vauxhall Motors subsidiary Bedford Vehicles, based on the Vauxhall Viva family car...
van, was known as the Bedford Beagle
Bedford Beagle
The Bedford Beagle was an estate car conversion of the Bedford HA 8cwt van, which itself was based on the Vauxhall Viva HA. The conversions were undertaken by Martin Walter Ltd in Folkestone, Kent, most famous for Dormobile campers. Whilst the vans were very common at one time, the Beagle was...
.
There was a van version of the Viva HA, which was known as the Bedford 8 or 10 cwt Van. This remained in production until 1983. Thousands of these vehicles were bought by the GPO (later British Telecom) and these bright yellow vans were a common sight.
These differed from the HA Viva saloon version in being taller. As the HA Van continued in production after the HA Viva had been replaced by the HB and HC models, the engine was uprated as were other items on it over the course of its production run.
The HA Van was eventually supplanted by the Chevanne. However, due to fleet orders, particularly from British Telecom, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
and the Post Office, the HA van actually stayed in production using the later HC Viva's engine, gearbox - incredibly until 1983.
The HA set new standards in its day for lightweight, easy to operate controls, a slick short gearchange, lightweight steering and clutch pedal, good all-round visibility and relatively nippy performance. It was one of the first cars to be actively marketed towards women, perhaps as a result of these perceived benefits for them.
The front crossmember (steering, suspension and engine mounting) assembly from the HA became a very popular item for DIY hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
builders in the UK, due to its simple self-contained mechanics, similar to older designs such as those from the 1930s, and ability to accommodate much larger engines within its span. The assembly featured a double wishbone
Control arm
thumb|right|300px|Double Wishbone SuspensionIn automotive suspension, an automobile's control arm or wishbone is a nearly flat and roughly triangular suspension member , that pivots in two places. The broad end of the triangle attaches at the frame and pivots on a bushing...
/vertical telescopic dampers
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
suspension design in combination with a transverse leaf spring attached to the front cross member at its centre position and the entire unit could be removed and adapted to another vehicle as a complete unit. (For similar reasons the Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
IRS assembly was often used at the rear of these custom cars). The rear suspension making do with conventional longitudial semi elliptic leaf springs and lever arm dampers.
In Canada, the HA was sold as the Vauxhall Viva by Pontiac/Buick dealers and also as the Envoy Epic by Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers, and was second in sales to the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
amongst imported compact cars.
The Viva was initially launched in base and Deluxe versions, identifiable by their simple horizontal slatted metal grills. Minor changes in September 1964 included improved seats and more highly geared steering. A more luxurious SL (for Super Luxury) variant appeared in June 1965. Engines were available in two states of tune: entry level models came with a power output of 44.2 bhp, while the Viva 90, introduced in October 1965, having a higher 9:1 compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
, provided 53.7 bhp. The availability of two engines and three trim options enabled Vauxhall to offer six Viva variants in some markets. 90 models came with front disc brakes, while SLs featured contrasting bodyside flashes, a criss-cross chrome plated front grille, full wheel covers, three-element round tail lights and better interior trim.
During its first ten months, over 100,000 HA Vivas were made, and by 1966 the HA had chalked up over 306,000 sales, giving Vauxhall a successful return to the small car market, which they had abandoned following World War Two
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. One measure of the success is the extent to which budget was made available to design the car's successor with a virtually clean sheet. The Viva HB would inherit engines, but little else, from the HA.
The HA, however, suffered severely from corrosion problems along with other Vauxhall models of the time and very few of this model remain - one of the main problem areas being the cappings along the top side edges of the luggage compartment badly corroding and allowing water to enter, consequently leading to severe structural corrosion in the luggage compartment floor area. However, as with a lot of other British cars of that period, many Vivas failed to survive long term. In addition, the HA Viva suffered badly from handling and stability problems.
HB Viva (1966-1970)
Coke bottle styling
Coke bottle styling is a term used to describe any automotive body styling bearing an overall body shape resembling the classic glass Coca-Cola soft drink's contour bottle design. It is a style of automobile bodies with outward curving fenders with a narrow center. In contrast to "straight-edge"...
, modelled after American General Motors (GM) models such as the Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
/Caprice of the time. It featured the same basic engine as the HA, but enlarged to 1159 cc, but with the added weight of the larger body the final drive gearing was reduced from 3.9 to 1 to 4.1 (except the SL90 which retained the 3.9 diff) to keep the nippy performance.
Less nippy was the automatic Viva HB offered from February 1967, fitted with the ubiquitous Borg Warner Type 35 system. Cars of this size featuring automatic transmission were still unusual due to the amount of power the transmission systems absorbed: in a heartfelt if uncharacteristically blunt piece of criticism a major British motoring journal later described Viva HBs with automatic transmission as 'among the slowest cars on the road'.
The HB used a completely different suspension design from the HA, having double-wishbone and coil springs with integrated telescopic dampers at the front, and trailing arms and coil springs at the rear. Lateral location and anti-squat of the rear axle was achieved using upper trailing arms mounted at approximately 45° fixed to lugs at the top of the differential. Both front and rear could also be fitted with optional anti-roll bars. The HB set new standards for handling in its class as a result of the adoption of this suspension design, where many of its contemporaries stuck with leaf springs and Macpherson struts.
This time, apart from the standard and 90 stages of tune, there was also, for a brief time, a Brabham SL/90 HB that was purported to have been developed with the aid of world racing champion Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
. Brabham models were marked out externally by distinctive black stripes at the front of the bonnet that curved round to the fenders and then headed back to end in a taper at the front doors. This model is almost impossible to find today. This model and the Viva GT are the two most sought after models made. The Brabham model differed from the standard Viva SL/90 in having a different cam-shaft, uprated suspension with anti-roll bars, different exhaust manifolds, and a unique twin-carb manifold, as well as differing interior trim.
Two larger overhead camshaft
Overhead camshaft
Overhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...
engines from the larger Vauxhall Victor
Vauxhall Victor
The original Victor, launched on 28 February 1957, was dubbed the F series and saw a production run totalling over 390,000 units. The car was of unitary construction and featured a large glass area with heavily curved windscreen and rear window. Following then current American styling trends, the...
were also offered - a twin carb 1975 cc in the Viva GT from Feb 1968 and a 1599 cc making up the Viva 1600 from May 1968.
With the expanded engine programme, the HB saw numerous permutations of model offerings, with base, deluxe and SL trims offered with a choice of standard 1.2, tuned 90 1.2, Brabham 90 1.2 and the aforementioned overhead cam units offered during its run. The Brabham was effectively replaced by the 1600, although many complained of high fuel consumption with this engine. Front disc brakes came with the 90 and overhead cam engine models, while a larger 12 gallon fuel tank was also part of the 1600 and GT package.
The brakes were problematic: a 1971 survey of passenger cars registered in Sweden during 1967 place the HB Viva at the top of a list of cars identified as having faulty brakes as part of an annual testing procedure. Problems were concentrated on uneven braking and dragging brakes, generally at the rear, and affected 26% of the cars tested. Second on the list, with 24% of cars triggering brake fault reports, was the similarly configured Opel Kadett estate. Although it avoided the bottom spot in other individual categories, the poor score achieved by the brakes left the Viva with the highest overall rate of failure of the 34 passenger cars included in sufficient numbers to feature in the reports of the Swedish test results.
Originally offered as just a 2 door saloon, an attractive 3 door estate joined the HB range in June 1967, but the advent of the 4 door in October 1968 saw the HB breaking sales records worldwide. The introduction of the four door option coincided with various minor improvements to the interior trim, while 'auxiliary' switches were relocated from a remote panel to positions nearer to the steering wheel. The GM 'energy absorbing' steering column was now fitted to all models and the fuel tank capacity was increased from 8 to 12 British gallons (36 to 55 litres). The 4 door saloon was designed and engineered by Holden in Australia who exported it as a kit of parts back to Vauxhall in England. Oddly enough despite being closer in physical location to Australia, all HB Vivas sold in New Zealand were produced from CKD kits imported from the UK and sold as Vauxhalls.
In the later 1960s and early 1970s, Britain's Motor magazine polled readers about their cars: they included a poll of HB Viva 1600 owners. The answers given greatest prominence were to the final question which asked whether or not respondents would buy another car of the same model: just 21% of Viva 1600 owning respondents answered “yes”, which was the lowest score for this question achieved by any of the first seventeen models for which surveys were conducted. By the time of the readership poll, the HB Viva was within a year of being replaced even though the 1600 version itself had only been offered since 1968, so the sample will have been relatively small: it appears that the low satisfaction rate may have reflected not so much the car’s design but rather a lack of effective quality control in the manufacturing processes.
The Viva GT had substantially different engine and running gear and interior from the standard Viva HB models. It was distinguished by having a black bonnet with twin louvres and being all-over white. Later GTs came in different colours.
A van version of the Viva HB was developed, but it never got beyond the prototype/mock-up stage. However, General Motors New Zealand did sell versions of the three-door station wagon with no rear seat as 'van' models and continued this with the later HC version.
Aftermarket conversion specialists, Crayford, also ran off some convertibles based on the 2-door Viva. Very few of these conversions exist still, only 2 GT model HBs were converted, but both are known to survive, and will likely be on the show scene in the coming years.
The HB Viva was also built in Australia by General Motors–Holden's
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
from 1967 to 1969 and marketed there as the Holden HB Torana
Holden Torana
The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana appeared in 1967 and was a four-cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the...
.
Canadian Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
/Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
dealers continued to sell a rebadged HB as the Envoy Epic through 1970 while Pontiac/Buick dealers kept selling the car under its real name.
The HB's handsome lines and peppy performance made it a sales hit, with close to 560,000 units sold. Body design had improved after Vauxhall's poor reputation with corrosion on previous models. The HB had better underbody protection, but UK cars were still prone to rusting through the front wings in the area behind the headlights where water, mud and salt could accumulate. This ongoing problem with salt on UK roads affected many makes & model, not just the Viva, but Vauxhall's ongoing poor reputation for corrosion undoubtedly contributed to the development of bolt-on wings and wheel-arch liners in subsequent generations of family passenger car.
Today HB 2 door Vivas are very sought after, 4 door variants are rather rare (in contrast to the HC, where 2 door variants are rarer). The HB estate models, whose rear wings and tailgate showed coke bottle styling
Coke bottle styling
Coke bottle styling is a term used to describe any automotive body styling bearing an overall body shape resembling the classic glass Coca-Cola soft drink's contour bottle design. It is a style of automobile bodies with outward curving fenders with a narrow center. In contrast to "straight-edge"...
at its best, are rarer still.
HC Viva (1970-1979)
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, two-door automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971-1977 model years. Named after the star Vega, the car was powered by a lightweight aluminum-block inline four-cylinder engine...
. The HC was pulled from the Canadian market after two model years amidst consumer anger over corrosion and reliability issues. A class action lawsuit launched against General Motors of Canada by dissatisfied owners was not settled until the early 1980s.
The American influence was still obvious on the design, with narrow horizontal rear lamp clusters, flat dashboard with a "letterbox" style speedometer, and a pronounced mid bonnet hump that was echoed in the front bumper.
A coupe version called the Firenza
Vauxhall Firenza
The Firenza is a model of car offered by Vauxhall Motors from May 1971 till 1975. It was a development of the Viva, but had a distinctive coupé body style and only two doors....
was introduced in spring 1971 to compete with the Ford Capri
Ford Capri
Ford Capri was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for three different automobile models. The Ford Consul Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Britain between 1961 and 1964. The Ford Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Europe from 1969 to 1986...
and forthcoming Morris Marina
Morris Marina
The Morris Marina is a car which was manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland in the UK throughout the 1970s, which was a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. It was known in some markets as the Austin Marina, Leyland Marina, and Morris 1.7...
Coupe. It was available in deluxe and SL forms, with the latter sporting four headlights and finally resurrecting the missing 2.0 twin carb engine from the HB Viva GT.
The basic 1159 cc engine was enlarged to 1256 cc in late 1971 and with this the 90 version was removed from the line-up.
The overhead cam engines were upgraded in spring 1972, the 1.6 becoming a 1.8 (1759 cc) and the 2.0 (1975 cc) twin carb became a 2.3 (2279 cc). At this time, the Viva 2300 SL and Firenza Sport SL did away with the letter-box speedometer and substituted an attractive seven dial instrument pack. Firenza SLs had a two round dial pack, though all other Vivas and Firenzas stuck with the original presentation.
In September 1973, the Viva range was divided, the entry 1256 cc models staying as Vivas, with optional 1.8 power if automatic transmission was chosen.
The 1.8 and 2.3 L models took on more luxurious trim and were rebadged as the Magnum
Vauxhall Magnum
The Magnum was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1973 to 1978. First seen at the London Motor Show in October 1973, the Magnum as was an HC Viva with a larger engine, more luxurious interior, vinyl roof, higher trim level and twin headlights...
. At the same time, the Firenza
Vauxhall Firenza
The Firenza is a model of car offered by Vauxhall Motors from May 1971 till 1975. It was a development of the Viva, but had a distinctive coupé body style and only two doors....
coupe was given a radical makeover with an aerodynamic nose and beefed up 2.3 L twin carb engine mated to a ZF five speed gearbox, turning it into the HP (High Performance) Firenza.
The Viva was again revised in 1975, with trim levels becoming the E (for Economy), L and SL. The E was Vauxhall's answer to the Ford Popular
Ford Popular
The Ford Popular is best known as a car from Ford built in England between 1953 and 1962. When launched, it was Britain's lowest priced car.The name Popular was also used by Ford to describe its 1930s Y Type model...
and was first offered as a promotional edition two-door coupe using surplus Firenza body shells, before becoming a permanent Viva model in two-door saloon form. It was the only Viva to still have the strip speedometer after this as the L and SL adopted the Firenza SL's two round dial set up.
For 1977, the SL was replaced by the GLS, essentially marrying the plusher Magnum trim and equipment with the base 1,256 pushrod ohv engine. These models all had the full seven dial instrument panel, velour seating and Rostyle wheels, among many other upgrades.
In New Zealand, the Viva was re-named as the Magnum 1300 in 1976. This had the four headlight Magnum frontage and improved trim and equipment in a bid to overcome the Viva's basic car image and slowing sales. An 1800 engine option was also offered, often teamed with automatic transmission.
A version of the Viva HC, called the Chevrolet Firenza
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, was produced in South Africa, where it offered the British 1.3 or a Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
1.9 L engine. The UK Firenza coupe was also offered in South Africa, with a special batch even having the small block Chevrolet V8 stuffed in to make for a veritable wolf in sheep's clothing. S Africa also saw a three door hatch developed off the Viva rather than taking on the then new Chevette/Kadett City (see next paragraph).
Viva production was scaled down after the launch of the Chevette in spring 1975. Originally a 3 door hatchback, the Chevette offered 2 and 4 door saloons and a 3 door estate in 1976 that all usurped the Viva's position as Vauxhall's small car entry.
The Chevette hatch was also sold as the Opel Kadett
Opel Kadett
The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :...
City, but the Viva remained on sale until the later part of 1979.
It was effectively replaced by the new Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...
, a variant of the front wheel drive Opel Kadett. By that time it was feeling very dated in comparison with more modern rivals like the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
. Production ceased at a time when European manufacturers were making the transition from rear-wheel drive saloons to front-wheel drive hatchbacks in the family car market.
The passing of the Viva marked a significant moment for Vauxhall, as it was the last car to be completely designed by the Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
-based company. All future Vauxhalls would be simply badge-engineered Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
s, or in the case of the 2004 Vauxhall Monaro
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
, a rebadged Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
.
The domestic market launch of the Viva HC coincided with one of the UK's periodic surges of debt fueled economic growth, and the latest Viva became Vauxhall's fastest selling new model of all time, chalking up its first 100,000 units in just 7½ months. Total HC sales ran to about 640,000 units, making combined Viva production top the 1.5 million mark. The millionth Viva, a gold HC, was driven off the production line by a national politician
John Eden, Baron Eden of Winton
John Benedict Eden, Baron Eden of Winton, Bt, PC is a British Conservative politician.-Background:Eden was educated at Eton College and St Paul's School, United States. He served as a Lieutenant with the Rifle Brigade, 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the Gilgit Scouts during the Second World War...
amid much celebration on 20 July 1971. Although most Vivas were produced at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
plant in northern England, the company's production lines were by the standards of the time flexible, and the millionth car was a product of the Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
factory. However, within seconds of the Millionth Viva's completion at Luton, Ellesmere Port celebrated what was described - over-optimistically as matters turned out - as the first Viva of the second million.
There's an interesting car (at least because of its origins) produced from 1970 to 1972, based on Vauxhall Vivas by General Motors in Uruguay.
They were called Grumett, and came only in double-cab, two-door pick-up models, with a 1100 cc engine. The body was fiberglass...some original Vauxhalls were imported to serve as molds. Mechanicals were either Vauxhall or Opel, depending on batch.
GM Uruguay also produced a car called the Indiana, also fiberglass, to all intents and purposes a Viva HC estate, but with a slightly shorter wheelbase and narrower track... which produced a very strange effect, not very nice. Apparently the cars were fully based on Opel Kadett mechanicals. The cars were relatively reliable, as fiberglass wouldn't corrode, even though they had steel tubing as an internal "chassis".
The HC Viva has been less popular with classic car enthusiasts, as until recently 1970s cars weren't really sought after or considered true classics. This attitude is slowly changing, with the best low mileage examples of HC Vivas changing hands for a couple of thousand, rather than hundred, pounds on sites such as ebay.
Name revival
The Viva name would not appear on a General Motors car for another 25 years. In 2004, in cooperation with LadaLada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
manufacturer AutoVAZ, General Motors launched the GM-AvtoVAZ Chevrolet Viva
GM-AvtoVAZ Chevrolet Viva
The GM-AvtoVAZ Chevrolet Viva is a small family car built by GM-AvtoVAZ since 2004 and sold only in Russia. It is based on the4-door sedan version of the Opel Astra G/B that was produced from 1998 to 2004....
in Russia. This was essentially a four-door Opel Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
G (the model which was introduced as a Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
/Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
in 1998 and was produced until 2004). The name is also used by Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
in Australia and New Zealand on versions of the Daewoo Lacetti
Daewoo Lacetti
The Daewoo Lacetti is a compact car made by the South Korean automaker GM Daewoo since 2002. The first-generation Lacetti was available as a four-door sedan, a five-door hatchback or a five-door station wagon. The sedan and wagon were designed by Pininfarina, and the hatchback by Giorgetto Giugiaro...
and Nubira
Daewoo Nubira
The Daewoo Nubira is a compact car produced by South Korean automaker Daewoo Motors from 1997 to 2008.The first generation car, model J100, was released to the market in 1997 as Daewoo Nubira, and it was sold until 1999. It was developed as a replacement for the GM T platform-based Daewoo Nexia and...
External links
- The Vauxhall Viva Owners Club (The original club for all types of Vauxhall Viva)
- Viva Outlaws Club (Owners Club catering for modified and racing Vivas, owners of the Viva GT Register)
- Viva Drivers Club (Owners Club catering for all Viva models, for owners who wish to drive their Vivas)
- VBOA (Vauxhall, Bedford and Opel Association)