Tim combats fuel price rises by going back to basics with a Spartan, mid ’70s Viva

It was winter 2008. My little Jowett-Bradford truck was many kilometres away, awaiting repairs, and my Mercury V8 was parked up in the garage awaiting minor adjustments. I had fallen behind in my schedule of tidying up a few areas of the American car and, anyway, fuel price hikes were starting to bite into its practicality as an everyday classic.

I was snuggled up by the heater without any thought of venturing down into the garage when the phone rang. As it often is, during the evenings, it would be someone wanting to talk cars, trucks or classic scooters. This time I was fielding a call from South Taranaki. It was the voice of a man I had met many years ago, Len Miller, telling me about his mother’s old, low-mileage Vauxhall Viva HC 1300, from Southland, which he had sitting in his barn. Did I know anyone who would want to buy a Viva in very tidy original condition?

I listened politely and said I would ask around local enthusiasts and see if I could find the Viva a good home. Showing my age, I thought to myself as I put down the ’phone — an HC Viva isn’t really that old; it’s not as if it’s one of those early slab-sided HA models or the classic, Coke-bottle-waisted HB.

Making a decision

Over the next week I listened to announcements of more fuel prices almost nightly on the evening news. In my other ear, my teenage daughter was nagging me about teaching her to drive. I started to think about the 1256cc Vauxhall Viva sitting south of the mountain. But what business did I have buying yet another vehicle? I kept pushing the Viva to the back of my mind. I like small BMC cars and the stylish little Triumph Heralds that I grew up with — but a 1300 Viva? No! That’s not me, I thought.

I have no valid psychological reason for it, but over the next few days I kept thinking about the Viva, and thought to myself that I needed to ’phone the owner back and find out a bit more about the car.

When my resolve finally broke, I called Len and found I could have the Viva quite cheaply, and that it had a new warrant and new tyres.

This basic ’70s saloon car was starting to seem like a medium term answer to rising fuel prices — and probably more practical than considering whether I will go electric!

As I drove south of Normanby to view the Viva, I realised it was quite a long time since I had seen any model of Vauxhall Viva at all on the road. They had been one of the victims of the arrival of Japanese imports in the late ’80s when our roads suddenly became clogged with white, imported Honda Accords, each with the obligatory soot stain above their tailpipes.

Along with everyday British cars — such as the Hillman Avenger, Austin Princess and Triumph Toledo — HC Vauxhall Vivas disappeared almost overnight. For some, that time hadn’t come soon enough!
And then I saw the Viva. I didn’t pass out, or drop to my knees and start worshipping as though I had just seen a V8 Facel Vega or a Lamborghini Miura. It was no classic car revelation but there it was — a plain, no-frills car that was honest-looking, in a nutty sort of ’70s orange.

After seeing how intact and original this little Luton laddette was, I found that, although it had covered 83,000 kilometres since new, the Vauxhall still drove as if it had just been run-in.

With a deep breath, I purchased the Viva and, later, armed myself with a Haynes workshop manual for the car — having discovered one for sale on the internet. I was now a first-time Vauxhall owner.

New Zealand assembled

Research in books and on the internet informed me that the HC model Vauxhall Viva was introduced in 1970, the last in a three generation line-up that, of course, started with the GM/ Opel Kadett sibling, the HA, in 1963.

My ‘new’ HC is a New Zealand assembled 1256cc-powered Viva sporting a single Stromberg carburettor and a Spartan interior that features no more than two switches — one for the lights and one for the heater fan. I have owned British cars with walnut dashboards, tachometers and twin carbies, so the Vauxhall Viva has come as bit of a shock.

The Magnum 1800cc Vivas looked quite sporty in their day, and the HC Viva two-door estate, with its long side windows, also looked quite stylish, while the ‘droop snoot’ Vauxhall Firenza is a fascinating ’70s rarity. However, most contemporary writers and critics dubbed the little 1256cc Vivas as being basic and gutless. They were right!

While my base model Viva does indeed reach the speed limit, it is fair roaring its little head off going much faster, Not to worry, I do not intend trying to travel at high speed in this now classic nana car. More to the point, it is solid, handles more than satisfactorily and uses a lot less fuel than I’m used to putting into my Mercury. The boot is also much more generous than those of the other small capacity British cars I sometimes find myself championing.

Around town, in hilly New Plymouth, if I work the gearbox and use the revs accordingly, the HC performs well as a shopping basket.

Everything about this Vauxhall Viva is simple, practical and almost faultless in general layout. My only bugbear is the headlight switch. The designers had one main dash switch to find a place for, and they stuck it on the dash where you either have to reach around the steering wheel, or through it, to switch on the lights. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m quite happy with my new everyday classic purchase. For the price of a pup tent it is doing absolutely everything that I have expected of it, cheaply and functionally — and so far without a single failure.

As proof for me that the HC Viva is now an old car or an everyday classic in its own right, I’ve found that young guys like this ‘old retro’ car, as they call it, and quite a few mistake it for a Holden Torana. My generation always knew the difference between these two GM cars, but it seems youngsters see the pointed section in the centre of the chromed front bumper and immediately think Torana. Interestingly, of course, the first Toranas were in fact based upon, and almost identical to the HB Viva.

Newspaper classified sections are full of tired, late 20th century cars — many lowered to the ground, with torn upholstery or cigarette burns — being touted as good second cars or feasible economy cars at three times the price this orange Viva cost me to buy. However, in an era of uncertain oil prices, for this classic car enthusiast the plain old HC Vauxhall Viva 1300 may just be what the doctor — or rather, the General — ordered!

1975 Vauxhall Viva HC 1300 – Specifications

Engine: Four cylinder in-line
Capacity: 1256cc
Bore/ stroke: 80.9/61mm
C/R: 8.5
Valves: ohc
Max power: 39.5kW (53bhp) at 5400rpm
Transmission: Four-speed manual
Suspension: F: wishbones, coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers R: trailing arms, coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: Disc/drum
Tyre size: 5.20 x 13

Dimensions:

O/all length: 4115mm (13ft 6ins)
Width: 1651mm (5ft 5ins)
Wheelbase: 2464mm (8ft 1ins)
Kerb weight: 833kg

Performance:

Max speed: 138kph (86mph)
0-60mph: 18.1 secs
Economy: 8.83l/100km (32mpg)

Words and Photos: Tim Chadwick

Ashley unearths an unusual and unique special in Kaikoura

Those of you who remember last year’s NZCC South Island Special will recall our story on Bob Bell’s shed. This was no ordinary shed, but one filled to the rafters with classic car memorabilia — not to mention some mighty fine classic cars, including his wife Karen’s nicely restored 1970 Morris Minor Traveller.

Kaikoura is probably the last place on earth where you’d expect to find classic cars, but there were plenty to be found, I can assure you. Readers with keen eyes will remember seeing this classic Alta-style racer parked in the corner of Bob’s shed in our feature. I have to admit that this was certainly one of my favourites during our trip to Kaikoura — with its classic lines and style, this period piece simply dripped with nostalgia. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

An Alta! What’s an Alta, I found myself asking? Bob explained that it was important to gain some degree of understanding regarding the background surrounding its development before you could really begin to appreciate his car.

Geoffrey Taylor’s Alta

Alta (the Alta name coming from a shortened version of Alberta) was headed by Geoffrey Taylor, who had a strong automotive background, due mainly to his experience building components for motorcycles and other vehicles when he was still in his late teens. By 1928 Taylor had built his first car, using a chassis and parts from the auto parts company for which he worked. It was powered by a 1074cc engine with an aluminium block, which he fabricated and built himself from scratch, a supreme effort from someone just 24 years of age. He took the car, known then as PK4053, to the race track in London and, on its debut, it finished in the top three.

This success saw the car put into production in 1931 using Taylor’s original engine, however, the chassis was replaced with one from specialist chassis manufacturer, Rubery Owen. These early cars were open bodied, two-seaters designed purely for speed with no regard for comfort in any way, and could reach speeds of between 137 and 177kph (85 and 110mph), quite impressive for the 1930s. Not only were these cars fast, they had phenomenal acceleration, which made them an ideal choice for sprints, races and trials, and in 1934 the Alta even broke a speed record.

A year later the Alta was modified to single-seater form, increasing its competitiveness on more race tracks around the UK. In addition, two more versions of the engine were put into production, a 1496cc and a 1961cc variant. These engines included chain-driven camshafts — another important innovation — and, two years later, the 1496cc model was supercharged.

Due to the car’s lighter weight (primarily due to changes in the nose of the vehicle) the Alta race-cars were able to win a number of races, and showed tremendous promise as a front-runner for racing dominance in subsequent years.

Taylor was already hard at work on new designs and a new chassis that he thought would make the machine an even more impressive racer, however, war was imminent and Taylor’s plans were about to change significantly. The moment war was declared, Alta’s production capabilities were given over to the war effort and production of new designs was halted.

The war went on far longer than expected, and Taylor decided to finally give up the car-making business.

When Grand Prix racing resumed after WWII, the idea of independent car makers like Taylor developing their own race-cars became a thing of the past.

Taylor died in 1966, after a long illness, and without any further victories for his Alta vehicles. However, the achievements of his 1935 Alta 2.0-litre left a lasting impression on the history of motor racing and on car enthusiasts for decades to come.

In The Blood

Back to Kaikoura, Bob Bell has fond childhood memories of his father racing Midgets, with his mother’s support, and there’s little wonder that Bob grew up relishing all things associated with motor sport. He remembers family outings to Ardmore in their ’39 Chevrolet to watch motor racing, and vividly recalls on one occasion the high pitched engine noise, not too dissimilar to that of an approaching aircraft, which passed them as they were en route to the race track. Bob’s father identified the sound as being produced by a Porsche Carrera and, from that point on, Bob’s father declared that he would one day own a Porsche. Unfortunately that day never eventuated, it was a dream that was never fulfilled. However, Bob never forgot his father’s ambition and owned his own Porsche Carrera for over 25 years before selling it.

With motor racing well and truly part of Bob’s life, he began following Formula 1 and, on a more local level, attending virtually every race meeting in New Zealand and Australia except for a short period when he lived in Kenya.

Bob’s interest in classic cars and race-cars became more evident as the years ticked by, and he hoped that one day he would be able to afford something like a Bugatti or Fraser Nash. In the meantime, he also took a liking to Altas.

There was an Alta that frequently raced in Australia at Phillip Island, Adelaide and Sydney, which Bob enjoyed watching immensely. Cunningly as it may seem, Bob got to know the owner of the Alta quite well, and ended up chatting to him on many occasions. The Alta owner even joked that the only way Bob would ever own his Alta would be if Bob married his wife when he died. This soon became a standing joke between the two men.

However, Bob knew that in reality Altas were extremely rare, and he would probably never get to own a genuine example.

The Find

With this background in mind, you can imagine Bob’s reaction when he heard of an aluminium Alta-style body that was tucked away in the back of a workshop somewhere in Melbourne. After some slick detective work, Bob managed to locate the body and, as luck would have it, he ended up owning it. At this stage Bob literally had no idea what he was going to do with his new-found purchase, but he felt it was a good start for a project of some kind. He had the unfortunate notion that he would just ‘whip’ something together in a few months, and he’d be off to the race-track, easy as that. That was over 12 years ago and, sadly, this project is still unfinished.

It was Bob’s Aussie mate, Rob Rowe — in the business of restoring classic sports and race cars — who actually came up with the concept of building a Vauxhall Special, purely and simply because he knew where he could lay his hands on a whole heap of 1937 Vauxhall parts. Although it was in keeping with the period, Bob wasn’t at all impressed with the idea, suggesting in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t what he had in mind.

However, the plan went ahead under the watchful eye of Rob Rowe, and Bob’s project quickly became known as the ‘Vault’, not only because of the obvious Vauxhall/Alta name abbreviation, but Bob reckons it’s also down to the amount of money he has tied up in the car. Bob says he could have bought a couple of supercharged MG specials for the money, blown one of them up and still been racing for 10 years.

The Vault now boasts 1937 Vauxhall mechanicals and chassis, including the knee action front end, and the original cable brakes that have been retained although slightly modified. The light six-cylinder, 1781cc ohv engine has received a host of goodies including a polished and ported head, Gemini valves and springs as well as Mini Cooper pistons connected to specially made alloy conrods. The crankshaft is courtesy of Bedford and runs on MGB bearings.

The car also sports a Tropical Vauxhall Pack finned alloy sump and large volume oil pump. The Tropical Pack was fitted to only a handful of ’50s Vauxhall utes that ended up in Australia and also included a larger radiator. Bob was able to track down two of these rare utes, enabling him to keep aside some uncommon parts should they ever be required. To help speed things along, the engine received a 64mm SU carburettor complete with supercharger that has been expertly modified and tuned by Dunedin’s Jim Bennett, along with the custom exhaust system. It also received a magneto from an early ‘grey’ motor Holden.

The wire wheels are Jaguar SS100, and the matching instruments are early Jaguar and are fitted to an aluminium, machine-turned dash. There is an original 1937 Bluemels steering wheel with a ‘fatmans’ quick release from a Midget race car, and the original English number plate and GB roundel off a1937 Rover drophead coupe that Bob owned when he was 16.

Work in Progress

Bob had a set of alloy brackets fabricated for the front aero screens, and the large flip top petrol filler is off an American racer of the period.

The custom badge says it all, with a ‘V’ in the centre for Vault. A nice pair of period headlights and two sets of Austin tear droplights for indicators and park lights are at the ready should Bob decide to register the Vault as road car. He has also located a local metalworker who fabricates beautiful cycle guards should Bob ever require them for road use.

Lastly, Bob would like to finish off the engine with a Bugatti-style alloy rocker cover — clean and polished with a flat top. He has an old spring-loaded oil filler tube with oil brands engraved in it to use as well. The tube is alloy, and the top is of engraved chrome which he thinks came off a ’30s Standard, and once it’s installed Bob will remove all easy visual traces of GM Motors.

The bucket seats, with a shaped bench back, have been nicely upholstered in red leather and the exterior has been finished off in, of course, British Racing Green — or should that be Vault Green?

Yes, the car does run, and Bob has informed me that it performs quite nicely. He often uses his long twisting gravel driveway for testing purposes — and as an excuse to have some awesome fun.

We can’t wait for Bob to put the finishing touches to this handsome little racer, as we reckon it’ll be the fastest ‘Vault’ we’ve ever seen — you can bank on that!

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Sean Craig

The first Vauxhalls were horizontal-engined single cylinder runabouts manufactured in London in 1903. Then 1905 saw the works move to Luton in Bedfordshire, where cars by this name are still produced today. To the younger generation in this country, the name is now not well known as all current Vauxhalls sold here are badged as Holdens.

The famous designer Lawrence Pomeroy was responsible for many of the cars that earned this company the reputation for fast, competitive, reliable, motor cars. Names such as ‘Prince Henry’, the ‘D’ Type, and the later ‘OE’ Type with their many competition successes made the Vauxhall name a household word. The prototype ‘E’ Type, also known as the 30/98, was produced in 1913 and continued in production until 1927. The year 1925 brought financial woes, and General Motors bought the company and from that point in time the character of the cars gradually changed to cater for the ordinary motorist. Most classic motorists will remember the Vauxhall name as representing somewhat mundane family cars that were known for their simplicity, reliability and good value for money.

John Miller’s PASX

John Miller admits that in the car line he has always liked things with fins. Happily for him, so did his partner Jill. It was she who first saw this car and fell for it. That was in October 2001, and the comments of another Vauxhall owner that the job would be too much for him spurred John on to prove a point. Many years of enjoyment with a 1955 Velox and a wish to do one major project in his lifetime also helped make the decision to purchase.

The previous two owners had not garaged the car and it spent its time in Nelson, down near the marina, open to sea air and all weathers, therefore there was a considerable amount of surface rust and the car had been wet inside.
On getting it home John began doing a few small jobs, replacing steering joints and oil seals etc. He worked on it off-and-on until July 2002, but didn’t drive it, and he began to feel daunted by the size of the job. A visit to the Canterbury Concours d’élegance at Pioneer Stadium in Christchurch renewed his spirits when he saw a magnificent PASX recently completed by Grant Thiele. It was arranged that John should send his car down to Grant for assessment and a plan of action. Grant has been a Vauxhall enthusiast ‘forever’, and was the obvious person to advise and assist in the restoration. The extensive surface rusting and general weathering meant that nothing less than a full strip down of the car was required. When this was completed with doors, bonnet, boot lid and front guards removed, the car was garnet blasted, etch primed, then panel-work was undertaken. There was minimal rust to repair, but many dents and missed factory welds in the left hand sill area. Grant commented that it was the best PA body he had seen for five years.

Grant arranged the painter, and the original colours of Alpine Green with an off-white accent through the doors and fins was decided on. An acrylic lacquer system was chosen as being most suitable for the period look of the car. By Easter 2003 it was back from the painter.

Special order

Living in Nelson and restoring a car in Christchurch had its own set of problems. After the strip-down John made two trips south, of a few days duration each, just to label parts and look at what needed to be done. He acknowledges the great help of Roger Eden, friend and helper in the project, who provided accommodation as well as hands-on assistance. John describes himself as a detail man, and he looked ahead and made sure each component was as perfect as he could get it before it was needed. The clips that hold the all the chrome strips were re-zinced, seals and rubber components sourced (right down to the timing aperture plug), and re-chroming organised. Wayne Patrick created the new interior from the remnants of the old. Wayne is also a Vauxhall enthusiast who, as well as operating his very busy trimming business, races a PB Velox in the Pre-’65 Series.

As with any major project there are twists and turns to negotiate. The trimming has been done in two-tone green to match original factory tones and to suit the exterior. Headlining is in white, and the carpets are grey. The original boot mat and door panels have been used, with new backing and the door panels sprayed to match the seats. Here comes the twist. As purchased, the car was green with the interior gold and cream. Some Vauxhall enthusiasts thought this obviously incorrect, and others said that some cars did leave the factory this way. Much later, after the decision to make it all match the green, John found out from the General Motors archivist that this particular car was a special order, and the gold trim had been correct!

Teething troubles

The re-assembly process began in May 2003. About 12 trips south later, by November the car was ready to be transported home. The final bits and pieces, as well as the sorting out of the inevitable teething troubles, took until August 2004. A few minor tasks remain.

The car has done 246,223km (153,000 miles). The engine was worn enough to be rebored, with new 20 thou’ oversized pistons were fitted. Balancing was done to help smoothness and longevity, with hardened exhaust valve seats used to cope with unleaded petrol. The gearbox was rebuilt, and a new clutch fitted. Radiator and water pump were also rebuilt. With his eye for detail, John found a firm in Tauranga which made a new commission plate for the bulkhead, then he re-stamped it with the correct numbers.

Driving impressions

“There is a popular belief that owners of this model whack their knees getting in and out, I can honestly say it’s never happened to me,” John says. I had a brief drive of John’s car, which felt as if it could just have come out of the factory. The engine is smooth and quiet, the gearbox and clutch action were light and very easy to come to grips with. The ride is soft, which is typical for this type of car, and quite well controlled, the recirculating ball steering was very light and slightly vague for one who is used to rack and pinion systems — although accurate enough. Bearing in mind the customer this car was aimed at and the period in which it was built, the front bench seat suited the cornering expectations as this car has no sporting pretensions at all.

The standard of restoration and attention to detail John has achieved is reflected in the feel of the car on the road. In the Motor road test in 1962 they found that the 2651cc engine accelerated the Velox to 60mph in 16.3 seconds, achieved an overall petrol consumption of 13.07l/100km (21.6mpg), and had a top speed of 150kph (93.3mph).

History of the Car

On February 14, 1962, the Taranaki off-loaded the CKD pack containing John’s Vauxhall, and the car’s assembly was completed on April 9, 1962. The colour is listed as Alpine Green with Gold extra equipment, and on April 10, ’62, it was railed to Rodney Motors in Warkworth. From there it went to Te Kuiti, then from 13,742km (8539 miles) it stayed in the hands of one Takaka family for many years, passing from father to daughter. It had two more owners in Nelson before John, who is the seventh owner.

Owners Commens

A restoration seems to create its own energy and can carry you away. You quickly realise that the standard required of the current stage can never be less than that of previous work. Despite not setting out to create a ‘museum piece’, the feeling at the end is that this is exactly what has happened. Modern traffic and New Zealand road surfaces create a driving nervousness I did not expect. Consequently, only 1368km have been travelled.
I am pleased to have been able to save an example of automotive style that will not be repeated. When I explain to my son that, in its day, this was just an ordinary family car like a Holden Commodore is today, he looks doubtful. It amazes me that at 19, he sees it as classy and striking. In addition to the helpers previously mentioned I would also like to thank the teams at Basis, Shiny Bits, and Bruce Ardell at Vintage Spares. You have all helped create a very special ‘toy’.

Words and Photos: Dennis Le Cren