Vauxhall Victor – Englishman with an American twist

vauxhall victor
1958 Vauxhall Victor in Gypsy Red

It had panoramic windows and color schemes like the Americans of the time. Although some conservative English car buyers thought it had a vulgar appearance, it was a success.

 

One of the world's oldest car brands

Although Vauxhall is a relatively unknown car brand in Norway these days, it is one of the world's oldest car brands. The history goes all the way back to 1857 when the company started producing iron goods. The first car model saw the light of day in 1903 and around 70 cars left the factory in the first year. Like many start-up car factories, Vauxhall actively participated in car races to gain publicity. It went well and Vauxhall became a well-established and well-known car brand throughout Europe.

Landed under GM

The factory was bought by General Motors in 1925 and became a very important car brand for GM. Now more family cars and fewer sporty models were produced at Vauxhall. A well-known model from this period is the family car "Vauxhall 10", which was produced between 1937 and 1947. New modern models came in 1952. With modern design and a large model range, these models sold well throughout Europe. A model that became very popular in Norway was the Vauxhall Victor, which came in 1957.

Vauxhall Victor

Here, Vauxhall launched a completely contemporary car model. It followed the latest fashion trends that also characterized GM's larger American models. That the Victor models had colors and designs reminiscent of their larger American relatives was emphasized in advertisements and brochures. This new model was very well received by both dealers and car buyers. Sales went straight up, even though Victor could only be delivered as a 4-door passenger car at the start. But Victor could be delivered in many equipment variants, from the very basic up to luxury variants with two colored bodywork. The 4-door variant was followed by a station wagon the year after its introduction. Although some conservative English car buyers thought it had vulgar looks, it was a success both in England and in a number of export markets. During the production period, there were some minor changes to the bodywork and engine until 1961 when a completely new model was introduced.

vauxhall victor
 
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1960 Vauxhall Victor De luxe in Royal Blue over Silver Grey, separate front seats.

 

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1960 Vauxhall Victor Deluxe

 

Data for Vauxhall Victor 1958

Length: 423 cm
Width: 158 cm
Height: 150 cm
Top speed: 125 km/h
Engine: 1507 ccm, 55 hp

 

 

 

 

 


 

Panoramic routes and large color selection!

vauxhall victor
Advertisement for the 1957 Vauxhall Victor

 

See

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Ford Taunus 17 M – a touch of luxury
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Exciting car history from Anders de Lange's archives

 

Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.

1 Response

  1. Norwegian Vauxhall first registered in 1961. Pictures from "Motordilla" at Årnes and Oslo Motor Show 2023.

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