Vauxhall

The Vauxhall Viva HC was mechanically identical to its predecessor, the HB, but received a more modern design and more safety equipment.

About the Vauxhall Viva HC

The model was put into production as a 1971 model and produced until 1979. It could almost have been a facelift – not a completely new model. In any case, the new Viva came in as a breath of fresh air in the early 1970s. Especially the station wagon with 3 doors and a strongly sloping rear window – almost like a combi coupe. The cheapest cars in the Viva series were still among the most affordable on the market – both in the UK and Norway. But the Viva could not hide the fact that it was a cheap car. Vauxhall wanted to do something about that. From the Viva came two new models – Firenza and Magnum. They shared a platform with the Viva, but got more powerful engines and a more powerful design.

Viva Sedan

Viva Estate

The station wagon's roofline was more reminiscent of a combi coupé than a station wagon. In 1970, this shape appeared somewhat futuristic.

About the pictures

All the cars in the pictures participated in the Enfield Pageant of Motoring 2025 in Enfield Town outside London, with the exception of the station wagon which was on display at the Oslo Motor Show 2025.

English car — Vauxhall Viva HC (brochure image).

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See

Vauxhall Norway (closed FB group)

Vauxhall.co.uk

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.