A new style for the ’70s
When the Viva HC arrived in 1970, few would have believed that it was to be the last of its line. However, the creeping integration between GM’s German and British operations would gather pace during the 1970s, and one victim on that was going to be the Viva – that, though, was yet to come.
In 1970, it arrived on the scene, with smart new styling, but underneath, it was little changed, with the engines and platform carried over from the HB, although the engine capacity of the base version was enlarged to 1256cc. However, the range was about to grow significantly – the Viva HC was available as a saloon, estates and as a coupé.
Vauxhall Viva history
1963 Oct 1057cc HA Viva (std and de luxe)
1964 Apr Lawrencetune Viva GT: 87.5mph
1964 Aug Bedford 6/8cwt vans launched, plus Martin Walter Beagle estate conversion
1965 Jun Viva SL added, with more trim
1965 Oct 60bhp de luxe 90and SL90 added
1966 Sept Bigger 1159cc HB launched
1967 Feb Borg-Warner auto option on 90; Brabham Viva added: 78bhp, 92mph
1967 Jun Three-door Estate body arrives
1968 Feb Viva GT replaces Brabham: 2-litre, ohc, 104bhp Mar Crayford convertible added
1968 May Viva 1600, with ohc slant-four
1968 Oct Four-door body option
1970 Oct HC replaces HB: std, 90 & 1600
1971 May Firenza coupé added; 2000 option
1971 Sep Base unit up to 1256cc; ‘90’ ends
1972 Feb 1600 up to 1800, 2000 to 2300
1973 Sep 1800/2300 renamed Magnum; Firenza gets ‘droopsnoot’ and ZF five-speed
1979 Production ends; last HA vans built ’85
Vauxhall Viva specifications
- Sold/number built 1963-’79/1,516,792
- Construction steel monocoque
- Engine all-iron, ohv 1057/1159/1256cc or ohc 1599/1759/1975/2279cc ‘four’, single Solex, Zenith or Stromberg or twin Stromberg carbs
- Max power 44bhp @ 5000rpm-110bhp @ 5200rpm
- Max torque 59lb ft @ 3000rpm-140lb ft @ 3000rpm
- Transmission four-speed manual or three-speed auto, RWD
- Suspension: front wishbones, transverse leaf spring (HA) or coil springs (HB/C), anti-roll bar (GT/HC) rear live axle, torque tube and semi-elliptic springs (HA) or four links and coil springs (HB/C), Panhard rod (GT), anti-roll bar (Firenza 2000); telescopics f/r
- Steering rack and pinion
- Brakes drums, optional front discs and servo (standard on GT/2300)
- Length 12ft 11in-13ft 6¾in (3937-4134mm)
- Width 4ft 11½in-5ft 4¾in (1511-1645mm)
- Height 4ft 6½in-4ft 7in (1384-1397mm)
- Wheelbase 7ft 7½in-8ft 1¼in (2324-2470mm)
- Weight 1568-2251lb (713-1023kg)
- 0-60mph 20.6-10.7 secs
- Top speed 78-100mph
- Mpg 20-40
- Price new £658-1063 (1968)
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The watershed Vauxhall
Vauxhall’s first post-war small car was something of a late arrival to the party. It was a bold new start for Vauxhall – a baby car produced at an all-new factory at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. But, by the time it was launched in 1963, rival small family cars such as the Austin A40, Ford Anglia 105E, Morris Minor and Triumph Herald were well established and selling like hot cakes to new drivers, getting into their first cars.
Despite the late entry, the Viva HA did well during its four-year production run, selling more than 300,000. The Viva owed a lot in terms of styling and design to its cousin, the Opel Kadett A, so it was very functional in appearance, lacking in some of the flair of the opposition. The mechanical package was spot on, though – with a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox, rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes up front as an option.
Coupe style with the Firenza
When the the Ford Capri exploded onto the scene in 1969, there were far reaching ramifications. For one, every rival manufacturer wanted to build an alternative and cash in on the craze for European Pony cars. The Firenza was Vauxhall’s attempt at a Capri rival, although its sales never came close to those of its Blue Oval rival.
It was launched in 1971 and clearly bore a family resemblance to the Viva HC it was based on. Effectively, it was just a Viva HC, but with a more swooping fastback roof – and yet it worked very well indeed.
Engines were shared with the Viva too – so that initially meant the 1159cc entry level model and a rather enjoyable 1975cc version. But changes that echoed those made to the Viva in 1972 meant 1256cc, 1759cc and 2279cc four-pots, with the largest of the lot developing a very lively 110bhp. In 1973, the Firenza name was dropped, with them becoming known as the Viva E (base model), and plusher Magnums instead.
Why you’d want a Vauxhall Viva
The HA Vauxhall Viva looks like a small vehicle today, but it was considered large and spacious for a 1-litre car in 1963, with good economy and performance for the time but a rather poor ride and finish.
Light rack-and-pinion steering and an excellent all-synchromesh gearchange helped make it pleasant to drive and it was spacious, with an unusually large boot.
An excellent family car, it gave Vauxhall a useful slice of the small-saloon market – one it hadn’t entered before.
It was therefore a little surprising that the Viva grew significantly in size for both its second and third incarnations: the HB was almost a completely new car, with all-new shell and suspension, 4in extra wheelbase and a 6in longer body.
Its ‘Coke bottle’ styling was attractive and complemented by a much-improved interior. Quiet and smooth, it was equipped with a particularly well-located rear axle, which finally turned the Vauxhall into a driver’s car.
The 2-litre, overhead-cam Viva GT wasn’t the boy-racer bolide it was dressed up to be, but was a great touring car that in HB form was the only production Viva to (just) top the ton – 100mph was a mere 1mph out of reach for the HC GT and 2300SL – and it was the only one to better 11 secs to 60mph.
Not surprisingly, it’s the most sought-after and valuable production Viva now, though specials such as the Brabham, Crayford convertible and Lawrencetune GT will inevitably command more.
The HC was a mild rehash of the HB: praised at its launch for improved spaciousness and refinement.
The extra weight of the 2in wider body with 1.5in longer wheelbase killed the performance and economy of the base model, however, and bigger engines were needed to make it go: the base HC was actually a second slower to 60mph than the base HA, with the same top speed.
To be fair, all Vivas were fairly light cars for their size (no doubt part of the reason why many have now rusted away) and for most buyers the combination of an unusually spacious interior and boot with light, easy controls and acceptable performance was just the ticket: Vivas were good value and sold well.
Today, the performance models are coveted but they still barely justify restoration costs, and the union of rust and low values has left just a few hundred survivors from the 1.5 million built. It’s only right that values are at last rising.
Images: James Mann
Adding racing appeal
The Vauxhall Viva Brabham (above) was a short-lived model designed to add a little panache into the range – in the way that the Cooper did for Mini or Lotus did for the Cortina. Given that, you’d be expected to think that it was a fire-breathing homologation special capable of seeing off some serious machinery.
Not so – if anything, the Brabham was a bit of a dealer special in that it was all show and not enough go. It did receive a mildly-tuned version of its 1159cc engine. It featured twin Stromberg carburettors, reworked exhaust manifolds and an uprated camshaft, which delivered a very useful 68bhp.
The interior was upgraded and the bodywork treated to some nice stripes – but, in the end, it remained in production for a mere year before being ousted by the Viva 1600.
In 1968, the Viva GT (above) was added to the range, taking over from where the Brabham left off. It was powered by the 1975cc engine from the Victor, fitted with twin carburettors and mated with a close-ratio gearbox. With 104bhp, it was a genuine 100mph car, and a credible rival to the Cortina GT (if not quite the Lotus). It looked the part, too, with bonnet scoops, a black grille and contrasting bonnet.
It went well, too. Motor Sport magazine’s Bill Boddy said in his 1970 road test, ‘We found this so-called Grand Touring Viva a car which devoured the miles quite effortlessly. It is docile in top gear, yet accelerates very usefully from 50 to 80mph, for example, while at the British legal cruising speed of 70mph the 1975cc engine runs at well below 4000rpm. It says not to exceed 6250rpm on the tachometer, but there is seldom any need to go to anything like this extreme to extract very ample performance from this quick Vauxhall. Indeed, maximum power, 112bhp, is achieved at 5400rpm.’
He then concluded: ‘The engine, carburetted by twin variable-choke Zenith 175 CD-28s, started readily, idled rather frenziedly at 1000rpm and ran quietly unless really working – it has the toothed-belt drive to the single overhead camshaft and is inclined in the car at 45 degrees. In give-and-take driving, including a little motorway motoring, we obtained 28.1mpg, which is excellent for a high-output 2.0-litre. This Vauxhall Viva GT created a generally favourable impression and is the best of the current range of Lutonian products’
The range soon expands
It made a good impression at launch. Motor Sport magazine commented in its 1963 road test, ‘This General Motors’ inspired Vauxhall Viva is quite the most notable conventional-layout rear-drive, strip-steel suspended small car to be announced for a very long time. It is by no means a mini-car – indeed, in body width, seating space and luggage-boot size it will be acceptable to most families.
‘It can out-perform all its competitors and undercuts them on purchase price. Issigonis/Moulton-wise eyebrows can be raised over the suppleness of the suspension, but clearly the Vauxhall engineers have sought to combine reasonable roll-resistance with all-round riding comfort in a leaf-spring layout. They have very nearly succeeded.’ Praise indeed…
Vauxhall certainly saw that the demands of an increasingly affluent marketplace were met with frequent updates, and improvements in specifications. The more desirable variants – the De Luxe and the SL90 – boasted 54bhp from their 1057cc engines, but the Viva’s main claim to fame was in being the first Vauxhall to emerge from the Ellesmere Port plant near Liverpool.
The second-generation Viva was a vastly improved product over its predecessor. It’s not that the old car was particularly bad – just it lacked finesse and charisma, something that the Vauxhall designers worked very hard to inject into the HB.
Тест-драйв
Внешность
Шевроле Вива выглядит вполне привлекательно, но округлые формы кузова напоминают о солидном возрасте модели. Агрессии передней части придают передне фары клинообразной конфигурации, а также лаконичная решетка радиатора с небольшой эмблемой марки.
Что касается кормы, то она смотрится подтянуто за счет компактной компоновки багажника. Боковой обвес придает профилю стремительности, а хромированные зеркала добавляет респектабельности всему облику седана.
Салон
Материалы отделки интерьера ожидаемо бюджетные ̶ пластик грубый как по своей структуре, так и на ощупь. Но сборка не плоха ̶ панели подогнаны ровно.
Аналоговый щиток приборов с белым фоном простоват. Зато читается хорошо благодаря крупному шрифту и высокому контрасту. На центральной консоли располагается экран маршрутного компьютера, дефлектора воздуха и климатическая установка.
Последняя регулируется посредством трех вращающихся тумблеров. Что касается штатной магнитолы, то она отсуствует ̶ предусмотрена лишь аудиоподготовка, а сам слот для аудиосистемы ничем не прикрывается.
Водительское кресло выраженными валиками боковой поддержки похвастаться не может, к тому же оно плоское. Субтильный драйвер будет ерзать по сиденью в поисках оптимальной геометрии посадки, тогда как тучный отметит его слабый наполнитель, который прогибается до арматуры.
Сидеть на заднем диване комфортно смогут лишь два человека ростом не более 175 сантиметров. А вот более высокорослые седоки пожалуются на недостаток пространства для ног и головы.
Ездовая дисциплина
Ускоряется Chevrolet Viva вполне шустро. Мотор обладает уверенной тягой на низких оборотах, при этом ощутимо подхватывает на средних. Постоянно поддерживать его в тонусе позволяет механическая коробка со сближенными передачами, однако трансмиссия не отличается высокой четкостью включений и рычаг ощутимо люфтит в руке.
При движении по прямой автомобиль ведет себя стабильно, не требуя подруливаний для корректировки курса. В виражах заметна выраженная недостаточная поворачиваемость, хотя крены кузова не велики.
Подвеска жестко отрабатывает неровности, тем самым доставляя седокам дискомфорт из-за постоянных толчков. В то же время, ходовая часть демонстрирует высокую выносливость даже при полной загрузке салона ̶ стойки амортизаторов пробить крайне сложно.
Каков итог? Шевроле Вива достоин похвалы за счет хорошего баланса шасси и двигателя. Однако во всем остальном этот седан выглядит гостем из прошлого ̶ начиная с дизайна и заканчивая оснащением. Хотя, если будущего покупателя не смущает моральная устарелость модели, то ее вполне можно рекомендовать для приобретения. Тем более, что с надежностью особых проблем не выявлено.
Фото Chevrolet Viva:
The great droopsnoots
The Firenza HP – nicknamed the Droopsnoot – was the ultimate variation of the Viva HC theme. It was launched at the London Motor Show in 1973, and was developed as a more appealing version of the underwhelming Firenza. It combined an HC coupé body with a glassfibre nosecone designed by Wayne Cherry.
It was powered by a tweaked 2279cc slant-four that kicked out 131bhp and twin-Stromburg carburettors – and looked the way it did due to considerable aerodynamic work. In all, it was quite an advanced package, especially so with a dogleg five-speed ZF gearbox to add an air of sophistication.
The streamlined front was aerodynamically effective, giving the Firenza HP a maximum speed of more than 120mph. But due to its high cost, the HP wasn’t a success – a mere 204 had been built by the time it was dropped in 1975 – which didn’t compare well with Vauxhall’s target of 1000 per year.
Vauxhall used the left-over nose cones on 197 HC estates, to create the even more appealing HP Sportshatch, which was launched as a last-minute addition at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1974.
By the first facelift in 1973, a range of new engines was ushered in, with the old 1159cc entry-level unit being up-gunned to 1256cc. Also, the 1.6- and 2.0-litre cars were expanded to 1759cc and 2279cc. To make the higher-powered cars stand out, they were re-badged as Magnums, and the coupés became knows as Firenzas.
It was in entry-level form that the Viva soldiered on until 1979, when it was pensioned off in favour of the Vauxhall Astra.
