I owned a Vauxhall Victor. I may still be able to find it. It was made in England by Lesney, and it was one of my favorite Matchbox cars. I got it for a steal, $0.49 – such a deal! Even at a young age, I thought, “Hey, this looks like a mid-fifties Pontiac,” and there’s a reason for that. This is a truly neat find, and we have T.J. to thank for the sluething. This stateside version of a popular British model is located in Perrysburg, Ohio, and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $9,800.
Vauxhall’s Victor was produced from 1957 until 1978, though the F series, such as our subject, was only available through 1960. The British Vauxhall Motors, LTD, was purchased by General Motors in 1925, and by the 1950s, there was some “sharing” between the two companies going on. While resembling a ’56 or ’57 Pontiac, it has been said that the ’55 Chevrolet BelAir was the influence for this first edition of the Victor. I have to say, however, that the backend looks more like a Buick knock-off. Initially offered only as a four-door sedan, a station wagon was offered in ’58. Total F Series production reached about 390K units, but I could not uncover a production stat for the ’59 model. The seller tells us, “This is a very nice low-mile example,” with only 45K miles showing on its odometer. To put things in perspective, this Victor is 177 inches in length and rides on a 98-inch wheelbase, while a 1955 Chevrolet BelAir stretches out to 195.6 inches, spread over a 115-inch wheelbase. The comparison to a ’55-’57 Pontiac is even more stark.
The seller tells us, “replaced windshield…recently replaced NOS front bumper, parking lights housings/lens and grille, new rear taillight doors/housings/lens. Front floor rust repaired by the previous owner, perhaps the most solid Vauxhall currently in the US.” This car looks great; the finish, trim, chrome, body panels, all of it, is like new – and I would imagine some of those items are difficult to source these days. I definitely see the GM familial resemblance, but the smaller size (scale?) throws things off a bit.
Cruising the interior is where the GM departure may be most obvious – it’s utilitarian but still attractive with its two-tone upholstery. The instrument panel and dash are a study in minimalism, but considering its commodity car origins, that’s not surprising. The door panels have become a bit rumpled, and the seller mentions that he replaced the sunvisors and dyed the headliner – I’m not sure how one would do that. To state the obvious, this Vauxhall is left-hand drive and was likely originally destined for the U.S. or Canadian market – apparently Pontiac dealerships handled the sale in both countries.
No big American V8 here, nope, we got a 55 HP, 1.5 liter in-line four-cylinder powerplant, driving the rear wheels via a three-speed manual gearbox. The seller claims, “Recent work includes: tune up, rebuilt carb, new fuel pump, brake master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, center link replaced, new gas tank (Volvo P544)…” It does, however, need a muffler. The seller adds, “This car is super fun and a joy to drive.”
Good to know is the spare parts cache that is included with this seldom-seen British sedan, including “A full NOS parts inventory including clutch housing, clutch, water pump, deck lid and front fenders, and various other Lucas electrical parts.” This could be a fun piece at a car show; some may ask, “What happened to your Pontiac?” Well, that’s a stretch, but you can rest assured you’ll be the only one there with a Vauxhall Victor, right?
the link provided leads to the Wikipedia page. Any chance of inserting the correct link to the facebook post?
I don’t know how in the world that happened. It’s fixed now, thx for bringing it to my attention.
JO
Jim may be right that the next owner of this Victor would be alone in the Vauxhall Corral at Cars and Coffee, but there was a kid at my high school who had one. It was lonely even in the mid-1960s.
I grew up in interesting time: another kid had a Humber Super Snipe, yet another had an Opel Kadett (replacing a DKW), and I had a Hillman Minx. Aside from a handful of VW Beetles, two Renaults (4CV and Caravelle) and an MG-TC, we were the Foreign Car Hipsters in school.
It’s tempting, but I suspect neither my local Vauxhall nor Pontiac dealers would be helpful when it came to sourcing repair parts….
Did your Minx have a 4spd on the column? Mine did. Bought it for 50 bucks, ran good but interior was shot. My Mother had to make all her own clothes because she was so tall (born in 1920, 6’3″ was HUGE!) She took an old green brocade king size bed spread and made me a set of seat covers. I had a rusty pink Minx with forest green interior. Beautiful! Eventually traded it for a 62 Corvair.
Honey, I shrunk the kids, who were hiding in the trunk…
The first plastic model that I ever built!I think I used most of
that tube of glue on it.
I still say that the Victor & Opel of those years were based on
the same body.
The Vauxhall Victor and Opel Rekord looked quite similar, but that’s where the similarities ended.
The Rekord was offered in a two door version but the Victor was made only in a four door and and a wagon. The Opel at that time used Bosch components and a 6 volt electrical system whereas the Vauxhall was equipped with Lucas and Delco items and had a 12 volt system.
There were also considerable differences in the body structure and approaches to the integrity and rust resistance, or the lack thereof. The Opel was much sturdier and longer lasting than the Vauxhall.
In 1970 and 1971 I owned a 1960 Victor wagon, which provided unforgettable lessons in automotive diagnosis and repair skills. Ironically that’s the only GM vehicle I ever owned that I wish I still owned today.
This red ’59 is awfully tempting!
I’ve always loved the Opel Rekord. I saw the resemblance to American cars I knew as a child in the late 50s/60s except in a smaller, tidier package.
In the mid-70s, my best friend bought a Renault Caravelle; kinda (OK very) rusty which was a hoot. This Vauxhall is also an attractive find for cars of that era and of this genre. I’m sure whoever buys it will appreciate it and hopefully show up at car events to “inform” others of its existence.
I think this car is so cool. Not sure about US styling cues, there are similarities, but I doubt the designers intent. Brits rarely copy anyone else. I’m trying to think of the similar US car, and can’t. Usually, the person, um, different enough to drive one here, didn’t justify a car line for them. Think the Met. I bet that was a different story in England, however. I’d like to know, chaps, in 1959, who in England drove a Vauxhall? I picture some professor type, top hat, smoking a pipe, or that machinist, smoking a pipe, or family work. Seems to be a bit more upscale than say a Morris, you know, mate, he or she drives a Vauxhall.
https://club.shannons.com.au/club/news/retroautos/vauxhalls-victor-conquers-the-world/
Here’s an interesting article on the Victor’s design and the GM influence/connection.
JO
Find a picture of a ’55 Chev. with the right hand door open and compare the picture on this one. You won’t be able to tell the difference until you get to the dashboard.
Willys Aero maybe Howard?
My dad was Norwegian and my mom was American. They met in Warsaw after WW2 working for their respective embassies, married then came back to California. We had an eclectic mix of cars when I was a kid, Mom got a 57 Chevy wagon then a 60 Pontiac wagon then a 68 Olds Delmont 88. Dad had various foreign vehicles including a Vespa scooter then a Vauxhaul just like this one then traded it for a VW bug then a 64 bus then a 68 bus and added a 67 Toyota Corolla then a 73 Mazda RX2 then another Toyota then American cars from then on. He did meticulous maintenance on all of them, but hated the Mazda when the rotary engine blew up 2000 miles after the warrantee expired.
My parents bought a 1973 Mazda RX-3 wagon in orange when they were first available. It went back to the dealer 7 (yes, seven) times for not starting that first winter in St. Louis. The last time, my mother had me make a sign so that everyone following the tow truck could read “This car is a lemon from [Dealer Name].
Boy, when it ran, it would outrun and outcorner MGs, Triumphs, and other small sports cars I loved. You could leave the highway at 65 MPH and not slow for the exit curve ramp. You could leave a stoplight and everyone else in the dust (redline @ 7,000 RPM).
I see a ‘55 Chevy front. To me even the A Pillar looks like a vintage ‘55 or ‘56 GM. I agree the rear looks a bit like a Buick. My Father had a ‘54 Cadillac convertible and from memory the rear bumper with the dual exhaust outlets remind me of that. Great combination of both sides of the Atlantic.
My first thought… ’55 Chevy front-end
Rear looks to me like a 57/58 Buick Special…
I’m not sure of the Pontiac or ’55 Chevy influence with this car. It has more common lines with a ’57 Chevy. Speaking of European cars that mimic a ’55 Chevy, don’t forget the Opel Rekord Olympian of 1958. My parents had one. It’s a lot closer to the ’55 Chevy than this car is.
I’m amazed that one of these exists today in this beautiful condition! As a kid in the early 60’s I vaguely recall seeing one in blue with a white roof around town while out with my parents somewhere–grocery store? Who knows. I’ve always associated it’s looks with GM’s `57 line–the chubby cheek front bumper reminds me of a `57 Buick, as well as the rear styling. The Opel Rekord of the same era had a dash that was a 7/8 scale version of what Buick’s `54-`55 models used.
Ive been looking for a station wagon version of the victor. the estate. Had one when young and really want to restore one. Will pay a finders fee. In any condition .
A good place to search would be in Canada. At one time Vauxhall had become the second most popular imported car in the country, outsold only by Volkswagen. The Victor was a common sight on the roads all those years ago.
Hope you get lucky!
The 3/4 front view showing the side of the car, in the lead photo of the post, makes me think 55-56 ford. Go figure.
Oddest front bumper I’ve seen in a while.
Ya, the front bumper looks like the rear one!
My father owned one.A light blue with a matching blue leather interior. It ran great but parts were hard to come by back than. No computers, cell phones, etc. Muncie, Indiana was not a connected network for Vauxhall parts like brakes, bushings, tie rod, etc. Eventually he got tired of the search and sold it. He pulled it on a trailer behind a Winnebago around the US for a few years first. The engine was always a good running engine.
You made parts to keep them running. Dad needed a wheel cylinder kit that they would not even look up when you said it was for a vauxhall. He went to a real old auto parts store laid the parts on the counter and said give me one. Guy said 53 chevy . fit perfect. I put a one barrell holley on it and would bark the tires in second.
As Vauxhall was owned by GM, that makes perfect sense! (parts bin engineering-economies of scale)