1961 Vauxhall Victor Deluxe

Lot details
Registration No: LAS 243
Chassis No: FE394324
Mot Expiry: April 2010

When the F-type Victor launched in 1957, it rightly caused a sensation for its Americanised styling. What the British didn't know at the time was that GM President Harlow 'Red' Curtis had chosen the more garish and overtly US-inspired design from two clays produced under the guidance of Vauxhall styling chief David Jones. Dealers were introduced to the new model a few weeks before launch at the State Theatre, Kilburn. The no-expense-spared event was hosted by Arthur Askey, and featured a specially composed march played by the band of the Grenadier Gaurds entitled 'Victor: King of the Highway'. It was an inauspicious venue for a car that would go on to be one of the best-selling Vauxhalls of all time, with nearly 100,000 per year coming from Luton for markets all over the world. Sadly, the car, described by Roy Salvadori as 'the outstanding medium-saloon in the low-price group', contained a hidden propensity to rot faster than even its similarly non-undersealed contemporaries. Which means that today, any F-Victor survivor is a true rarity. Every example remaining is a true repository of a forgotten coffee bar and juke-box Britain of the early 1960s.

This deluxe Victor saloon boasts the slick four-speed transmission, a feature which Salvadori's contemporary review felt contributed towards the model's 'impeccable road manners'. The 1508cc motor is gruff and torquey for its size, and the car was built to operate on Britain's new motorway network, so can theoretically cruise at the legal limit, with a maximum towards 80mph. The vendor notes that the Vauxhall has had some paintwork in the past, along with re-chroming; expensive to do on one of these because there is so much of it. The interior is said to be "very good", and the car reportedly "drives well" with a MOT valid until 23rd April 2010. The Victor comes with its original registration book, handbooks and various Vauxhall Club publications. With its mini-Detroit styling, this Vauxhall will turn heads and be a unique exhibit at almost any show or event.