Though no more than a small and affordable family car in concept, the Viva was destined to become one of the most successful Vauxhalls of the second half of the 20th century.
Born: 1964 Died: 1979
The first generation, the HA series (pictured right), was a brand new car in a brand new factory at Ellesmere Port on Merseyside. Of a simple boxy design, it was an immediate success and reached the magic 100,000 units within 10 months in production. By that time the demand had forced Vauxhall to open a second production line for the model in Luton. In 1965, the model hit the quarter-million mark.
There were just two versions at the time, the basic and the Deluxe, which was distinguished by a chrome strip along the sides - hardly a feature to warrant the 'deluxe' description, but swish for its price. An SL/SL90 followed afterwards.
Power in the basic and De Luxe cars came from a 1057cc 44bhp engine, while the SL had a more powerful 60bhp version. When HA production ceased in 1966, almost 304,000 copies of the car had been built. In addition, the car formed the basis for a generation of the Bedford van in three weight ratings, and was to continue into the 1980s. An estate version of this was called the Bedford Beagle.
The successor HB car launched in the autumn of 1966 was markedly different, using a distinctive and very well balanced 'coke-bottle' shape reflecting the tastes popular at the time in America, and which had already been used by Vauxhall in its large Cresta.
The HB was longer than its predecessor, had independent suspension all round, and had a 56bhp 1159cc engine as basic. It came in saloon form only at first, and a Deluxe variant with a '90' suffix had a 69bhp version of the base engine. Deluxe versions also came with a heater and carpets as standard (stop sniggering down the back!). An SL version later added such nicities as better sound insulation and a distinctive grille.
Other versions came on line quickly, including the 1600 Deluxe which had a 1599cc engine with 83bhp on tap, and tougher running gear. In 1967, the Brabham Viva was produced in limited numbers, with a 79bhp engine and special trim, and this was superseded after only a year by the Viva GT. Also in 1967 an estate version was launched, arguably one of the prettier and best-balanced in style cars of its segment and time.
In the autumn of 1970, the final generation of the Viva was launched, again using a totally new body style than its predecessor car. This time the curves were gone, but the estate had a more coupe line and in today's world would probably be called a sportwagon.
Wider and longer than the HB, the new car used essentially the same engines and running gear initially. But soon after launch the base engine was enlarged to 1256cc. Like its predecessor, a variety of more powerful versions were offered, including a 1759cc engine and a street-fighter 2279cc with 110bhp under the hood.
A coupe version of the HC became the Firenza, about the time that total production to date of the model reached the million mark. It was distinguished also by its twin headlights and snazzy wheels.
In 1973 the more powerful variants of the Viva got their own name, the Magnum, available in coupe, 2- and 4-door saloons and estates.
A high performance version of the Firenza had a radically restyled nose, which quickly gave it the nickname of the 'Droopsnoot'. It had a 131bhp version of the 2.3-litre engine, uprated suspension and brakes. However, it succumbed to the market change in the light of the oil crisis of the time and very few were sold.
The Viva model was ended in 1979. I have my own particular fondness for the car, as I owned estate versions of both the HB and HC during their lifetimes.
One quirk was that, since I was in the family pub business at the time, and there was a worthwhile discount if we collected our spirits from Irish Distillers, the HB could hold 12 cases with the seats down, while the later and ostensibly larger HC could only hold 10. Sounds a little familiar with some of today's 'ever increasing' cars.
- Brian Byrne