CarBrandLogos archive · Vauxhall · 1957

VauxhallVictor

Vauxhall's big seller of the late fifties, and its most notorious ruster.

The story

A defining chapter in Vauxhall history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Vauxhall Victor, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Vauxhall VX4-90 FC at the Wirral Bus & Tram Show - DSC03333

Origins

The F-type Victor of 1957 was Vauxhall's medium-sized car, and for a few years it was one of Britain's most successful exports. It was styled in the American idiom — a shrunken 1955 Chevrolet, essentially, with wraparound screens, heavy chrome and, on early cars, an exhaust pipe exiting through the rear bumper — and it sold in very large numbers in the United States through Pontiac dealers who needed something small to offer.

Vauxhall VX4-90 FC at the Wirral Bus & Tram Show - DSC03333 · Rept0n1x · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

It was also one of the worst-rusting cars of its era. The decorative chrome strips along the front wings trapped water against the metal, and cars dissolved from the sills and wings within a few years. The reputation attached itself to Vauxhall generally and took two decades to shake off.

Vauxhall VX 4-90 reg Nov 1968 · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Vauxhall VX 4slash90 first reg Nov 1972 2279cc

In production

Successive generations became progressively more sober: the FB of 1961 dropped the American detailing, the FC of 1964 was sold as the 101 for its interior space, and the FD of 1967 brought new overhead-camshaft engines and a coke-bottle body. The FE of 1972 was the last, sold alongside the Ventora and the sporting VX4/90. The name was retired in 1978 and the segment handed to the Carlton.

Vauxhall VX 4slash90 first reg Nov 1972 2279cc · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance