Vauxhall Viva: История и эволюция модели

the Vauxhall Viva sold since 2015

The Vauxhall Viva is a small family car that was produced by Vauxhall in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were designated the HA, HB and HC series. The Viva was introduced a year after Vauxhall's fellow GM company Opel launched the Opel Kadett A. Both cars were a result of the same General Motors project and share the same floorpan and engine constructions, but with one main difference being the use of metric measurements for the Opel and imperial ones for the Vauxhall. They are also visually similar, however few components are interchangeable and the cars are thus not "sister models" or versions of one another – as Opel and Vauxhall vehicles would become from the mid 1970s onward. A van version was also produced, as the Bedford HA. In the UK the Viva's principal competitors at the time of its launch included the well established Ford Anglia and Morris Minor. The third generation HC series was the last solely Vauxhall designed passenger car when it ceased production in 1979 (although not the last Vauxhall designed vehicle to go out of production overall – that distinction belongs to the Bedford CF van), as GM Europe unified the Opel and Vauxhall brands around a single range of Opel developed models. Vauxhall revived the Viva nameplate from 2015–2019 on a rebadged variant of the fourth generation Opel Karl/Chevrolet Spark.

The HA Viva, announced in September 1963, and replaced in September 1966, was Vauxhall's first serious step into the compact car market after the Second World War. It was also the first new small car produced by Vauxhall since 1936. The HA Viva was powered by a , overhead valve, four cylinder, front mounted engine driving the rear wheels. It was comparable in size and mechanical specifications with the new Opel Kadett released a year earlier in continental Europe, being a result of the same project with the two cars sharing much of their inner structure and similar overall dimensions. The Viva and Kadett were sold alongside each other in many markets. The HA Viva was just an inch longer than the Ford Anglia which dated back to 1959. It was offered only as a two door saloon, and competed with the Anglia as well as BMC's hugely successful and highly regarded new 1100 range. The HA set new standards in its day for lightweight, easy to operate controls, a slick short gearchange, lightweight steering and clutch pedal, good all round visibility and relatively nippy performance. It was one of the first cars to be actively marketed towards women, perhaps as a result of these perceived benefits for them. The front crossmember (steering, suspension and engine mounting) assembly from the HA became a very popular item for DIY hot rod builders in the UK, due to its simple self contained mechanics, similar to older designs such as those from the 1930s, and ability to accommodate much larger engines within its span. The assembly featured a double wishbone/vertical telescopic dampers suspension design in combination with a transverse leaf spring attached to the front crossmember at its centre position and the entire unit could be removed and adapted to another vehicle. (For similar reasons the Jaguar IRS assembly was often used at the rear of these custom cars). The Viva's rear suspension made do with conventional longitudinal semi elliptic leaf springs and telescopic dampers. The progressive suspension including a very clever mounting design for the rear axle and the transverse leaf system of the front suspension led to a soft ride on small bumps but with very acceptable roll characteristics on corners along with its precise steering and small turning circle. In Canada, the HA was sold as the Vauxhall Viva by Pontiac/Buick dealers and also as the Envoy Epic by Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers, and was second in sales to the Volkswagen Beetle amongst imported compact cars. In France (and Algeria and Tunisia), the car was marketed as the Vauxhall Epic. The Viva was initially launched in Standard and Deluxe versions, identifiable by their simple horizontal slatted metal grilles. Minor changes in September 1964 included improved seats and more highly geared steering. The HA, however, suffered severely from corrosion problems along with other Vauxhall models of the time and very few of this model remain – one of the main problem areas being the cappings along the top side edges of the luggage compartment badly corroding and allowing water to enter, consequently leading to severe structural corrosion in the luggage compartment floor area. As with a lot of other British cars of that period, many Vivas failed to survive long term. The HA Viva was assembled in Australia by General Motors Holden commencing in 1964, It differed from the saloon in being taller, and thousands were bought by the GPO (later British Telecom), their bright yellow HA vans becoming a common sight. The HA Van was eventually supplanted by the Chevanne, but because of fleet orders, particularly from British Telecom, British Rail and the Post Office, the HA van remained in production, ultimately using the later HC Viva's engine and gearbox, all the way through to 1983.

Although no factory built estate versions of the HA Viva were offered, a limited production estate conversion by Martin Walter Ltd. of Folkestone, based on the Bedford HA van, was marketed as the Bedford Beagle.

A variant of the HB Viva was also built in Australia, by General Motors–Holden, from 1967 to 1969 and marketed there as the Holden HB Torana. Oddly enough despite being closer in physical location to Australia, all HB Vivas sold in New Zealand were produced from CKD kits imported from the UK and sold as Vauxhalls. The New Zealand Vivas were two and four door Deluxe sedans, the latter with the '90' engine. Automatic was not offered, nor was the SL trim. Some Deluxe Estates were also assembled locally along with a 'van' version minus the estate's rear seat. Canadian Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers continued to sell a rebadged HB as the Envoy Epic through 1970 while Pontiac/Buick dealers kept selling the car under its original name. In South Africa, it was assembled locally. The GT model arrived there in mid 1969 and was available in a range of colours, unlike their British counterparts. The GT could be told by slim black stripes down the sides and a strip across the bonnet, as well as four exhaust tip and black paint in the area between the taillights. Power claimed was SAE. 566,391 Viva HBs were produced. Body design had improved after Vauxhall's poor reputation with corrosion on previous models. The HB had better underbody protection, but UK cars were still prone to rusting through the front wings in the area behind the headlights where water, mud and salt could accumulate. This ongoing problem with salt on UK roads affected many makes and models, not just the Viva, but Vauxhall's ongoing poor reputation for corrosion undoubtedly contributed to the development of bolt on wings and wheel arch liners in subsequent generations of family passenger car.

The HC Viva (1970–79) was mechanically the same as the HB but had more modern styling and greater interior space due to redesigned seating and positioning of bulkheads. It offered two and four door saloons and a fastback estate with the choice of either standard 1159 cc, 90 tuned 1159 cc or 1600 cc overhead cam power. No 2.0 GT version was offered with the new range, although the 2.0 became the sole engine offering for Canada, where the HC became the Firenza, marketed by Pontiac/Buick dealers without the Vauxhall name. The cloned Envoy Epic was dropped as Chevrolet dealers now carried the domestic Chevrolet Vega. The HC was pulled from the Canadian market after two model years amidst consumer anger over corrosion and reliability issues. The American influence was still obvious on the design, with narrow horizontal rear lamp clusters, flat dashboard with a "letterbox" style speedometer, and a pronounced mid bonnet hump that was echoed in the front bumper. A coupé version called the Firenza was introduced in early 1971 to compete with the Ford Capri and forthcoming Morris Marina Coupé. It was available in deluxe and SL forms, with the latter sporting four headlights and finally resurrecting the missing 2.0 twin carburettor engine from the HB Viva GT. The basic 1159 cc engine was enlarged to 1256 cc in late 1971 and with this the 90 version was removed from the line up. The overhead cam engines were upgraded in early 1972, the 1.6 becoming a 1.8 (1759 cc) and the 2.0 (1975 cc) twin carburettor became a 2.3 (2279 cc). At this time, the Viva 2300 SL and Firenza Sport SL did away with the letter box speedometer and substituted a seven dial instrument pack. Firenza SLs had a two round dial pack, though all other Vivas and Firenzas stuck with the original presentation. In September 1973, the Viva range was divided, the entry 1256 cc models staying as Vivas, with the 1.8 litre engine an option on the Viva SL with an automatic transmission. The 1.8 and 2.3 litre models took on more luxurious trim and were rebadged as the Magnum. The whole range of Viva based cars received safety equipment upgrades at the same time, with power assisted dual circuit brakes (with discs in front) being made standard. Safety belts, reclining front seats, two speed windshield wipers, and undercoating were also made standard across the board. In 1977 78, there was also a limited edition ES model with a slightly improved specification over the E model. For 1977, the SL was replaced by the GLS, essentially marrying the plusher Magnum trim and equipment with the base 1,256 cc pushrod ohv engine. These models all had the full seven dial instrument panel, velour seating and Rostyle wheels, among many other upgrades. Viva production was scaled down after the launch of the Chevette in spring 1975. Originally a three door hatchback (also sold as the Opel Kadett City), the Chevette later offered two and four door saloons and as of 1976 a three door estate which all but usurped the Viva's position as Vauxhall's small car entry. Nonetheless, the Viva remained on sale until the latter part of 1979. The Viva was effectively replaced by the new Vauxhall Astra, a variant of the front wheel drive Opel Kadett. By that time it was dated in comparison with more modern rivals like the Volkswagen Golf. Production ceased at a time when European manufacturers were making the transition from rear wheel drive saloons to front wheel drive hatchbacks in the family car market. The end of production of the HC Viva in 1979 marked a significant moment for Vauxhall, as it would ultimately prove to be the last car to be completely designed by the company with no input from Opel. The company's next car the 1972 Victor FE range was based on the Opel Rekord D; albeit substantially modified by Vauxhall and ended up having little interchangeable content with the Opel car. However, subsequent models (such as the Chevette an Opel Kadett C with a restyled front end and the HC Viva's powertrain) would set the eventual precedent that all future Vauxhall cars would be badge engineered and German designed Opels, or in the case of the 2004 Vauxhall Monaro, a rebadged Holden. The domestic market launch of the Viva HC coincided with one of the UK's periodic surges of debt fueled economic growth, and the latest Viva became Vauxhall's fastest selling new model of all time, chalking up its first 100,000 units in just 7 1/2 months. 640,863 Viva HCs were produced, making combined Viva production top the 1.5 million mark. The millionth Viva, a gold HC, was driven off the production line by politician John Eden amid much celebration on 20 July 1971. Although most Vivas were produced at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in northern England, the company's production lines were by the standards of the time flexible, and the millionth car was a product of the Luton factory. This local derivative offered the small British four or a locally built Chevrolet 2.5 liter engine. After a 1975 facelift and some changes to the lineup, these lost the "Firenza" badges and were sold simply as the Chevrolet 1300 and 1900, as the smaller 1960 cc version had replaced the earlier 2.5. The car was facelifted, with a new front design which mimicked that of the bigger Chevrolet 2500/3800/4100, with the grille protruding somewhat and being set apart from the headlights. The Firenza range originally consisted only of four door saloons, but South Africa also saw a three door hatch developed off this rather than taking on the then new Chevette/Kadett City; this was first shown in June 1976 and the first car rolled off the production line in August. This mixture used the T car's rear hatch and taillights, but was a Viva ahead of the B pillars. The arch around the rear hatch opening was considerably stronger than the T car's, to suit local road conditions. Also, the was larger than one would expect from a car this size, to suit local road conditions and petrol sales restrictions. The split rear seat folded down. With the new Chevrolet Chevair recently introduced, cost prohibitions made such a creation a better proposition than bringing in an all new car. Local parts content was high from the get go, with some Hatch models reaching 71.15% right away. The 1300 has Vauxhall's 1256 cc engine, carried through from the Firenza, while the 1900 has a locally built 1960 cc Chevrolet cast iron inline four; a smaller version of the 2.5 seen earlier in the Firenza. At the time of introduction, the Weber carburetted manual 1900 claimed SAE and a top speed of for the Hatch. Automatics received a Rochester carburettor and more torque oriented tuning; max power for this version is The 1300 and 1900 were both available in De Luxe or LS trim, with a four speed manual transmission and an available three speed automatic for the 1900s. The Firenza was plagued with significant quality problems which were made worse with the lack of availability of spare parts due to the frequent labour strikes in the UK at the time. The Viva was discontinued in 2019.