Vauxhall Victor

It’s 1964 and Vauxhall have brought the Victor FC to market. Despite coming only a mere 3 years after the launch of the FB, it came into a totally different market to the popular FB. Ford had cheaper cars offering similar levels or better levels of performance, Rootes had the Super Minx with a loyal fan base and BL were challenging with Morris Oxford Series 6 and A60 Cambridge.

First of all, the body for the cat was in Vauxhalls words, dramatically new; giving its owner all the roominess of a full sixseater car with exceptional vision.

Compared with the FB, it had much greater shoulder room, plus significant gains in other dimensions which make it amply spacious to fit 3 in the front and 3 in the back; although the split seating makes that a bum deal for the middle person in the front!

Yet the 101 was only slightly wider and longer than the previous Victor, because nearly all the extra space came from important advances in body design. Curved side panels, curved doors and curved window glass add extra interior width.

The luggage boot is larger, too, with 13.4 cubic feet for hard suitcases, and still more room for soft luggage a total of 23 cubic feet. We put this to the test with our Goodwood luggage and we weren’t disappointed!

And every bit as important is an increase of over 70% in the body's torsional stiffness, together with improved resistance to deflection under load. This extra rigidity gives a reassuringly steady ride on rough or unpaved road surfaces. You’ll see this in action later on.

However, room inside wasn’t where they stopped. Vauxhall really went to town on the 101 series.

The distinctive new shape was developed with the help of wind tunnel research, in tests which proved that the design is functionally efficient. The aerodynamic lines of the body made highspeed cruising easier and quieter. New window seals have been developed to eliminate wind noise. And the ventipanes have been redesigned to give ventilation without wind noise, without draughts and without rain entering the car.

You’ll note when we’re out, the vehicle is unusually quiet for a 60s car, which is no surprise. Vauxhall put a lot of effort into this.

There was effective insulation between mechanical components and the body, and an improved exhaust system and better insulation of the exhaust system from the body. Clutch and gearchange linkages have been improved to eliminate any slight transmission noise as well as to give more positive operation.

The electric motors for the windscreen wipers and heater fans are in the engine bay, adding to the quietness of the interior.

In the de Luxe Saloon like we’re in today, running quietness is even more refined with extra sounddeadener pads, and this model and both Estate Cars have an additional resonator in the exhaust system.

Inside, there was also a notable advance in heating and ventilating technique. The heaterhas a much greater output, and largecapacity ducts ensure that the rear seat passengers enjoy as much warmair flow as those in front.

The heater (with its twin blower units) is located on the engine side of the bulkhead, leaving the footwell entirely clear, and contributing to quieter riding by isolating the fan from the passenger compartment.


The bare body metal was first treated against rust, then dipped, then sprayed with two double priming coats and finally given four bakedon double coats of Vauxhall's unique Magic Mirror acrylic lacquer the hardest, smoothest finish on any car anywhere. It actually keeps its shine without polishing!

A specially thick underbody seal was standard, and detachable splash guards were fitted in the front wheel compartments to restrict the accumulation of mud and damp.

Aluminium wax sealer was sprayed to protect the insides of the body sills.

Chrome for the bumpers, hubcaps and headlamp bezels is applied on nickel over copper.

Sadly, many still rusted at an accelerated rated; which seems a shame considering how much effort Vauxhall put into the process.

The Victor 101 was protected, too, on mechanical details, to give greater reliability and fewer service bills. Engine oil is changed every 3,000 miles. Other lubrication is not needed for 30,000 miles.

Across all models, the engine was the 1594cc engine. Now with the higher compression ratio (9.0 to 1) it develops 7o b.h.p. and combines an easy So m.p.h. in top with outstanding flexibility and minimum gearchanging in traffic.

Autocar magazine tested one in 1966 and found the car did 060 in 20.4 seconds and achieved low 20s MPG wise. Our trip down to Goodwood is giving roughly the same results; which isn’t too shabby considering there are 3 adults, camping equipment and hefty portions of luggage in the boot and on the back seat.

Braking wise, it’s drums all round as standard with a new duo servo to rear. The brakes were also said to be self adjusting which would’ve been an attractive prospect for buyers at the time.