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I kid you not. The new Corsa/punto is to be sold in Australia as a 4 door, and they are going to call it a Viva! I think Vauxhall should follow suit and revive this classic name. How about a Magnum version with no-style wheels and a V6?
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Viva,Name as classic as parts it was made of :(
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Steve
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Had a Magnum 1800 for three years - loved it...:-)
Best brakes on any car I've ever had (mixture of Girling and Lockhead) due to front competition standard brake pads. When originally fitted they were 10mm thick and, after 51k miles, the figures were still 7mm and 5mm thick.
Had actually bought new pads some time before but clearly never needed replacing. In the end I changed them any way.
The only real problem I had with the Magnum was that shortly after I bought it with 13,600 miles on the clock, the engine suddenly died the death after a violent shudder one wet and windy November night.
All the usual checks failed to reveal anything amiss. It turned out that the Neoprene timing belt had shred some of its innards - this was my first experience of such timing belts and wasn't impressed at the time.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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The HC Viva - seemed to be a popular car in the 70s and lots around where I lived. Can't say I liked them personally - certainly no match for a MkIII Cortina. As far as 70s Vauxhall go the rarer Victor/VX was much nicer.
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>>no-style wheels>>
Lots of those around!
I think Ro-style was the term as per Cortina 1600E etc.
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Firenza (2 door poverty spec)but with a "droop snoot" and a 2300cc ohc, now that was a tool in its time ! (5 speed ZF box, ro-style wheels a genuine pre 3 series rwd handful)
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When I was about 15 I went on a school outing to the Vauxhall factory in Luton. We were shown round all the production lines. Saw Vivas and Victors being built. The ebulliant Welshman who was showing us around drew our attention to some unusual Viva coupes. After saying "In case you are wondering what those cars are..." he explained that they were a special export model for Canada and that was all he was going to say about them. One from among us noticed that all these cars were right-hand drive and asked the man why that was, He just stuck to his guns, repeating that they were for Canada and he wouldn't say any more. A week or two later the Firenza was announced!
I mean the ordinary 'cooking' Firenza - I think the 'droop snoot' prototypes had already been aired in the press.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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Ah! Fond memories of a Victor FD with column gearchange, and front bench seat.
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Ah! Fond memories of a Victor FD with column gearchange, and front bench seat.
I learned to drive in my father's Victor which he then gave me when I went to University. His/mine had the optional '4 on the floor' - felt very swish!
Like one of the other posters, I had the timing belt go. Took me ages to replace because the cam timing marks were a long way out - eventually had to set it by guessing a setting seeing how it ran, then trying a tooth each way etc.
Bought a few FE victors after that, one of which was used in a bank raid (not by me, honest!). I guess big doors and a 2.3 engine attracted them!
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AAAhhhh yes....1256cc HC Viva, my first car. The power to weight ratio of a dead slug. Taught me to change gear quickly, if you didn't engage into a higher gear within 5 nanoseconds of dipping the clutch so much momentum was lost, you had to change back down again.
Bought the car, in lurid orange, at 9am one Saturday morning, drove it into the concrete gatepost at my parent's house before 10 am. At least the dents & colour gave it some character ;-)
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>>At least the dents & colour gave it some character ;-)>>
The Viva or the concrete gate...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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A mate had a white one in the 70's, one of the last model's I think - fairly big body (for the time) with a 1256cc engine so performance was rubbish. I do recall though that it felt a solid well built car!! More than could be said for the dreadful chevette that was I think launched in the seventies. The main thing I recall about cars of that era being the rounded surface shiny vinyl seats that you slipped off if you took a corner a bit sharpish.
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My father decided to remove the gateposts after this incident, before I gouged a matching groove down the nearside of the car on t'other gatepost. Next time I'm in Luton I must go and see if they've ever been replaced.
After a subsequent year of relatively incident free driving I replaced said Viva with a brand new Cavalier Commander*, which seemed like a Rolls Royce in comparison. The guy who I sold the Viva to's cheque bounced on me, so I suppose the 'yellow peril' had the last laugh.
* my one and only brand new car
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It's illegal to present a cheque for which there are no funds available.
I trust you took the necessary action at the time?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Out in India, the Viva survives as a variant of the Hyundai Accent!
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I still think any new Vectra should be called a Cavalier in the UK! This would double sales overnight.
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..but not perhaps in quite the way you think. It is indeed elderly, awkward, makes lots of unusual noises/ emissions & goes like stink if it put's it's mind to it. Viva is an 8 year old basset bitch who has come back to live in our breeder's warm kitchen with all the other much loved oldies. There's a reunion!
BTW it was a sky blue viva I 1st learnt clutch control in. I have some happy if delinquent memories of a trip up North with my mates, also in a sky blue viva which had been customised with black insulation tape on the boot to read TURBO. A sort of post modern ironic statement looking back. At the time it was of course to take the pink fluffy dice. Because we would have so much preferred an RS!
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anything, just so long as it doesn't end in an "a".
John
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>>should be called a Cavalier in the UK
Vectra 1 should have been called a Roundhead.
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You are right in saying that Holden is to revive the Viva name but not with a Corsa. They are using the Daewoo Lacetti as the new Viva.
www.holden.com.au/www-holden/jsp/popups/viva.jsp
It will undercut the Astra by about A$4000. They are also going to sell the Daewoo Kalos badged as the Holden Barina at A$12,500 to replace the current Barina which is a rebadged Corsa.
This sort of sharp pricing and GM's marketing expertise is likely to mean big sales. Whether they will keep the Astra is problematical. For a manufacturer to have two different cars the same size in a market the size of Australia isn't terribly likely.
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