Respected by its followers in the Seventies, the HC Viva now generates a different reaction from many onlookers. Keith Moody gets behind the wheel to find out why
Photos: Martyn Barnwell

'Prat,' shouts the denim-clad gent on the pavement, his right hand raised in a two finger salute. Judging by his reaction, you’d think I was blatting down the High Street outside the school at 90mph, with an uncouth exhaust, 100-decebel stereo system cranked, chewing on a cigar and firing an AK47. But I’m not. In fact, I’m not doing anything – I’m just sat in traffic, minding my own business in a 1979 Vauxhall Viva HC. But that, it seems, is a cardinal sin round these parts.

We’re not a nation of Vauxhall fans – and I’m being reminded of that everywhere I go in the Viva. Despite it being a competent town car and a comfortable 70mph cruiser, I’ve been tailgated, flashed, cut up, beeped at and generally treated like a leper wherever I go. That said, most of the bullies have been proudly sporting a blue oval: Fiestas with exhausts the size of dustbins, a Mk I Focus with an enormous rear wing, even a suited and booted Mondeo ST decided to get in on the action. But along my journey, I’ve also had some supporters – okay, so they were mainly in and around Luton where I collected the car from, but they were supporters nonetheless.

LAW OF THE LAND
All of which got me thinking: why is it that the Great British Public hate Vauxhalls so much? I had nightmares for a week after seeing Griff Rhys Jones in his pants advertising the VX220. And I swear the stunt driver in the Nova building site advert was a man dressed up as a woman. But the nail in the Vauxhall coffin could’ve been Clarkson’s old Top Gear road test of the Vauxhall Vectra (‘I have to fill seven minutes with a car that doesn’t merit seven seconds’). But even Vauxhall fans like to slag off their own cars – as a quick look at the Vauxhall Owners’ Network online forum reveals.

Which is a bit unfair really, because Vauxhall has given us some good cars down the years. There was the short-lived Viva GT and Firenza OHC and HP, the 377bhp Lotus-Carlton that was good for 176mph, and more recently a selection of performance models sporting the VXR badge. Vauxhall also gave us some great moments in racing, thanks to Gerry Marshall with the Magnum-based ‘Big Bertha’ and the Firenza-based ‘Old Nail’. And let’s face it, Ford’s Scorpio and Probe were hardly glorious world beaters.

Personally, I think that Vauxhall has always played second fiddle to Ford because they’ve always been so late to market with their products – and the Viva is a case in point. With the austerity years behind them, Britain’s car makers were ready to cash in on growing demand for four-wheel transport at the start of the Sixties, especially the brand new compact saloon sector. Ford and Morris moved quickly to launch the Cortina and 1100, but Vauxhall… well, Vauxhall just stood idly by and polished its Godzilla-sized F-Type Victor, muttering something about ‘new fads’ and ‘it’ll never catch on’.

FROM A TO C
Like your dad, Vauxhall eventually got the idea and went cap in hand to parent company GM, which coughed up the cash for a traditional, reardrive compact with clean (read boxy) styling. Still, with 44bhp on tap, the 1057cc 1963 HA Viva wasn’t sluggish, while its all-synchromesh ’box aided decent progress. The more interesting Viva 90 arrived in 1965, although it didn’t have 90bhp as the name hinted at – but it did have 60bhp and 80mph. Which begs the question, why was it called the Viva 90? I think they made more than 90 of them, and it defi nitely cost more than £90. So if anyone can shed any light on the name, do get in touch…

Anyway, Vauxhall had got into the swing of things by 1966 and ditched the Lego brick styling, opting for a Coke-bottle curve (which Ford then nicked for the Mk III Cortina). The HB was also seven inches longer than its predecessor, boasted an entry-level 1159cc unit and, in the case of the 1600, an uprated engine. All of which meant it could give the ageing Anglia 105E a run for its money. This was the golden era of the Viva, with the well-specified Brabham and lusty 2.0-litre GT helping to transform the Vauxhall’s image.

And when the chocolate and orange coloured year 1970 arrived, so did a new ginger and brown Viva: the new HC. Available with the 1159cc four-pot from the HB, the range soon got the 1256cc powerplant, as well as 1.8-litre and 2.3-litre units – although they were rebadged as Magnums and sold with a plush interior and vinyl roof. If I’d been piloting one of these for the last week, would people have reacted any differently? Probably. But with 641,000 examples sold, it was the HC that was the people’s car. ‘Everyone knows someone with a Viva,’ quipped Patrick Macnee in full John Steed get-up during one old Vauxhall advert. 

TIME HAS TOLD
The trouble is this: the Viva HC hasn’t stood the test of time well. I’m sure that, in its day, it was a more than worthy rival to the Ford Escort, with its eager engine and spacious, well-thought out interior. But there is one problem: the handling, which is baggy and unpleasant. Corning above walking pace induces Amy Winehouse levels of drunkenness, lurching body roll and a sensation that your bottom is about to scrape the tarmac. But for all its inadequacies, the Viva does have a certain charm.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of grip available and the car never gets out of shape; it’s just so stomach-wrenching and buttock-clenching that you avoid enthusiastically driving at all costs. It’s a million miles away from the tight and nimble Escort. My second gripe is the clutch, which is less of a progressive pedal and more of an on/off switch. Changing gear smoothly at any speed is impossible, and I’ve done nearly 150 miles in it. Finally, there’s the fact that the engine takes an age to warm up – covering ten miles with the choke all the way out is how each journey started, hot or cold.

For the most part though, driving the Viva is a pleasant enough experience. The steering is light and enjoyable, the engine economical and there’s plenty of room for the shopping. As a town car or commuter classic, the Viva makes a lot of sense. And the one we’re testing today is an excellent example, with a genuine 16k on the clock and pretty much rot-free. Oh, and the chocolate and tartan interior is wonderfully Seventies in every way. 

LOSING GAME
After nine years in production, however, the Viva had arguably outstayed its welcome. Its deadly rival – the Mk II Escort – had been around half the time, and its front-drive replacement was already being lined up. And, of course, there was a whole new generation of family hatchbacks (kick-started by the Mk I Golf) that were selling like the proverbial warm bun. By the end of its life, the poor old Viva was rather out of its depth, despite still having a loyal but diminishing band of admirers.

Yet the Viva is a more competent car than many give it credit for. Sure, it didn’t set the world on fire and it didn’t shift anywhere near the number of units that its Escort rival did, but it’s a good car – and it certainly doesn’t deserve the abuse directed at it by our blue oval-loving, denim clad friend.

FACT FILE
1979 VAUXHALL VIVA HC 1300L
Engine 1256cc/4-cyl/OHV
Power (bhp/rpm) 53/5200
Torque (lb-ft/rpm) 65/2600
Top Speed 84mph
0-60mph 17.6 secs
Consumption 36mpg
Gearbox 4-spd man
Length 162in (411cm)
Width 64.7in (164cm)
Weight 1800lb (817kg) 

 THINKING OF BUYING ONE?
When it comes to buying a sound Viva, the most important thing to check is the body. The sills tend to go, but are easy to replace with parts still available. The rear wheelarches are a weak spot and, though an easy area to work on, finding replacement panels is tricky.

According to owners, the doors, bonnet and bootlid rarely get bitten by the rust bug, but replacements are available if they’re rotten. Front wings are a known weak spot, with both outer and inner panels hard to track down and expensive. That said, glassfibre replacements are available.

Bubbling around the bottom of the windscreen hints at a rotten A-pillar, a rotten bulkhead and rotten floors – so avoid. Suspension-wise, check all mounting points very carefully. Interiors can go, although finding a replacement shouldn’t be diffi cult – as long as you’re not worried about matching trim. Mechanically, 1300 Viva engines are strong and simple, but check with the owner that it’s been regularly serviced and looked after.

VALUES
Tidy, MoT’d HC Vivas can still be found in the classifi eds for £500. There’s no sign of prices rising as these classics are still to have their moment. If you’re after an earlier example, or one of the sexier Brabham or GT variants, then you’ll probably be looking at a couple of grand – though the fact that they don’t come up very often makes it hard to supply a guide price.
 

THANKS TO
Vauxhall Heritage Centre and the Viva Owners’ Club.

Published in the November 2010 issue of Classic Car Mart.

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