{"id":51073,"date":"2018-05-23T10:48:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T09:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=51073"},"modified":"2022-06-22T15:10:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T14:10:09","slug":"viva-dad-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/features\/viva-dad-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Viva la Vauxhall Viva"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Vauxhall Viva is one of the earliest cars I can remember.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recall sitting snot-nosed in my neighbour\u2019s HC Viva on the way to nursery. I was also slightly jealous because the saloon looked cooler than my dad\u2019s Hillman Avenger.<\/p>\n

But what are these two letters \u2018H and \u2018C’ I’ve just typed? Well, unless you’re an automotive anorak or a Viva fan, you may not know. A trio of models was made from 1963 to 1979 – the HA, HB and the HC series. During this time, over 1.5 million units were sold.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s take a brief journey through the timeline.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HA Viva (1963-1966)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HA<\/a><\/figure>\n

The HA was the pioneering edition and signified Vauxhall\u2019s move into the small car market following World War II. Propelled by a 1,057cc four-cylinder powerplant with rear-wheel-drive, the two-door saloon was similar to sibling firm Opel\u2019s Kadett. The model sold well due to its affordability, effortless steering, slick gearbox and nippy performance. My mum reckoned it was a cracker of a car. It was her first ever motor, mind \u2013 but she still harks back to it to this day. Anyway, by 1966 the HA boasted over 306,000 sales, so it was a good time to up the ante.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HB Viva (1966-1970)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HB<\/a><\/figure>\n

The next incarnation of the car was the HB. It was bigger than the HA, and housed a stronger 1,159cc engine. Enhanced suspension set the Vauxhall apart from the preceding model, too. Indeed, the design set a new benchmark in handling for the small family car segment. The line-up soon encompassed a four-door saloon, an estate, an automatic and the option of 1,600ccs. Additionally, the Viva sprouted a sporting edge. First came the tuned-up 1,159cc ’90’, then the ‘Brabham’, with an additional 9bhp. But the star was the two-door GT into which was jammed a 2.0-litre powerplant from the larger Vauxhall Victor. It was a lively 104bhp performer with 0-60mph arriving in 11.9sec, and a top speed of 100mph. 556,752 HBs were produced until 1970, paving the way for the HC \u2013 Vauxhall\u2019s Viva for the Seventies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HC Viva (1970-79)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HC<\/a><\/figure>\n

With a lengthier wheelbase, the HC was more spacious. As well as 1.2 and 1.6-litre engines, Vauxhall squeezed in 1.8-litre and 2.3-litre powerhouses.<\/p>\n

A bamboozling assortment of models followed: two and four-door saloon Vivas, two-door coup\u00e9s; Firenza coup\u00e9s; a two-door estate and the opulent Magnum. Altogether, nearly 700,000 HC Vivas were built, but production ended in 1979 when the change from rear-wheel-driven saloons to front-wheel-driven hatchbacks started becoming popular with the family car market.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

New Vauxhall Viva<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a><\/figure>\n

It had been long over for the Viva as we knew it, but the car made a comeback in 2015. My mum was excited, but she was the only person I knew that was. The new model brought back the iconic motor in name only. It\u2019s a city car and Korean-built, so, not anything like the Viva we knew and loved.<\/p>\n

One thing remains though; the Viva still aims to bring the Griffin-badged marque to the broadest audience via value for money and usability.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vauxhall Viva is one of the earliest cars I can remember. I recall sitting snot-nosed in my neighbour\u2019s HC Viva on the way to nursery. I was also slightly jealous because the saloon looked cooler than my dad\u2019s Hillman Avenger. But what are these two letters \u2018H and \u2018C’ I’ve just typed? Well, unless<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":51076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1779,1781,1928,6],"tags":[953,1113,1135,762,216],"class_list":["post-51073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cars","category-culture","category-edition","category-features","tag-british","tag-british-cars","tag-classic-cars-2","tag-retro","tag-vauxhall","manufacturers-hillman","manufacturers-opel","manufacturers-vauxhall"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nViva la Vauxhall Viva - Influx<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Vauxhall Viva is one of the earliest cars I can remember. I recall sitting snot-nosed in my neighbour\u2019s HC Viva on the way to nursery. 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