Vauxhall Victor FC (Victor 101 - Envoy) - a forgotten 60s classic!
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2023
- 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 six-seater 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 high-speed cruising easier and quieter. New window seals have been developed to eliminate wind noise. And the ventipanes have been re-designed 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 sound-deadener 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 large-capacity ducts ensure that the rear seat passengers enjoy as much warm-air 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 baked-on 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, hub-caps 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 0-60 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. 
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I passed my driving test in a navy blue 101super in 1977 cvu 178 c , a month after my 17th birthday . slow but good fun in the wet ,tailhappy on crossply tyres just what you need at 17 ,happy days .
My God you have brought back fine memories of my 67 V V 101.
My standing memory was the wonderful suspension in that car, you could drive it all day.
We had 3 great camping holidays taking dad's (overloaded) 101 estate to Italy. We had only 3 faults - the dynamo packed in near Lucerne, and we lost 3 wheel RIMS. One had a pinhole leak and was sorted by fitting a tube, but two actually split. A place in Milan found a replacement from a scrapyard, and a garage in France welded the other together. It had a LOT more space than our previous continental tourer - an A35 van!
What a beautiful, forgotten classic that Victor 101 is. I’ve loved this model since I was a little boy flicking through the pages of my Observers books of Automobiles (which I still have). I love watching your videos Steph, the variety of cars you feature from everyday runabouts from yesterday to exotic sports models is incredible. Although the Series 1 E-type from last week was beautiful and probably on everyone’s dream list I think I would rather own this Victor 101 and stand out from the crowd!
I'd rather have the Victor than the E-Type. The Jag is impossibly gorgeous for sure but the Victor is a better real-world proposition. However, finding a decent one now can be a long drawn out process...
The bit Steph edited out at the roadworks: BEEP, BEEEEEEEEP!!! OK, pause the video while I go and tell that f***ing driver to STFU! 19:29
Lovely motor.
Thank you! I have always loved the look of the 101. My parents had both the previous Victor series - the 1959 and a 1963. We saw the 101 at the time and were in awe of its crisp and clean space-age looks and "big car" feel (we test drove one!). It's all such a long time ago. But you are right... not as many hit the roads in Australia as the FB. Here in Australia I'm pretty sure the problem was it was SO CLOSE to the price of the base model Holden 6-cylinder.
Wonderful Steph. I have always liked these cars.
One gorgeous car..I remember these cars very well as a young lad growing up in Essex..got a Vauxhall Corsa...and I love her to bits!!
People say a good car starting out after passing your test, but 42 years later still love Vauxhall cars,going back to 1964 like this model.. awesome...thank you for a great presentation of this lovely car 😁😁😁
This was one of three Vauxhall repmobiles my father had in the 1960s - a greeny FB, a fawn(?) FC and a peacock blue FD (which was streets ahead of the other two in design, imo). As for 'keeping it's shine without polishing' my dad apparently didn't think so, because as a kid I sometimes would spend Sunday afternoons polishing these cars! (I can still smell the Turtle Wax!)
I totally agree with your comment about the FD, I thought it looked stunning when I first saw a picture of it in Practical Motorist all those years ago, and still do; such a forgotten design classic. It still came in base trim with a 3 speed column gear change and a bench front seat, and I think the heater was still an optional extra. When I was learning to drive I got used to the 3 speed on my father's FB and it became my first car. Always thought the 101 FC looked a bit odd with those curved side windows.
Ahhh, memories, the sweet smeel of Turtle Wax, never to be forgotton. No idea if it's still made or not, i haven't waxed a car for decades! Prefering to get my vehicle valeted, one is bone idle.. Thinking about it, is there still a need for 'wax' or 'polished' given cars are finished with a lacquer coat.
We had one when I was a kid in the late 70’s/early 80’s. My dad loved it and he ran it until the chassis literally corroded and collapsed.
Thanks For Another Great Video Steph Nice Dress
Steph another great video, many thanks for sharing
I've not heard an exhaust note like that in years! There was a chap in our street when I was a kid that had one of these..
My 2nd car when i passed my test in 72. I owned a 101 estate delux with a four speed floor change. Two ton green. A very nice old motor. A real plodder, but smooth with it. They look great today at classic car shows.
We had a FC Staitonwagon in New Zealand in 1975 it was a 4 speed on the floor mum had it converted to a 5 speed Mazda gearbox it would pull 115mph in 5 gear 😂 she did it many times
It’s amazing that car is literally 10 years behind any mainstream car sold in the usa at the same time
Jonesy my maths teacher had one of these in the 60s.... nice old boat.
Thanks for bringing back many holiday childhood memories with this car Steff
Dad was trawler skipper and mostly at sea but my uncle Bob had a 101 and me ,my sister my mum ,uncle ,aunt and two cousins went on many holidays all over UK in this car . Yep 4 kids and 3 adults
This car is obviouly what the HR holden was based on. The tail lights are different, and the grill, but otherwise its strikingly similar. Holdens had American designed engines though. Given Holden and Vauxhall are both GM I suppose its no big surprise.
Wow Steph done it again brilliant smashing ❤
If my memory serves me right, it was the first car to have a non enamel paint system. It's paintwork was noticeably shinier, but despite attention to the undercoats, it still rusted for England.
Great car and Kenilworth looking lovely in the sunshine too !
I think the Rare Spares Holden 3 speed column shift bush kit also fits the Vauxhall. Part# GSBK001
We had one as a family car. A "K" reg. I always thought they looked cool. Later replaced with a 2ltr Vauxhall Cavalier. Great times. I think most just disintegrated over time so this car is very, very rare.
I had one of these in 1973, it was 9 years old and had done 75k with a travelling salesman and I had to have the engine rebuilt, I gave £75.00 for it, mine actually had a 4 speed floor gearshift, I had it for a couple of years and then scrapped it for £10.00 when the chassis was found to be rotted out. Then I bought a Bond Bug 700E, but that's another story.
My dad had a white 101 Super in the mid-sixties. You're right, the Super model did have a red vinyl bench seat in the front. Why the 'inferior' Deluxe version would have leather seats is beyond me. Anyway, I remember the car very well despite being very small at the time. Dad took the family on holiday to Margate for it's first outing. Dartford Tunnel hadn't been open very long! Everything was a big adventure for me at that age.
We called the one we had in Canada the "Vauxhall Helpless".
A very well travelled car.
I was once a passenger in a 101, and it has always stuck in my mind: It was strikingly quiet, refined, and with a comfortable ride.
i been co driver in a 1956 Mercedes...back in the early 70s
i had the same feeling, but its had more space inside!
and been a Mercedes, not a Opel!
Yes, neighbours of my parents had a white FC with red upholstery circa 1967/68 it felt modern and refined at the time.
I really do have a soft spot for the FC. And I love your outfit Steph❤
Very much looks like a HR Holden but a little bit smaller they came out in the same colour too❤❤
This is almost the exact same car as my Dad owned when I was a youngster.
I still recall the reg DTE657E (’67?). It was a 1967 Deluxe in that precise colour.
That dash is so familiar from childhood and I can still remember playing with those door handle ashtrays in the back.
I remember the dash mounted handbrake and the wood trim with the Deluxe badge.
The windscreen washer was, indeed, a push switch. I remember that as it had high ‘play value’ for children!
It had big leather seats too.
It also had the (rather disappointing!) blanking plate instead of a radio.
I remember the sad day in the 70s when a trailer turned up to take it off to the scrapyard.
The rego sticker blew me away, those were out modded 10 years ago , I kind of miss them
Subscribed from South Australia here! 1964 is my wife's birth year. Wonderful channel! LOVE it!
That brings back many memories, Steph. but that one looks like it's the higher spec Super Deluxe. My dad had a 1966 Victor 101 Deluxe saloon, in the dark Storm Grey, with red interior. I'm not sure leather was standard on the Deluxe, ours certainly had vinyl seats, and it had a patterned adonised alluminium dash trim strip too. The Deluxe did not even have bulbs in the reverse lights as standard. There's two very bright, but small mushroom shaped reflector type bulbs in each lamp, and we got them and the gearbox switch, loom etc, from a scrapped one for ours. My dad's was 10 years old, on a D reg when he sold it in1976 after 2 years use. Those vinyl seats stuck to you like molten lava in the long hot summer of 76. His had the 1598 cc engine and column change gearbox, but when the engine expired on a trip down the M1, we replaced it with a salvage yard engine and floor change 4 speed gearbox.
In 1971 my Dad had a White 1966 (GOP 535D) FCE DeLuxe with front bench seat. We went to Scotland, Wales and East Anglia with my brother and sister sitting with dad in the front, me and my other two sisters with mam in the back, 300 miles 7 up ! (was told top speed was 77mph) Little land speed motif is a later addition.
You have driven past the cemetery where my Dad, Mam and elder brother are buried. 👨👩👦
Lovely car, thanks for sharing Steph 😊👍
My dad had an FB FD,FE and a VX Series , great cars , and a major part of my childhood, so many happy memories, probably why I still drive a Vauxhall today !
I had one of them in 1979, I just fell in love with the 101 in the sixties when I was a kid and loved owning it. Sadly people took the mick as I was a young man and traded it in after about 18 months of owing it.
I've never seen a car review before that was filmed on my road. Nice!
I always enjoy trying to work out the driving route. I recognised this one straight away - I used that road every day when I was a student!
Where is the test route?
I had a Victor 2000 estate reg PJU 743G 2.5yrs old cost me £400 excellent motor could sleep in it and being a builder great for work 😮 xx.
My dad owned one when I was about 9 or 10, it was a big fancy car for the time, lovely.❤
I was just thinking back in my childhood. I thought about all the cars my dad had. One of the cars was a small blue voxhall. I was about 9 or 10 at that time. We didn't have the car very long but even then the voxhall seemed to be very small.
I spotted the Australian rego label straight away. We used the same style in NSW in the later years until the use of labels was abolished. The jet plane, below the Deluxe badge, is from the early E series cars. I have one on the glovebox lid in my 1953 Velox. You need to google the GM-Holdens HD/HR series cars, which are contemporary, as the center body section looks almost exactly the same as do the door handles. Great video, as usual, Steph.
I too noticed the Holden 1965-68 HD/HR doors and glass similarly👍 The car being presented has done some travelling!
According to my contemporary Observer book the Holden was slightly larger in all dimensions, but it does look almost identical. Presumably this was because GM used the same designer and just tweaked the design to make the Australian car suit the local market requirements.
@@davidjones332 I completely agree with you.
Google search 'Opel Kapitan A'. It was the third member of this trio. All ultimately partially designed by Leo Pruneau, a legendary GM car stylist. It became GM's policy to share technology and styling between the 'overseas' divisions of GM, Vauxhall, Opel and Holden.
Beautiful car...Gorgeous driver❤
Lovely classic Vauxhall❤
My brother owned the same model back in the day. It was the 1967 super "LKD318E" in Oyster Grey and in column change
Fabulous car, my 1st car FD was a column change and how comfortable that car was…😍
My mum had this model and my dad had the PC Cresta , later on I had the Viscount and made my dad very jealous ! But great video and people dont realise just what good value a classic car makes today with the ULEZ rollout !
My uncle restored one of these in the seventies, although I'm sure it had a bench seat in the front, green interior and not two tone either so I guess it was a lower spec model. I didn't go in it very often but I remember it was a very smooth ride and quiet.
Well done. Enjoyed this vid.
There was a Vauxhall showroom right across the road from the Cinema I went to in 1964 as a boy of 8 years old and we used to drool at the cars through the window.
My dad had one of these as a company car. It was left behind when we emigrated to Australia in 1968. Dad (later) had a HR Holden, the same colour asthe Victor you are testing!
And now Holden has gone into the annals of history, made some interesting cars
I love it when you pick outfit match the car x
A great video Steph, of a very rare car nowadays ! My Dad bought one - JLP 249D. It was a 'Powerglide' (Automatic) version. He'd always had Ford Zodiacs before and decided to try a Vauxhall instead. Alas, he was never 'happy' with it, and reverted back to a Mk3 Zodiac Estate, quite quickly. I remember the Vauxhall as very comfortable, but lacking the luxury of the 'big' Fords. A great surviver there, needs the body sorting soon though - signs of trouble brewing here and there ! Thanks for sharing with us Steph. Take care 🙂
Powerglide was a name used by the GM parent company in the US. I assume Vauxhall just used the name.
@@caw25shaThe 2 automatic 101's I have seen were both badged Hydramatic across the boot lid .
One of my favourite Vauxhalls. Always liked the Victor 101 thanks for sharing it with us Steph. Love your outfit again too.
i just found this channel, you are awesome!! keep up!
Very interesting.
I spent my childhood in a 1965 101 deluxe which had a 4 speed floor change gearbox and individual front seats in ambla. No suggestion of wood trim.
Yours seems to be a gem and your reviews bring me pleasure and delight.
A smart design. The similarly designed VX90 version saw use with Luton County Police. I have seen at least two versions in past classic magazines. One used by Slough and one used by Nottingham local authorities.
Cracking review as always. I hope you had a great time at Goodwood. Have. Good week
One-hundred-and-one improvements eh. Salute the Victor!
Love vintage cars. Remember these, they were everywhere. Always thought Ford and Vauxhall had very similar types of models or at least that were aimed at the same market. The style of this one dates well and still looks good.
Thank you
I love your videos
I learned to drive in my fathers FB, and passed my test in it in 1967. He replaced that in 1968 with a 1966 FB 101 of that same light green whilst I by then had my own first car a 1964 Mini.
My dad had the estate version, had a bench seat in the front and column change, c reg I think, use to drive it out of the driveway and in when he & my mum went to the pub, was only a kid at the time !!
Well appointed car loving the color!!
This has a lot of memories for me. Just in case you don't get the Vauxhall Victor 101 estate to test, I have a quick story for you! In 1977, dad took us to the Lake District for a holiday. Now, the Lakes have a lot of steep, bendy hills called 'Passes.' We were going up a 1.3 gradient. [The steepest hill a vehicle can climb] but the cars coming down are supposed to stop. But didn't! We dropped back, one time because the car overheated! Unfortunately, be landed on a rock! Therefore, the drivers coming down had to help dad lift the corner of the car off the rock and we went on our way! You were talking about the spec. Ours obviously wasn't a Deluxe as it had the bench seat you mentioned. It was two greens, the bottom dark and the top half pale green! It was 'E' reg. So around 1966/67. As you can see, your drive has brought back many memories. Thanks Steph!
I absolutely Love your channel!
Side profile reminds me of a HD Holden.
Didn’t Vauxhall sell in Australia as Holden? 🤔
@@venenareligioest410 no, that was the HB Viva which was sold as a Torana, Brabham version and all. The Victor was sold here as a Vauxhall though.
@@ayrproductions 👍
I had one of these, apart from the vague steering and iffy brakes it rusted away in only eight years.
What a beauty. I'm no car expert but we had a Vauxhall Victor as our family car in the 60s, Lovely motor with a fab interior, it was a cream and light brown one if I remember correctly, 4775 NU.
My dad had an FB and then a PB Cresta but we never had one of these. I think it is in retrospect an underrated car. But the squared off looks were (I thought) less attractive than the FB that it replaced, and as you say there wasn't any improvement in the drivetrain. The Mk2 Cortina was also squarer than its predecessor (and came in towards the end of the FC Victor run) but had upgraded engines over its predecessor and generally felt more modern. One of my favourite things about the Vauxhalls of that period was the differently shaped controls - triangle for wipers, oval for lights etc. Also note the bonnet catch still has a drawing of the FB on it 🙂
Brings back memories of my dads 101 he had in the 70s and changing the engine on the road with some scaffold he'd borrowed from work, Dad loved that car.
I am old enough to remember seeing these cars in my Vauxhall showroom. Very nice review although you did not mention the slightly 'sportier' VX4/90 which was basically the same car with twin carbs and some external embellishments. Nice to see one again.
Had one. Goodwood Green. To me a great car. The column change was precise. Sold it and got more than I paid for it. The cost of the heartier was added to the price, so you were not getting it for nowt.
Great video, well presented, and what a lovely car, great to see these proper cars cared for and being driven, rather than being locked away in garages.
I had one from new in 1966 LPA 962D (I think) Loved it, I had the estate version with Bench seat and column change.
I had the vx/ 490 same shape, lovely car.
Enjoyable video thank you.
Circa 1975 / 1976, I was always taking my step dad's 101 out, I recall it being so comfortable with bench seats. A 1965 car but not the deluxe. It was painted a popular two tone white and red.
Driving out of Brighton I was kinda racing another 101, and that 101 suddenly turned into a Rover 2000 police car. A ticking off was in order, those were the days 😅
From the era when Vauxhalls were known as Rustalls.
A awesome video. 🙂🙂
Fantastic example.
That 15/1600 engine that had been first put in the FA (type) was as sweet as a nut. The 'Powerglide' auto transmission was a bit of a disaster being only 2 speed, and not a patch on the previous 'Hydromatic' in the Cresta . Later Vauxhall reverted to the venerable Borg Warner unit.
There's a good reason this 101 is very rare. In the trade it was a standing joke that the factory had to rush Victors at double speed down the production line so that the sills wouldn't have had enough time to rot off in the dealers' showrooms. The two options which were essential missing on this car were the front discs and the floor-shift four speed grearbox, instead of the "three up a tree". For some reason, Vauxhall persisted with this innovation in the FC too. Not a great model the Victor. The Mk1 Cavalier (Ascona) was a world apart and saved Vauhall.
I owned one of these in the early 1980s. Mine was the "powerglide".2 speed auto. Nice car but the slowest thing I've ever driven
Love the styling and those front mounted mirrors, lovely colour too.
My family, some friends and I went to Aberfeldy from Hertford in one of these, in 1966. It was the same colour too. There were 6 of us, so I assume we had a bench front seat, although I don't remember for certain now.
I own aa 66 FC 4/90 and a 71 FD 4/90. Although the FD seems light years ahead it left some of the FC's advances behind. The FC had sculpted-in bumpers, posi-traction axles and - although softer around corners - were much easier to drive. Plus the driving position in the FC is for me personally much nicer. And yes, the engines are amazingly quiet.
our first car been a 1969 Opel Kadett Caravan....
been replaced with 2 VW Passat in 1975 and 1979...
my first own car been a 1982 VW Santana diesel...
wich got replaced by a Mercedes 230E...lol
i can remember i had seen only a few UK cars in my live....
i can remember the car of my math teacher been a Spitfire...
a few Rover SD1 3500, and one or 2 Austins 1100/1300...
but if you live in Germany, we had enough cars with much better quality...
we rather bought an Italian or French car to a UK made car...
and later Japanese cars...
A excellent little review as always Steph, nice to see that the light switch where you could turn on the interior light and lights on one switch was carried over to the Vauxhalls of my era ie Astra's, Corsa's Cavaliers 😂😂
Don't mention Potholes to me, spent a fortune last week on the family car replacing the shock absorbers and a broken Spring!
Spent time with the Vauxhall Cresta with this body shape and the FD Victor also.
I always preferred the 1967 - 72 FD Victor, with Coke bottle styling, beating the Mk 3 Cortina by 3 years.
Yes, the one Jeff Randall drove badly in 'Randall & Hopkitk (Deceased), white with red interior, RXD 996F. I wonder what happened to the vehicle?
This model, the FC, only lasted 3 years, 1964-7, something that's unheard of nowadays, completely changing body styles every 3 years is something that rarely happens now..
I think the FD series Victor looked the best. I had an FD Ventora, which was a Victor body with a 3.3 engine and a different grille. It was a beautiful looking car.
I agree, I had a FD Ventora also and thought it was wonderful and such a handsome car - the torque was so unreal I found I could change up at a little over 1200 rpm and the thing would just pull the next gear no problem.
@@dj_efk Mine was originally blue, but I sprayed it white to look like the FD Ventora that was used in one episode of Randall & Hopkirk and I think it also appeared in Department S, but not sure. I know it was leased from Vauxhall motors in Luton, to ITC.
Fits two in the boot
Or a few bodies...lol
My dad had one of these ,column change and bench seat
Father had the VX4/90 version,the first car I drove.
Double de-clutching is probably the answer to the gear change, both up and down the box. Great video, and so evocative of 60's family motoring when it was all about the adventure. Does Steph know about I-Spy books? 😁
Noce looking car 👍👍
What a fantastic car the 101 was looks so comfortable, the 4speed was the better option instead of low 20's you would get high 20's.