Description
HERE is quite a rare bird these days - a Vauxhall Viva deluxe 4-door as opposed to the more common 2-door variant. The HB was made between 1966 and 1970 with 2-door models being built all the way through. The 4-door versions were only manufactured for the last two years and are rarely seen now!
This 1969 ever popular "coke bottle" model is in bright Cherry Red (far sharper and much redder than my dull looking photos!) and stayed with the same owner for 50 years. He bought it when it was just six months old (I believe it was a dealership demonstrator) and it remained in the family until I acquired it recently. It didn't run following a few years in storage but I treated it to a good battery and some fresh fuel and off she went. I have just washed her and photographed her for this advert following a 6-mile run. She drove like a three-year-old car with positive steering and handling. She has only covered 60, 000 miles from new, which is 1200 miles per year. The bulk of her bright red paintwork is original although there are touch ups here and there and some evidence of the owner reaching for the aerosol. But, all the same, this is an incredibly ORIGINAL Viva. She is UN-RESTORED. Not re-sprayed and not re-built. Not in the least in fact. She is excellent underneath and, if you scrape at some of the underseal, there is plenty of red body colour to be seen. Her engine bay is impressive as is the boot space. Her interior is also original - even the carpets which are understandably showing some wear. The dashboard is undamaged, as are the seats. Her worst features are the very tips of the front wings where they meet the headlights. I would say that they have been repaired many years ago, but could do with attention again. The very bottoms of the same wings just behind the front wheels could do with a little metal being let in also. These however are the worst bits. Otherwise, she really hits you smack in the face as being an original and basically one-owner, low mileage rare 4-door HB. Oh, and just to mention, she did drive superbly but the ignition light stayed on. Probably the alternator?
All my classic cars are treated as the equivalent of motoring antiques. This one, for example, is 50-years-old this month! They cannot be compared to the wife's six-month-old Chelsea tractor and they are bound to come with imperfections, quirks and bits and pieces that will need attention even if it is some time in the future. They do however come with oodles of charm, appeal and are there to be loved like a family pet. If you are new to the classic car scene, then please bear all this in mind. Most examples have clearly had work over the decades and I cannot predict how much or how little they will need in the future. That, I am afraid, is the nature of the beast in the world of classic cars. Motoring antiques is what they are. I love my Georgian dining table, but I can see all the scars and signs of previous woodworm. Had I wanted a brand new table, I would have gone to Oak Furniture Land. Well perhaps. Demand is outstripping supply these days and they don't make the old girls any more. So, make some allowances and drive away with a smile on your face. It goes with the territory, and therefore must be accepted, that they are always going to need on-going care, attention and repair. Don't tell me some way down the line that the full beam doesn't work or that you have discovered something I knew nothing about. They are bloody old. It happens. They come in and they go out. It seems as though I have become a "re-homer" of classic cars.
I accept all major debit cards and a ten per cent deposit is required at the point of sale with the balance due within three days. I can also assist with delivery and so please ask for a quote. Thanks for reading, Martin. the details below).
