• Totally original inside and out
• Low owners
• Original paint
• Excellent patina

The Vauxhall 10/4 was the marks small family car for the ’30s. It launched to a crowd at the London Motor Show in 1937 and was the first British car to use monocoque chassis. As you can imagine the Second World War got in the way of production and during the 6-year conflict Vauxhall's Luton plant was used to make tanks, a far cry from the small 10/4.

After the war production of the 10/4 picked up again but only a couple of years later in 1947 production of the 10/4 was again stopped as the British public did not have the money to spend on a car like the 10/4. The small car market didn’t pick up again for Vauxhall until the introduction of the Viva in 1963.

Rolling off the production line in Luton in 1946 this Vauxhall 10/4 has lived quite a pampered life. One of the previous owners always made sure that the car was presented in great original condition, they drove it frequently but refrained from restoring her, they preferred to keep her going with gentle and frequent maintenance.

When the previous owner passed away the current owners bought the car as part of his estate sale and have subsequently owned it for the past 8 years. They have also followed the same gentle and frequent maintenance system, making sure that the car is kept in original condition. During the past 8 years of ownership, it has experienced both short and long drives without major issues.

The current owners have treated the car as a ‘rolling restoration’ replacing parts when necessary, like the water pump. However, recently they have noticed a historic repair to the block that appears to weep slightly, they have patched it up, but it could do with a further investigation.

This car has already had a long 75-year history and it is just waiting for the next custodian to treat her with the same sort of care that the previous owners have. If you wanted to find out more about the car's history, you could look in the Vauxhall owners club as this organisation holds a bit of history about this car’s previous owners.

Due to the age of the car, you can imagine that a few pieces of paperwork have gone array over the past 75 years, and this could explain why there isn’t really any paperwork that comes with the car. You can expect the usual V5 so that ownership can be transferred but sadly this is about it. 

But with a car of this age coupled with the level of care, it has regarding its storage and originality you can build a picture in your head that this car has been treasured and appreciated by its owners which can make up for the lack of modern or historic paperwork.

The interior of this Vauxhall is a testament to how car interiors should be, the original leather seats are as well-upholstered as any chesterfield, the Bakelite dials are full of character and it even has an original roller blind on the rear window. Make no mistake, however, this is not a show winning interior it requires some work, but every single feature within the interior is original to this car. All of this originality provides the perfect canvas to produce one of the best and most original Vauxhall 10/4’s in the world.

One interesting part of the interior is the plaque beside the driver's seat that refers to a Bucknell and Merchant of Parsons Heath, Colchester. Sadly, a search of the internet doesn’t bring up any results about this company so they must be long gone by now. However, there is a chance that the interior of this Vauxhall could have been hand-built by a coachbuilder not too far away from the Luton plant. Its little original features like this inside the Vauxhall that entice you to dig deeper into the history of this car.

The exterior of this Vauxhall is almost 100% original with only a few patches of the bodywork that have been touched up with bits of paint. The patina on the exterior is just excellent, it wears its dings and imperfections with pride, and it looks great whilst doing it.

Over the past 75 years, it appears to either have resided in a garage or under a car cover, this is possibly why there are parts of the original part work that still look new. For the most recent period of ownership it has been kept under a stormforce car cover (this will come with the car).

On the chrome bumper at the front, it sports one original AA badge and one original RAC badge both of these pieces are great little pieces of visual history that show that in the past this car has been someone’s pride and joy.

A great little story about the 10/4 is to do with its bonnet, Vauxhall wanted to have something a little bit different and settled on a chrome strip on either side of the bonnet. However, to do this back in 1946 was no mean feat. The entire bonnet had to be chromed and then painted black in the places they didn’t want to be chrome. This is a great story that shows how prestigious owning a car was back in 1946.

It’s dependent on what the next owner likes but we think that this car looks stunning bearing all of its imperfections to the world. It is part of the car's history and it would therefore be a shame to cover it all up with a modern paint job.

The mechanical aspects of this car are okay, but like the interior and exterior, there are a few imperfections. Over the past 8 years, this Vauxhall has been party to a bit of a rolling restoration with parts being changed when necessary, a new water pump is the most recent part to go on. When it runs this car is more than capable of nipping to the shop or a trip to the seaside with a wicker picnic basket.

 It ran well for the majority of the current ownership however recently it’s decided that it doesn’t want to start, no one is quite sure why so it would probably need to be trailered away from where it currently is. One possible factor is that the engine could do with an overhaul just to get her back to running and driving ability.

Once this car is back up and running it will be the pride of someone’s garage again and will be capable of almost anything you throw at it.

This historic Vauxhall 10/4 is one that should grab anyone’s attention, with its exceptionally original condition it is the perfect project car for someone to get to grips with. Whether the new owner keeps it original, or whether they decide to fully restore it, this 10/4 will look perfect in any setting.

Once the car is up and running again the new owner will be able to experience the thrills of owning a post-war British car. There is a huge community that surrounds the classic car scene in the UK and this would be the perfect car to take to any classic car event, its originality alone could win car shows.
The new owner will be getting a car with an eminence history that has been loved and cherished by every owner since 1946.

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