1964 VAUXHALL VIVA HA DELUXE GREEN

This is a superb and well maintained Vauxhall Viva HA Delux saloon. 1964 in exception condition. must be seen.

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Overview of the Vauxhall Viva HA models  (1963 - 1966) :-

The Viva HA. announced in September 1963. and replaced in September 1966. 4] was Vauxhall's first serious step into the compact car market after World War 2. It was also the first new small car produced by Vauxhall since 1936. It had a 1. 57 cubic centimetres (64. 5 cu in) overhead valve engine. The four-cylinder front-mounted engine drove the rear wheels. It was comparable in size and mechanical specifications with the new Opel Kadett released a year earlier in continental Europe. The Viva and Kadett were sold alongside each other in many markets. The Viva HA was just an inch longer than the Ford Anglia which dated back to 1959. The Viva's main claim to fame was in being the first Vauxhall to emerge from the Ellesmere Port plant near Liverpool.  

The HA set new standards in its day for lightweight. easy to operate controls. a slick short gearchange. lightweight steering and clutch pedal. good all-round visibility and relatively nippy performance. It was one of the first cars to be actively marketed towards women. perhaps as a result of these perceived benefits for them.  Vauxhall only provided two door options in the vivamodel. no factory produced four-door or estate versions of the HA Viva were available.

The Viva owed a lot in terms of styling and design to its cousin. the Opel Kadett A. so it was very functional in appearance. lacking in some of the flair of the opposition. The mechanical package was spot on. though - with a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes up front as an option.

The front crossmember (steering. suspension and engine mounting) assembly from the HA became a very popular item for DIY hot rod builders in the UK. due to its simple self-contained mechanics. similar to older designs such as those from the 1930s. and ability to accommodate much larger engines within its span. The assembly featured a double wishbone/vertical telescopic dampers suspension design in combination with a transverse leaf spring attached to the front crossmember at its centre position and the entire unit could be removed and adapted to another vehicle. (For similar reasons the Jaguar IRS assembly was often used at the rear of these custom cars). The Viva's rear suspension made do with conventional longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs and lever-arm dampers.

In Canada. the HA was sold as the Vauxhall Viva by Pontiac/Buick dealers and also as the Envoy Epic by Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers. and was second in sales to the Volkswagen Beetle amongst imported compact cars.

Viva HA SL: the upmarket versions were differentiated from the base models by a relatively elaborate grill and. normally. by a painted stripe along the side of the car.

The Viva was initially launched in Standard and Deluxe versions. identifiable by their simple horizontal slatted metal grills. Minor changes in September 1964 included improved seats and more highly geared steering. [4] A more luxurious SL (for Super Luxury) variant appeared in June 1965. Engines were available in two states of tune: entry level models came with a power output of 44. 2 brake horsepower (33. 0 kW).

The HA. however. suffered severely from corrosion problems[citation needed] along with other Vauxhall models of the time and very few of this model remain - one of the main problem areas being the cappings along the top side edges of the luggage compartment badly corroding and allowing water to enter. consequently leading to severe structural corrosion in the luggage-compartment floor area. As with a lot of other British cars of that period. many Vivas failed to survive long term.  

This is one of the more desirable variants – the De Luxe and the SL90 – boasted 54bhp from their 1057cc engines.

Vauxhall Viva HA Delux

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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