VAUXHALL

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Not a bad first car.  The Vauxhall Ventora was powered by a 3.3 litre straight six petrol engine. Although the engine had a relatively high capacity, it was not highly tuned, hence the performance was limited and it was thirsty. Shortly after taking delivery, the block developed a hole, when the garage who sold the vehicle repaired it under warranty. A bit of a shocker. Nevertheless, a useful car in its time.  Insurance though was expensive for a young driver and hit me hard. I never needed to make a claim in this car. In fact, to date (2013) I've not made a claim for a motor accident. Fingers crossed.

Nelson's first car - Vauxhall Ventora 3.3

Nelson Kruschandl has fond memories of his Ventora and set very good times from Seaford to Eastbourne, via the East Dean coast road.  On wet leaves the back end would break away very easily - far too easily.  Other than that, handling was predictable.

If you look very carefully into the workshop behind the car, you can just see part of Nelson's first boat - a forerunner of the modern jet-ski - only shroud propeller driven.

Vauxhall Motors is a British car company, a subsidiary of General Motors. With Opel, Vauxhall forms GM's core European business.

History - Early years

Alexander Wilson founded the company in Vauxhall, London in 1857. Originally named Alex Wilson and Company, subsequently the Vauxhall Iron Works, it built pumps and marine engines. In 1903 the company built its first car, a 5 hp (4 kW) model steered using a tiller, with two forward gears and no reverse. About 70 were made. This led to a better design in 1904 with wheel steering and reverse and larger 1029 cc engine but still with a single cylinder. A range of three cylinder cars followed.

To expand its production the company moved to Luton in 1905 and in November that year showed its first four cylinder cars at the London Motor Show. The company continued to trade under the name Vauxhall Iron Works until 1907, when the modern name of Vauxhall Motors Ltd was adopted. In 1907 Laurence Pomeroy was asked to prepare a team of cars to enter the RAC 2000 mile trial and one of the cars won resulting in Pomeroy being appointed Works Manager which made him in charge of the design department. His designs made the company's reputation with their sporting models, but he left in 1919 to be replaced by C.E. King. After the First World War it continued with a range of sporting and touring models.

GM purchase

In 1925 Vauxhall was bought by GM for US$2.5 million and the company was changed from being a small to medium producer of sports and touring cars to a mass manufacturer. The influence of the American parent was pervasive and together with Ford, Vauxhall's main competitor, led to a wave of American influenced styling in Europe that persisted through to the 1980s. Bedford Vehicles, a subsidiary constructing commercial vehicles, was established in 1930 as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 had made importing American lorries uneconomical.

During World War II, automobile production was suspended to allow Vauxhall to work on the Churchill tank, which was designed at Luton in less than a year, and assembled there (as well as at other sites). Over 5,600 Churchill tanks were built.

After the war, automobile production resumed but models were designed as a more mass-market product leading to expansion of the company. A manufacturing plant at Ellesmere Port was built in 1960. During the 1960s Vauxhall acquired a reputation for making rust-prone models, though in this respect most manufacturers were equally bad. The corrosion protection built into models was tightened up significantly, but the reputation dogged the company until the early 1980s.

Vauxhall Cresta 1962

Opel relationship

Its compact car, the Viva, formed the basis of the first Holden Torana in Australia in the 1960s. From the 1970s, most models were designed and built in partnership with Opel in Germany. The Chevette, Cavalier and Carlton were basically restyled versions of the Kadett, Ascona and Rekord, featuring a distinctive sloping front end, nicknamed the "droopsnoot", prototyped on the HPF Firenza. The Viceroy and Royale were simply rebadged versions of Opel's Commodore and Senator, imported from Germany.

This was the starting point for the "Opelisation" of Vauxhall. With the 1979 demise of the Viva, GM policy was for Vauxhall models to be rebadged Opels, designed and developed in Rüsselsheim, with little engineering input from Luton. In the late '70s and early '80s, GM dealers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland sold otherwise identical Opel and Vauxhall models alongside each other. This policy of duplication was phased out, beginning with the demise of Opel dealerships in the UK in 1981. The last Opel car (the Manta coupe) to be "officially" sold in Britain was withdrawn in 1988.

Similarly, the Vauxhall brand was dropped by GM in Ireland in favour of Opel in 1982, with other right hand drive markets like Malta and Cyprus soon following suit. (In New Zealand, the brand was withdrawn after the demise of the Chevette). Many new Opel-badged cars have been privately imported into the UK from Ireland, and other EU countries, while many Vauxhalls have been imported second-hand into the Republic.

GM Europe then began to standardise model names across both brands in the early 1990s - for example the Vauxhall Astra and Opel Kadett were both called Astra from 1991 onwards; the Vauxhall Cavalier and Opel Vectra were both called Vectra from 1995. With the exception of the VX220, sold by Opel as the Speedster, all of Vauxhall's models now have the same names as those of Opel.

Since 1994, Vauxhall models have differed from Opels in their distinctive grille featuring a "V", incorporating the Vauxhall badge. This has also been used by Holden in New Zealand, and on the Indian version of the Opel Astra. The "V" badging is an echo of the fluted V-shaped bonnets that have been used in some form on all Vauxhall cars since the first.

A model unique in Europe to the Vauxhall range is the high-performance Monaro coupe, which is sourced from Holden in Australia. Although this model is also produced in left hand drive (LHD) for markets like the U.S. (known as the Pontiac GTO) and the Middle East (known as the Chevrolet Lumina), the model is not currently offered by Opel in Europe. Imports of this vehicle are limited to 15,000 to avoid additional safety testing.

Many cars badged as Opels, even LHD models, are produced by Vauxhall for export. Vauxhall has built some Holdens for export, too, notably Vectra As to New Zealand and Astra Bs to both Australia and New Zealand.

Vauxhall Firenza 2.3

Closures and restructuring

The Luton plant closed in 2000, but production continues at Ellesmere Port.

On 17 May 2006 Vauxhall announced the loss of 900 jobs from Ellesmere Port's 3,000 staff. Despite already meeting efficiency targets Vauxhall has been told to further improve productivity. Vauxhall's troubled parent GM is cutting 30,000 jobs in the United States. [BBC]

Origins of the name and the logo

The griffin emblem, still in use, is derived from the coat of arms of Fulk le Breant, a mercenary soldier who was granted the Manor of Luton for services to King John in the 13th century. By marriage, he also gained the rights to an area near London, south of the Thames. The house he built, Fulk's Hall, became known in time as Vauxhall. Vauxhall Iron Works adopted this emblem from the coat of arms to emphasise its links to the local area. When Vauxhall Iron Works moved to Luton in 1905, the griffin emblem coincidentally returned to its ancestral home.

Vauxhall Motors; registered name General Motors UK Limited) is a British automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Luton, United Kingdom and a subsidiary of German Adam Opel AG, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the American General Motors (GM). It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for over two decades.

Vauxhall has major manufacturing facilities in Luton (commercial vehicles, owned by sister company IBC Vehicles) and Ellesmere Port, UK (passenger cars). The Luton plant currently employs around 1,085 staff and has a capacity of approximately 100,000 units. The Ellesmere Port plant currently employs around 2,100 staff and has a capacity of approximately 187,000 units. The current Vauxhall car range includes the Adam (City car), Agila (Microvan), Ampera (Extended Range Electric Vehicle), Astra (small family car), Corsa (supermini), Insignia (large family car), Meriva (mini MPV), Mokka (subcompact crossover) and Zafira Tourer (compact MPV).

Since 1980 Vauxhall products have been largely identical to those of Opel, GM's German subsidiary, and most models are principally engineered in Rüsselsheim, Germany. A high proportion of Vauxhall-branded vehicles sold in the UK are produced at Opel factories in Germany, Spain and Poland, and roughly 80% of Vauxhall production is exported, most of which is sold under the Opel brand.

HISTORY

Scottish engineer Alexander Wilson founded the company in Dusian Road, Vauxhall, London in 1857. Originally named Alex Wilson and Company, then Vauxhall Iron Works from 1897, the company built pumps and marine engines. In 1903, the company built its first car, a five-horsepower model steered using a tiller, with two forward gears and no reverse gear. This led to a better design which was made available for sale.

To expand, the company moved the majority of its production to Luton in 1905. The company continued to trade under the name Vauxhall Iron Works until 1907, when the modern name of Vauxhall Motors was adopted. The company was characterised by its sporting models, but after World War I the company's designs were more austere.
Much of Vauxhall's success during the early years of Vauxhall Motors was due to a man called Laurence Pomeroy. Pomeroy joined Vauxhall in 1906 as an assistant draughtsman, at the age of twenty-two. In the winter of 1907/8, the chief designer F.W. Hodges took a long holiday, and in his absence the managing director Percy Kidner asked Pomeroy to design an engine for cars to be entered in the 1908 RAC and Scottish Reliability Trial, held in June of that year. The cars were so successful that Pomeroy took over from Hodges.

His first design, the Y-Type Y1, had outstanding success at the 1908 RAC and Scottish 2000 Mile Reliability Trials – showing excellent hill climbing ability with an aggregate of 37 seconds less time in the hill climbs than any other car in its class. With unparalleled speeds around the Brooklands circuit, the Vauxhall was so far ahead of all other cars of any class that the driver could relax, accomplishing the 200 miles (320 km) at an average speed of 46 mph (74 km/h), when the car was capable of 55 mph (89 km/h). The Y-Type went on to win class E of the Trial.

The Y-Type was so successful that it was decided to put the car into production as the A09 car. This spawned the legendary Vauxhall A-Type. Four distinct types of this were produced between 27 October 1908 – up to when mass production halted in 1914. One last A-Type was put together in 1920. Capable of up to 100 mph (160 km/h), the A-Type Vauxhall was one of the most acclaimed 3-litre cars of its day.

Two cars were entered in the 1910 Prince Henry Trials, and although not outright winners, performed well, and replicas were made for sale officially as the C-type – but now known as the Prince Henry. During the First World War, Vauxhall made large numbers of the D-type, a Prince Henry chassis with de-rated engine, for use as staff cars for the British forces.

After the 1918 armistice, the D-type remained in production, along with the sporting E-type. Pomeroy left in 1919, moving to the United States, and was replaced by C.E. King. In spite of making good cars, expensive pedigree cars of the kind that had served the company well in the prosperous pre-war years were no longer in demand: the company struggled to make a consistent profit and Vauxhall looked for a major strategic partner.

2000 to 2010

The first years of the 21st century saw Vauxhall continue to narrow the gap with Ford. A new model of Corsa was launched in 2000, offering a better-handling, better-built and better-equipped package. 2002 was one of the best years ever for Vauxhall sales in the UK. The Corsa was Britain's second most popular new car, and gave the marque top spot in the British supermini car sales charts for the first time. The Astra was Britain's third best-selling car that year, while the Vectra and the Zafira (a compact MPV launched in 1999) were just outside the top ten. The second generation Vectra was launched in 2002 and was further improved over earlier Vectras, but was still hardly a class-leader, and now had to be content with lower sales due to a fall in popularity of D-sector cars; although a facelift in 2005 sparked a rise in sales.

The Frontera was facelifted in 1999 and was relaunched as the B series - featuring Vauxhalls 2.2 DTi diesel engine, their 2.2 EcoTec petrol engine and a V6 version with the Isuzu 6VD1 engine it was a huge success, again they were copies of Isuzu models namely the Rodeo. However, the Frontera was discontinued in 2004. Recently the replacement for and frontera, the antara (developed with the Chevrolet captiva) has been added to the line up.

Perhaps the most important Vauxhall product of the 2000s so far is the fifth generation Astra, launched in early 2004 – and praised by the motoring press for its dramatic styling, which was a world of difference from the relatively bland previous Astra. It was an instant hit with British buyers, and was the nation's second best-selling car in 2005 and 2006, giving the all-conquering Ford Focus its strongest competitor yet. Many UK Police forces have also adopted the Astra as the standard patrol vehicle. The second generation Vectra went on sale during 2002, but has not sold as strongly as its predecessor. Its successor, called the Insignia premiered at the 2008 British International Motor Show at ExCeL London. It is hoped that it will give Vauxhall a fresh new competitor in a sector which has shrunk considerably in Britain over the last few years.

The second generation Corsa had been Britain's most popular supermini for most of its production life, but by 2006 it had started to fall behind the best of its competitors, so an all-new model was launched. This Corsa sold far better than either of the previous Corsas, and it was an instant hit with buyers.

In 2006, the second generation Zafira was the tenth-biggest selling car in the UK, the first time that an MPV had featured in the top 10 best-selling cars in Britain.

For GM's former management, the Prius came as a wake-up call, though by the time they unveiled their own petrol-electric concept car at the Detroit motor show in January 2007, it was widely agreed that they were late to the party.

The Ampera E-Rev, short for extended range electric vehicle and which is due to go on sale in the UK in 2011, is a Vauxhall with a 16 kWh, 400 lb (180 kg) lithium-ion battery pack that delivers 40 miles (64 km) of motoring and a 1.4-litre petrol engine that extends the car's range to 350 miles (560 km).

On 12 December 2000, Vauxhall announced that car production at its Luton plant would cease in 2002, with the final vehicle being made in March 2002 following the end of production of the Vectra B and production of its replacement moving to Ellesmere Port alongside the Astra. Manufacture of vans (sold under the Vauxhall, Opel, Renault and Nissan badges throughout Europe) continued at the IBC Vehicles plant in Luton. On 17 May 2006, Vauxhall announced the loss of 900 jobs from Ellesmere Port's 3,000 staff, part of significant worldwide staff reductions by GM.

On 30 May 2009, a deal was announced which will lead to the spin-off of the Opel and Vauxhall brands into a new company. On 1 June 2009, Vauxhall Motors troubled parent company, General Motors filed for bankruptcy in a court in New York. By then the sale of Vauxhall and its sister subsidiary, Opel, was being negotiated as part of a strategy driven by the German government to ring fence the businesses from any General Motors asset liquidation.

The sale to Canadian-owned Magna International was agreed on 10 September 2009, with the approval of the German government.

During the announcement regarding the sale, Magna promised to keep the Vauxhall factory at Ellesmere Port open until 2013, but could not guarantee any further production after that date. On 3 November 2009, the GM board called off the Magna deal after coming to the conclusion that Opel and Vauxhall Motors was crucial to GM's global strategy.


2010 to 2013

In May 2012, GM announced plans to move much of the production of Astra vehicles from mainland Europe to the UK. The company announced it would invest £125 million in the Ellesmere Port factory and spend about £1bn in the UK component sector.

HydroGen4 is the successor of the fuel cell vehicle Opel HydroGen3, developed by General Motors/Opel and presented in 2007 at the IAA in Frankfurt expected to hit the market in 2016.

It appears that General Motors like most other manufacturers will invest in any technology other than a workable battery cartridge exchange system. By this means hanging on to their beloved reciprocating engines for a bit longer. Come on chaps, wake up, smell the breeze.

LINKS

• Vauxhall Antara

• Vauxhall Astra

• Vauxhall Combo

• Vauxhall Corsa

• Vauxhall Tigra

• Vauxhall Meriva

• Vauxhall Movano

• Vauhxhall Signum

• Vauxhall Vectra

• Vauxhall Zafira

• Vauxhall Heritage

• Vauxhall Motors UK Website

• http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Autos/Makes_and_Models/Vauxhall/

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