Last month it was Mitsubishi selling its prized possessions, this month, Vauxhall. The circumstances are a little different this time though; Mitsubishi already has one foot out of the UK market, Vauxhall's sale is apparently more to do with spring cleaning. A location change for the Heritage Collection - announced last September when 11 cars were placed under the hammer - has meant nine more Vauxhalls of yesteryear being lined up for the chop, including a Frontera, an immaculate 1990 Nova Merit and a Viva HB Deluxe from 1966. A car Vauxhall describes as a strong “my-dad-had-one-of-those” candidate.
The sale stretches back into (great) granddad territory, too, with the oldest offering being a 1929 R-type 20/60, which was officially the first car to be manufactured by a Vauxhall after it was bought by then rapidly growing US firm, General Motors. The model was a common sight on British roads throughout the ‘30s, and famous in Vauxhall’s story as being the brand’s first ‘technically conventional’ car, with a central gear level, single-plate clutch and 12-volt electronics. The humble R-Type is joined by a slightly more lavish Big Six BXL limousine from 1937, said to be a cut-price Rolls-Royce alternative that’s in “excellent running order”.
Next is a 1953 E-type Wyvern, the first new car to come from Vauxhall after the war, as well as that “pristine” Viva, which might fetch a surprising amount of money at auction thanks to the its rarity and condition. Less so the 1.2-litre Nova, but it certainly passes the sentimentality test for anyone now in their forties, and has covered less than 10,000 miles. It’s joined by a late first-series Omega V6 in posh Elite trim, which ought to be manna from heaven for anyone hoping to pose as a undercover traffic cop from the nineties.
As for the noughties, there’s also a Tigra with one former owner, a retired Vauxhall employee. It’s got just over 20,000 miles on the clock, a barely believable figure given its popularity among millennial first-time drivers. Same goes for the Vauxhall Vivaro panel van, too, because this one hasn’t just escaped the dings and dents of a normal workhorse, it’s been kept in fine condition because it’s the last one Vauxhall built from the first generation. Hence the LA55 ONE plate.
If anything from the lot takes your fancy, all of the cars are going under the hammer at Manor Park Classics’ inaugural auction on April 27th, with no reserves across the board. While some buyers might be ready to bag themselves a bargain, here's hoping all of them end up with loving owners, and regularly see the light of day. Vauxhall’s back catalogue might not be the most prestigious out there, but – much like the thought of the Ford Mondeo departing – it can certainly claim to have touched more lives than most.
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