Yesterday, @lionelb was remarking in the contrast between the then-modern 1966 FD Victor and earlier big Vauxhalls such the Velox, which were quite staid in comparison. This is the 1959 PA Velox, a less extravagantly trimmed version of the similarly-bodied Cresta, which I featured on #davidsdailycar a few months ago. It still features an awful lot of chrome, though. Pics taken at the #BritishMotorMuseum Gaydon recently. More big Vauxhall loveliness to follow.
Today, we’re looking at that Vauxhall/Lotus link again with the Lotus Europa S/SE. I’ve posted these pictures (taken at my local leisure centre car park) before, but I hope you won’t mind because this car provides the link between yesterday’s Vauxhall VX220 and tomorrow’s car. Like the VX220, the Europa S/SE was an attempt at a slightly less hairy and more spacious take on the Elise. It also uses a similar GM engine to that fitted to the VX220.
Today, after the Chevette HS and the Lotus Carlton, we’re looking at a third Vauxhall with Lotus links, the VX220. The VX220 was designed to be a slightly more grown-up/mainstream and more liveable-with (but still fast and sporty) take on the Lotus Elise, on which it was based. This car - actually the faster VXR220 rather than a standard VX - is from Vauxhall’s heritage collection and lives at the #BritishMotorMuseum in Gaydon in Warwickshire.
In 1975, #Vauxhall launched its own car based on the Kadett C/#GM T Platform, the Chevette, which oddly borrowed its name from its #Chevrolet sister car. It was launched initially as a two-door hatch, and used a Vauxhall rather than an #Opel engine. Eventually saloons and estates arrived too. The characteristic Vauxhall ‘droop snoot’ was a further distinguishing feature. Opel’s equivalent to the Chevette hatch was the Kadett City. Pic: #GreatBritishCarJourney#WeirdCarMastodon#davidsdailycar