Rusty But Trusty

It’s fun to look around at online listings in different cities, simply to see what turns up. Aside from the usual hotrods, used commuter cars, and pickups, you do get the occasional surprise that makes it worthwhile. Back in the late 1950s, when a minor recession was driving demand for smaller cars, GM had no compacts of their own. So, they brought in their American-inspired Opels and Vauhalls, both of which had been heavily influenced by GM’s North American styling studio. The Vauxhall Victor was introduced in 1957 to replace the pre-war Wyvern, and took styling cues from contemporary Pontiacs and Chevrolets. With a 55hp inline four pushing about 2400 lb. of car around, performance was leisurely, but the car returned an average 26mpg in contemporary testing. Due to performance and a relatively high price, and in spite of respectable reviews, the cars were never a great success in North America. So finding a survivor is a rare occasion, especially one that hasn’t been baked to a crisp after 40 years of outdoor storage. Check out this 1961 Vauxhall Victor Super for sale for $4000 in McAllen, TX (near Austin).

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