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).
Posts Tagged ‘sedan’
Petite Pontiac – 1961 Vauxhall Victor Super Series 2
April 2, 2014Suckered Again – 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina
April 1, 2014Some people get all dewy-eyed at those awful commercials with Sarah McLaughlin singing over clips of injured puppies. But it’s really rather annoying – it seems they’re deliberately manipulating the viewer’s emotions to spur them into action. What does this have to do with old cars, you ask? Well, when’s the last time you went to your favorite online auction or sales site and browsed the pictures of project cars? You know you can bring it home – just a quick couple of fixes and it’ll be back on the road, roaming free with the other cars, a happy growl coming from the engine. Check out this 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina, a no-sale today (aww) in Graham, WA.
Rusty But Trusty on the Street – Two Alfas, Dodge, and a GMC
March 31, 2014Nothing deoxidizes the rusty cockles of one’s heart like seeing an older car running around on the street, particularly one that was not too common when new, and even rarer now. So it was quite a surprise seeing this well-known (to SF Bay Area Alfa nuts) 1973 Alfa Romeo Berlina parked on a side street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, gathering dust. Of course, anything near a busy street tends to gather dust, and while this car is a project from outside appearances, the previous owner had done extensive work on the engine, transmission and suspension before moving out of the area. Hopefully, this car is still being used as intended – the last owner posted on online forums about flying through freeway on-ramps, so it must be in better mechanical shape.


