The Vauxhall brand dates back to 1897, though the company had been around 40 years prior to that. Vauxhall built their first car in 1903 and despite low production and financial woes, was purchased by General Motors in 1925. GM went on to own Vauxhall for over 90 years – eventually selling the company to PSA Group in 2017.

Our gallery focuses on some of the best-selling and most fondly remembered models from the sixties and seventies including Cresta, Victor, Viva, Ventora and Firenza.

On a side note, it’s worth remembering that General Motors Holden in Australia built their own versions of the Viva from the late 1960s. Called the Holden Torana, the car was a big success downunder, with Holden even lengthening the nose to squeeze in a straight six to improve local content. Adding a bigger engine did nothing for handling, but the long nose looked great and the power-to-weight ratio didn’t hurt performance either. It was this long-nosed Viva/Torana in GTR XU-1 guise that went on to beat the V8s at Bathurst in 1972.

Visit our Holden Torana gallery to see images of the Aussie Viva