I passed my test in 1978 on my Dad's yellow Magnum which was the coupe version of this. It looked gorgeous and with it's 1800 engine was great to drive. I remember loving the dash particularly, with the dials looking as if they came straight out of a 911. When dealerships all go bust within the next 3 years and modern cars go into limp mode with no one to fix them and no parts, cars of this era will be the only thing on the roads.

As an American, I love hearing your description of these vehicles with the British slang. Thanks so much....lots of fun.

I’m sure it feels archaic but I really like the design and look of the car....something very warm about 70s cars, obviously it’s an age thing I guess.

That indicator sounds like a grandfather clock.

I could fall asleep to that indicator noise. It bring back memories of many a late night family journey. Simpler times!

Worked in Vauxhall in Ireland. The HC viva was muck. Mainshaft in the gearbox went after about 30,000 miles. They burned oil and I had many engines out on the bench replacing piston rings after about 25.000 mls. There was a remarkable jump in the quality when they brought out the chevette with the opel / GM gearbox.

Not a engine management sensor anywhere , easy to work on mechanicals , unburnt petrol fumes out the exhaust ,i miss them days .

I have owned around 10 of these when I was about 23 - 25. The higher spec SL and GLS cars felt more refined and relaxed thanks to much better soundproofing, plus they felt just a bit more comfortable and special as they had much nicer seats (although I do agree the driving position is too low). I also massively preferred the horizontal speedo as it was more in-keeping with the style of the car, this one is one of the povvo-spec last of the line models designed for someone elderly who would otherwise have bought a Chrysler Hunter or Talbot Avenger! My favourite was a metallic blue 1974 N reg 4 door SL with huge fat black vinyl seats, I went all over the country in that car at a steady 65-70 mph without fuss, whereas my great uncle’s 1978 1300L (with the exact same interior as this one) always felt very noisy and strained above 60. Funny this one isn’t running right, they were always challenging to set up / tune as the valve clearances were supposed to be set hot with the engine running(!), the stromberg carbs were tamper-proof in later years and the distributor bearings wore out from lack of lubrication - meaning an accurate and steady points gap became impossible to achieve - as the little hole on the base plate you have to squirt oil into at every 3000 mile service was very well hidden and not mentioned in the manual! Therefore a proper electronic ignition kit that did away with points altogether was essential. The engines were in any case overstressed in such a heavy car with their 3 main bearing crank; they rarely lasted more than 70-80,000 miles, especially as the lubrication system was marginal due to the engine’s 60s design meaning it wasn’t intended for motorways - hence an oil cooler conversion was always a worthwhile upgrade to avoid the oil overheating & breaking down under very high temperatures and to increase the oil capacity (I recall it being a little under 4 litres!) and hence engine longevity. Overall, in 1300 form they were a bag of sh1te then and probably are now, however I have fond memories of them as a very cheap and distinctive classic car for a young person who needs cheap insurance, doesn’t mind the lack of pace, and want to learn how to wield spanners - I recall taking the engine out with my bare hands once - no crane needed! Final word - I once sold Richard Hammond a rather ropey early HC Firenza 1300 coupe via eBay (True story: I drove it up to James May at his house in Chiswick to drop it off once the money from the sale had cleared in my account as he couldn’t collect in-person) - This also had appalling axle wine amongst many, many other problems - he then spent about a year writing in his motoring column in the Mirror lamenting on what a terrible example it was and how he regretted that bottle of wine before bidding! Nonetheless he was determined to get it up to scratch and made strong progress for a long time - I don’t know if he ever finished it but it’s not been on the road since - DMA 458K where are you now? www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/car-reviews/thats-my-lot-622857

Ah memories, I had a HC Viva (DXE 762N) around 1983 when I worked in Luton. I seem to remember that it had a horizontal speedo. It definitely had plenty of rust...

That one is lavishly equipped compared to the 1974 model which was my first car: no internal bonnet release, no heated rear window, no cigar lighter, no brake servo, no front discs, no radial tyres, no inertia reel seat belts...but with the same colour combination. I remember that distinctive Viva whine well.

I enjoyed that. I remember by dad buying the Viva estate in 1971 or 72. same engine as in the test. It took us camping and caravanning all around Europe. I seem to recall the windscreen washer was activated by a manual pump, none of this fandangled electrical tomfoolery!

Loving the Jamaica 🇯🇲 yellow and the painted metal work inside the cabin. I remember Vauxhall carried on making the Bedford van which was a version of the HA Viva into the 1980s British Telecom had loads of them.

Oh hubnut, I loved this - you see very few HC’s and I know why they really were not that good. But this was the last car my dad bought a 74 example on an N plate, 1256 SL metallic blue. It was the family holiday car and was not used very much, that model had the horizontal speedo rather than the almost aftermarket looking later circular one. My mum traded it for a metro in 82, I don’t think the viva ever managed more than 80 mph it was dog slow and badly underpowered when loaded up for summer hols in Scarborough. Ah the memories. Thanks for this.

Still have my 2300 Magnum down under in Australia. Started life as an 1800 from New Zealand.

My dad had an earlier version with the landscape speedo. He hated it as it broke down constantly. It finally gave up the ghost and voluntarily immolated itself one morning on the driveway of our house.

My Grandad bought one of these in 1973 .... a maroon 4 door SL version..... I loved that car. Happy days indeed.

I Preferred the magnum, But they're as rare as a kamikazi pilots reunion party

I like the old Viva/chevette characteristic whine, I remember that very well from my childhood days of riding in the back of one. I remember being in said Viva when it broke down in the middle of nowhere and we had to go back home on the bus! My Dads friend had a fair few issues with his, he was always tinkering with it! 🙄

That car has some personality that newer cars won’t have. Keep safe and keep up the great work Hubnut.

My dad used to have an HC Viva, I was around 3 years old at the time so memories of it are just little patchy images of it here and there in my head, the biggest one being the unique tail lights, I still love how slim they are compared to other cars of the time... :) I do remember it having an aftermarket gearknob though, a red thing that looked like a glass ornament...

Bostin! - Don't forget to push that button in (Secreted under the Steering Column) to take the key out!

Hard to believe this was new in the same year that my uncle had a new Fiat Strada. That seemed like a spaceship at the time! But that headlamp access - changing the bulb on even my motorbike is a massive pain now!

I currently drive a 72 viva as my everyday car 👍

About 30 years ago in New Zealand I bought a Viva for $80. Olive green, non running (just needed fresh petrol and a tune). It was one of my fave cars I've ever owned, 100 percent reliable, even when I drove it at valve bounce all the time. I recall seeing 70MPH on the long strip speedo a few times...that was at 38,000RPM and 190 dB. It gave me years of faithful service, and I dumped it when rust became an issue, NZ law is very strict on rust for roadworthiness. I long for one nowadays, so basic, just a car with nothing electric, no damned sensors to play up..just a raw, noisy mechanical box to drive. Have a soft spot for these old girls, and yep I often used to think they looked a little like a late 60's Chevy Impala which was shrunk in the wash. Really lovely to see this beautiful one, thank you!

I'm weeping at the ease of access to headlamp bulbs in comparison to my modern car.

My dad worked at vauxhall Ellesmere Port when the viva was being made in 1963-1978 and he made the gear boxes for them...

I bought an early one of these back in the late 80's J Reg. 1100cc poverty version with single speed wipers etc. Got it from a neighbour whose husband had died years earlier and it had just been sitting in the garage. It was absolutely spotless inside and out. Clutch was stuck, but I dropped the gearbox at 11pm one night and fixed that. Then just a fluids change and it sailed through the MOT. Drove it up from Dorset to Shropshire and the rad sprung a leak on the M5. I am now acquainted with every services, garage and water point on the route! Got a new rad within a couple of hours of getting up there and my Dad ran it for a few years until he retired, then scrapped it. He was upset to see it back on the road a few weeks later. The scrappy's son had rescued it!

I remember Mom at age 60 buying a Vauxhall Viva and learning to drive.The car moved along smartly when going downhill! Otherwise not enough power to get out of its own way! CHEERS from Westcoast Canada!

"Stromberg down draft carburettors" were the accent downfall of Alexi Sayle when he played the Sultan of Hatay in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. He said the term in complete Scouse.

I’m looking forward to seeing the MK2 Cavalier report looks lovely 😊 Edit: i think you need to leave it at my house 😉😂

Thanks for this, really enjoyed it. I learnt to drive in a HC, lived in Dunstable and worked in Luton. Brings it all back

Great review. I had a Jamaica yellow HC in 1980. Used to park it over the gutter to swap gearboxes. Half inch spanner and a flat screwdriver were all you needed to strip it down. Swapped engine for a Chevette 1256 and it felt like a dragster!

Had a 2 door yellow viva as a kid just for fun on our farm. Speedo was a rectangle with needle moved left to right. 1.3L if I remember.

I had a 79 HC 1800 GLS 4 door, looked like a Magnum. i bloody loved it :)

You brought me back to my youth, I bought one of those 1256 Vauxhalls as an 18 y.o in 1983 in NZ. They were a 60's car dressed up a bit more than the hb. Such a simple platform, achieving 45 mpg. Even the 1980 chevette had only small improvements, mainly in breather ventilation around that unusual air cleaner, some had modified fuel lines. Thanks for your video, also your aerial shot of NZ breakers yard in the North Island. 😎👌👍

Your channel is full of all the cars of my childhood. All lovely memories of my dad taking us as kids to Skegness for our holidays. All the cars I’ve always dreamed of driving but never have. I think one day I’ll do a paintings of all my favourites together.

My first car was a red ‘L’ reg Viva complete with horizontal speedo and broken driver’s seat frame. Contrary to some other commenters, the bodywork was pretty solid for a 12 year old car, but the mechanicals were a bit fragile - the top of the oil pump drive used to break, and since this drove the distributor too, the ignition timing would go to pot. Then, the timing chain tensioner fell off and wedged itself between the chain and sprocket, locking the engine solid. The clutch exploding was my own silly fault after I wondered what would happen if I changed into first at 60 mph ...

Good God! My first car was a '74 Orchid Red (Pink!) 4 door 1256 Viva purchased from my neighbour's for $850 with 80,000km on the clock in '91. The car I learnt to drive in, be naughty in and hone my driving skills (lets face it - wayward handling with cross ply tyres and power assisted nothing wasn't going to challenge more contemporary motors) but it does hold something special in my memories. And what more could you want to hold for prosperity?

Brings back memories!!! My first car was a yellow 2 door 1977 viva 1300l , given to me by my late uncle. Never failed to start, even on cold mornings. Obviously my street cred went out the window driving a yellow car, but it got me and my mates many places. motorway driving even then wasn't the best due to the noise of the engine, 70 in it and you thought you were nearly ready to take off!! But ran it for just over a year, no major problems, my dad used to service it easily as it was that simple to work on. Not an ecu in sight!!! Happy simplier times!!! This video brings it all back, where did 30 years go 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😭😭

Perhaps not a fantastic example of the automobile design engineers craft but one of the finest time machines I've seen in a while! Thanks. Two cups of tea and two Hubnut Vlogs all before a BH weekend. My day could be said to have peaked early!!

My friend had a Vauxhall Magnum while at Uni - Nice car in its day

Plug your scanner into the OBD2 port and see what fault codes it throws up 😂

My Dad had one of these in Cedar Green with a vinyl roof in the mid/late 70's, it was his first proper car after graduating from his Reliant Regal having passed his full driving test.

I had one of the early ones, on a J plate. In SL form so it had twin carburettor. But smaller engine. I think it was 1150 odd cc. I seemed to remember I loved it. And I remember putting in halogen headlight bulbs in and thought it was the cats whiskers. I also seemed to remember the choke issues... not a great car really, but for a 19 yr old at the time, it was my pride and joy...

Had an 1800 'Magnum' and quite liked that when it ran, but the Strombergs were hopeless!.....The 1256cc Viva was at best described as gutless!!.....Noticed the Cavalier 1800 CD at the end of the video, I had one of those too now that was nice and mine was loaded with brown velour!....mmmmm

The indicator noise wouldn’t have been out of place on Camberwick Green.

Old cars are absolutely fantastic and lovely to see. Great video, LOVE the indicator tick

Well done another gem, my dad had the whole family of vivas ha hb and hc fond memories of me and my family on trips i the country visiting relatives, well done, I remember standing between the front seats for a better view! imagine doing that now

Look at that! They put a bench under the bonnet for you to sit on while fixing it. How thoughtful is that? You don't get that with your German Opel Vauxhalls.

The HC always looked like it was in tiptoes. The HB was better and was considered the ideal car for social aspirants such as Mr and Mrs Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris to own.

I enjoyed that - my granddad had a ‘72 HC - we loved it. Was great to hear the engine/gearbox whine and the tinka-tinka indicators again!

Great videos. I love all the older cars you've been driving. I now live in the US and we can't get to many of the cars you've been testing. I'm originally from the Uk and grew up remembering all these cars and really like your video content.

My dad owned a couple of old vauxhalls a very long time ago. Both of them dissolved in front of his eyes. I notice the Viva name is being used again. I Currently have a vauxhall which is surprisingly comfortable and even quite nice to drive. Although I am changing in June if my New car gets delivered on time. A Hub Nut Key Ring would be good. Any possibility. Bet you would sell loads

I enjoyed that. I don't know why but I did.

my dad had a ha viva , then a hc like this one ,k reg 73,1300cc ,metalic blue, black vinyl roof ,rostyle wheels, we use to tow a camping trailer to cornwall from suffolk with 5 of us in the car! it use to take about 8 hrs and some of the hills we'd be down to 2nd gear lol. i loved them days as a kid. we had it for 7 years before the engine wore out then he treated himself to a 78 magnum 1800, sporty looking with its twin headlights and all the sport dials on the dash and pretty fast too, it would see off 100 mph. great times, great cars all with there own look and character .

Just started to look at your KZfaq videos and it's nice to see some of the cars that we used to see every day and now not so often. I hope to keep up with you over the coming months.

Love the viva the only down side to it was it needed a turbo...I am still on the pills

Familiar car; Father had the estate version, also in yellow, and much later girl-friend had one similar to above also in yellow, did quite a few miles in the marc. In their day ok I guess.

Had an "L" reg Viva many years ago - didn't like cold mornings at first,but once the engine was hot,she ran sweet as a nut,loved the small engine in a huge engine bay,everything was easy to reach,did my own servicing back then,and using the "rule of nine" kept the valve clearances correct - and silent,people often remarked that the car sounded rather quiet,mine had the horizontal speedo and "organ" type accelerator pedal - sent her to the scrapyard when the big ends started grumbling - with 96,000 miles on the clock! I then went on to purchase a Vauxhall Chevette,and from my experience of the Viva,continued to do my own engine servicing - only the carburretor and airfilter seemed to have changed - had to top up the carb with oil periodically as I remember - great video,thankyou.

Looks like the same gearbox arrangement as my old shove it ,iI loved the gearbox in the winter it kept my left leg nice and toasty 😁

I remember my dad having a vauxhall Magnum.... The height of luxury!. Also that steering wheel is so annoyingly upsidedown!

I do miss these bright colours on cars. Nice to see they're slowing making a comeback. The boring white, black, silver and red if it's a sports car that's been the only option on cars for the last 20 years is really getting old now.

Fond memories of the Vauxhall Viva as one was the first car my family ever owned which I, a child at the time, did not have to push start a lot of the time for my dad. Still needed a push very occasionally but by then I was a good little car pusher and the occasional push seemed like a blessing compared to what had gone (not _gone_ ) before. Previous family dead weights were an Austin Cambridge, a Ford Anglia and an MG 1100: now I'm not saying those models were bad, just the ones we had though my dad's car maintenance was not the best and we even managed to run out of petrol a few times. Loving your videos, thanks.

This little machine was arew up I. gamechanger for me. I grew up in a small and rather isolated coastal town in the North Island of New Zealand. We had no car in our family. I left school and went to work, saving up while paying Mom board until I could afford to buy an apple green 1972 station wagon with a 47bhp 1159cc engine and drum brakes. By May of 1979 I learned to drive and got my licence in it. From then on I took my family on long trips, including one epic trip in 1980 up to Cape Reinga (as far north as the road will go here), went to a larger town for supermarket shopping and in winter loaded the cargo area and a small trailer with firewood. Yeah, its a boringly slow, quasi-American, basic whungey little pop toaster that drives like an ox cart, but to me it has a place in history. Thanks Ian for the video. You've brought back so many visual and aural memories. Very much appreciated.

I love 1970s cars.

The year I was born but has aged more favourably!

Thats the first time I have been back in a Viva since 1981. My old HB had 1/4 lights and the dash had the left to right speedo where the needle fluctuated between 50 & 70mph...lol The indicator sound is just like my Granddads Grandfather clock sound. Class!! All sounds Oh so familiar to me. Thanks for the ride. :-)

Had 3 of these, including a Firenza version, I loved that car. Really lovely to drive and it looked good as well.

Great review with Hubnut struggling throughout to be polite and constructive. Perhaps I can summarize: - crap ride - crap ergonomics - horrible engine - bland styling - noisy rear axle - harsh clutch. - poor steering Apart from those few minor drawbacks, very nice. The character indicator noise makes up for the above list.

The Hood /bonnet release on the Fusion is on the passenger side Ford eh!

Took my NZ built, 1975 HC estate on my honeymoon in 1987. Lost power in the whoopwhoops, Ureweras, I knew it was the Stromberg diaphram split, always a liklihood, I had carried a new diaphran in the glove box. The new ife was impressed with a 20 min stop and diaphram swap. The car lasted until 1991, sadly the marriage splut too 18 yrs later. The Viva went to a friend, she loved it for years. Nothing lasts forever, like GM Holden.

Loved my 75 viva HC in silver. It was my second car ever keep it for 5 years Went through 2 engines and 2 rear axles. Dash was different to your test on I had the long rectangular one. This brought back some happy memories.

Does that sound seems more like a dodgy wheel bearing?

Switches just like on the star ship Enterprise original series. As for the choke issue I imagine it’s old petrol that’s lost it’s pop .

Wow, I've not seen one of these for decades!!! My mum used to drive my brothers and me around in one of these when we were young. Ours was a beautiful (not!) shade of very dark brown, and all the vinyl interior had split and cracked due to being unable to handle the staggeringly high temperatures we suffer in Britain!!!

thanks, Ian, It's always fun to see stuff we didn't get over here. It does remind me of some US market Opels.

There's a lot to be said for fuel injection, don't you think? Anyway, you said you didn't think this generation of Viva moved the game on enough - what about the transition from the cavalier mk3 to the vectra?

Never did run smoothly oil indashpotmaybe HA much better if was my second car Great videos by the

A trip down memory lane for me as my dad's HC Viva was the first car I ever driven at age 17. It was a bertie basic car, two door, pale blue, full black vinyl seats & a full rubber mat floor covering. No such luxury as a carpet! It had the horizontal speedometer rather than the round dials. TTE 514L was the reg. This was later replaced by a Mk1 Cavalier 1600L, (GHG 230S) & the Cavalier was such a leap forward in every way.

Love the video My first car was a3 year old viva HC LJC777R, identical to the one you drove except for a black vinyl roof and black interior.. Lovely handling but a bit underpowered, biggest problems were the brake pads were a bit small if you drove hard as they were the same as the MG midget and the rubber diaphragm in the Strindberg would stretch and eventually tear leading to bad running and very excessive fuel consumption. Final problem and a small correction, the gear change went into an extension tube out of the rear of the gearbox rather than straight into the top of the box like the earlier vivas, the tube was secured by a single grub screw and If you were like me and drove enthusiastically to compensate for the lack of power, it was very easy to cause the hole in the tube to wear and end up with a lot of side to side movement only limited by the size of the hole in the floor pan, I ended up changing the box about three times whilst I had it which meant I got real good at fast box changes 😄

not only holding the clutch down at lights but using it as a foot rest, hmmm, remind me never to let you drive one of my cars ....

I had a 72 model and it was not a great car especially that clutch that you mention. Not that reliable and I think I went through three clutch cables all of which snapped rather too quickly.

I love the engine noise. The sound it was making, when you came off the M1, sounds just like my HA! Music to my ears :)

Love all your videos Ian, thank you for creating them.

I really should stop watching these videos - my mind has been poluted by the HubNut ethos and I've purchased a HubNut spec Volvo 340 (1.4DL) to get my fix of old-tech pram springs and keep fit windows, I've even grown a beard so I was allowed to buy the Volvo! There is no hope!

They were a good looking car.. it’s a pity General Motors got their hands on vauxhall. In my mind General Motors destroyed every brand they took over, look at Saab a once highly respected car manufacturer,

I was excited when this showed up in my feed. In 1970 my dad brought home a slightly used 1968 Viva. Unusually, It was actually badged as a Vauxhall Viva even though in Canada GM sold most of these cars under the Envoy Epic moniker. Based on our family's experience, I was all ready with some snarky comment, but let's be kind and simply say that it was not ideally suited to Canadian conditions. Having this past week-end struggled to replace a burned bulb in my daughter's Hyundai, your under hood sequence showed me how much easier and struggle-free that same operation would have been in dad's old Viva, even allowing for the obvious differences between the different versions.

My Grandad had one of these. Great car. It was blue and we always went out for a Sunday drive in it. Thanks for showing this car. Brought back very fond memories. Love your stuff Ian. Please keep up the excellent reviews. Have you done one on the Ford Fiesta Mark 1. I had a base model, in fact on the V5 it just said fiesta not even popular, 950cc engine, and had a foot pump to work the wash bottle! Had it for 4 years and never let me down absolutely loved it.

Vivas were horrible!!! They should be crushed .... BY LAW.

Reminds me of my dear old Dad. We had one of these. That ponderous indicator sound brought it all back to me😂

Had Hc's most of my life, sold my 1971 SL last year first time since forever without a HC. So I really appreciated your video, oh by the way that's a knackered wheel bearing a very common problem on the HC. Great video many thanks 👍

My mate Glenn and I (at 15) weren't partaking in any 'Sports Day' activities so we beaked off and took his Mum's Viva out for a spin around the Estate and managed to plough it into his neighbour's wall. It disintegrated and I remember the battery falling out, but we managed to push it up the kerb, in gear. He phoned his Dad and I was sent home sharpish when the father came home from work, raging. That was... 1986 and she loved that car. Memories. I don't think I could ever look her in the face after that...

A beautiful day to drive a beautiful car. I love the simplicity of operating an older car.😊

Awesome, Ian. My Dad had a bronze HC in SL trim in 1978.

I've never been a Vauxhall person, but I do have fond memories of my Dad's HC Viva Estate 1.1 when I was about 12 years old. But OMG it was slow, he tried to overtake on a hill and had to pull out of it as it didn't have the guts. Took us all the way to Devon on holiday every year, and it was built like a tank.

I had a Vauxhall Viva van when I was a kid, one of my first cars I used to drive around at age 15-16 and I loved tearing around in that little van.

Our 1975 Viva in red has the single Long dial speedo. I remember as a kid wanting a normal one but in hindsight it’s was very cool! Also remember dad having to repair it a few times on holidays in Devon

Excellent review packed with information. This fellow should review all types of car. Really enjoyed that👍🏼

My first car - a K reg in green and the rostyle looking wheels plus the strip style speedo. Body was very good, engine was on its last legs at 160,000 miles using 5 litres of oil a week and running on 3 cylinders most of the time.

Back in 1999, I graduated High School. Since I was a budding mechanic and my auto shop teacher loved me, he gave me the choice of a 1968 Chrysler New Yorker (2 door hardtop!) or a 1971 Vauxhall Viva GT! (very rare Canadian edition with the 4 round headlights). I took the New Yorker because I'd gotten it running. The Viva didn't run and it's engine was half apart. Looking back on how rare the Viva GT is, I wish I'd have chosen it instead. But, the New Yorker was still an amazing car for a 17-year old kid. People today still reminisce about me and that car!