Viva/Magnum/Firenza
Discussion
I'll start by saying I've not really been in the Vauxhall camp at all having had an arguement with an early Cavalier, however I did navigate in a few road rallies in the 70's in a 2300 Firenza and a 2300 Viva (Magnum?) and they were bloody quick. I also drove an early HC belonging to the Engineer I was working with and was unimpressed by the very light steering (coming from my Dad's Minx and my MG Midget) and destroyed a HA van headgasket the company had on hire but liked the swift gearchange before it went bang. (We got a transit as a replacement and I put that on it's side within 7 days....)
Anyway, saw a pic of a Firenza earlier today and thought how good they still looked with their twin headlights etc. Went looking on the usual web sites and none for sale, few 1256 HC Vivas but that's all.
Have they all gone now, or are folk hiding them away. The ones for sale compare favourably with Escorts for price. What's the spares situation with them?
Anyway, saw a pic of a Firenza earlier today and thought how good they still looked with their twin headlights etc. Went looking on the usual web sites and none for sale, few 1256 HC Vivas but that's all.
Have they all gone now, or are folk hiding them away. The ones for sale compare favourably with Escorts for price. What's the spares situation with them?
sparkythecat said:
How about a Jensen Healey ?
They are built on the Firenza / Magnum running gear and have the Lotus 907 twin cam under the bonnet Unloved for many years, the prices are on the up, but haven't gone silly yet.
Not sure I want a Vauxhall, was more curious as to how many were about and price. Was never a fan of the Jensen Healey, I had MGBs and Midgets at the time and the JH just looked bland somehow. There was a friend in the 70's owned one for a while, did little for me. Can't remember the last time I saw one of them either.They are built on the Firenza / Magnum running gear and have the Lotus 907 twin cam under the bonnet Unloved for many years, the prices are on the up, but haven't gone silly yet.
Couple of pics (stolen from Google) of a true gentleman out for a drive.
I had a MK2 Escort RS2000 back in the 80s, but always thought the Droopsnoot Firenza was probably a better car.
Especially when I went to a local Classic Car meet before the lockdown and saw two of them arrive together!
Mind you a mate of a mate has an HB Viva with a Vauxhall red-top on throttle bodies that is a bit stealthy.
But I think it's much harder to find parts for Vauxhalls than Fords, and even though they aren't as rare the Fast Fords seem to fetch higher prices.
Especially when I went to a local Classic Car meet before the lockdown and saw two of them arrive together!
Mind you a mate of a mate has an HB Viva with a Vauxhall red-top on throttle bodies that is a bit stealthy.
But I think it's much harder to find parts for Vauxhalls than Fords, and even though they aren't as rare the Fast Fords seem to fetch higher prices.
Mr Tidy said:
I had a MK2 Escort RS2000 back in the 80s, but always thought the Droopsnoot Firenza was probably a better car.
Especially when I went to a local Classic Car meet before the lockdown and saw two of them arrive together!
Mind you a mate of a mate has an HB Viva with a Vauxhall red-top on throttle bodies that is a bit stealthy.
But I think it's much harder to find parts for Vauxhalls than Fords, and even though they aren't as rare the Fast Fords seem to fetch higher prices.
The Droopsnnot was an awesome thing with 21 bhp more than the RS2000 and a five speed box.Especially when I went to a local Classic Car meet before the lockdown and saw two of them arrive together!
Mind you a mate of a mate has an HB Viva with a Vauxhall red-top on throttle bodies that is a bit stealthy.
But I think it's much harder to find parts for Vauxhalls than Fords, and even though they aren't as rare the Fast Fords seem to fetch higher prices.
Shame they only made 204.
Vauxhall produced some tragic engines back then, 1159cc and 1256cc Viva's take a bow, but the 1800 to 2300's were rich with torque and bettered Fords efforts.
Same with the Opel 2 litre in the Ascona and Manta GTE, both well capable of spanking anything from Ford.
A two litre, 5 speed Cavalier would comfortably sit at at 100mph all day long and show 120mph given a long enough straight.
My £100 Cavalier coupe was considered a weapon (when I was young) and a friends Ascona (complete with factory lsd) once showed 122mph before the fan belt flew off.
In 1998 my Manta GTE sat dicing in motorway convoy with an Audi A4 for over 100 miles at 100+mph.
Great cars if slightly highly geared, they indicated over 100mph in third !
Same with the Opel 2 litre in the Ascona and Manta GTE, both well capable of spanking anything from Ford.
A two litre, 5 speed Cavalier would comfortably sit at at 100mph all day long and show 120mph given a long enough straight.
My £100 Cavalier coupe was considered a weapon (when I was young) and a friends Ascona (complete with factory lsd) once showed 122mph before the fan belt flew off.
In 1998 my Manta GTE sat dicing in motorway convoy with an Audi A4 for over 100 miles at 100+mph.
Great cars if slightly highly geared, they indicated over 100mph in third !
I seem to recall the Droop Snoot was more a competitor for the 3.0 Capri, price-wise.
I had a 1972 Viva 1800 back in the 70s. Half the inner wing had rusted away and it proved the unluckiest car I ever owned. Someone dented the wing in a car park, the bonnet got dented. I put a new bonnet on and it flew open, bending the corners, a Capri broadsided it, on a roundabout, a lorry backed into the boot lid, the cam belt snapped, the clutch cable snapped, the pedal box bushes kept wearing out.... I eventually aquaplaned into the front of a Transit and saw my 4 spotlight set-up explode into pieces.
The engine, at it's peak wasn't great and 2.0 Cortinas were much quicker. The strip speedo waved at you, as you drove. The gearchange was rubbish. It did have good handling though.
I should have known. My father owned a Cortina GT Mk II for many years and loved it. He bought a Firenza 2000SL but didn't keep it long and returned to his beloved Cortina. I think the Frenzy looked great though.
Apart from lusting after the Droop Snoot, I haven't had many Vauxhall's bar a Chevette saloon (good) and a GTE 16v (rubbish) but my current daily is a new Insignia so fingers crossed, it does seem to be a great car.
I had a 1972 Viva 1800 back in the 70s. Half the inner wing had rusted away and it proved the unluckiest car I ever owned. Someone dented the wing in a car park, the bonnet got dented. I put a new bonnet on and it flew open, bending the corners, a Capri broadsided it, on a roundabout, a lorry backed into the boot lid, the cam belt snapped, the clutch cable snapped, the pedal box bushes kept wearing out.... I eventually aquaplaned into the front of a Transit and saw my 4 spotlight set-up explode into pieces.
The engine, at it's peak wasn't great and 2.0 Cortinas were much quicker. The strip speedo waved at you, as you drove. The gearchange was rubbish. It did have good handling though.
I should have known. My father owned a Cortina GT Mk II for many years and loved it. He bought a Firenza 2000SL but didn't keep it long and returned to his beloved Cortina. I think the Frenzy looked great though.
Apart from lusting after the Droop Snoot, I haven't had many Vauxhall's bar a Chevette saloon (good) and a GTE 16v (rubbish) but my current daily is a new Insignia so fingers crossed, it does seem to be a great car.
Edited by LuS1fer on Thursday 2nd April 09:02
Skyedriver said:
Have they all gone now, or are folk hiding them away. The ones for sale compare favourably with Escorts for price. What's the spares situation with them?
They do pop up from time to time, in various different conditions. Some are more sought-after than others, it's worth keeping an eye on the various (many) related FB groups as things tend to get posted in there. Snoots seem to change hands almost in secret, I can't remember the last time I saw one just listed for sale on the DSG forum. There were a couple for sale last year. There's a Sportshatch project keeps popping up on eBay, but a lot of it is missing and the price was a bit enthusiastic.Spares vary. Suspension bits are generally OK as there are various suppliers for rubber and poly bushes, several spring makes, I think Gaz and Spax do shockers for them now (only Spax when I was restoring mine). Engine bits can be a challenge (especially for OHC), but there are various people doing stuff like competition bearings which will do if normal ones can't be found, and there are some parts common to other engines. I think at Race Retro someone was showing a machined-from-billet Lotus twin-cam head that drops straight on to the Vauxhall slant four block, if you want one, and someone recently commented that 2.3 pistons can be adapted from an American V8 engine if all else fails.
Body panels and interior are a bit more challenging, though nothing is all that complex, East Kent have started doing some of the rubbers now. Ex-pressed Steel do rear wheelarches and are looking at doing some other parts, other places (including me) do some body repair sections. The Viva club have a spares scheme open to members, with a lot of new and used parts around. Ironically special bits like the droopsnoot nosecone, "Old Nail" arch kit and add-ons like that are easier to get than standard front wings - Vauxhall and Magard donated the moulds to the DSG when they stopped using them, and now it's just a case of keeping them in good repair (which itself is a challenge).
Not all doom and gloom, but not as easy as something more mainstream, but there are things happening.
Edited by droopsnoot on Thursday 2nd April 10:53
Viva Coupes are great looking cars, shame they never fitted a decent engine. The 1256 was a boat anchor and the slant four a big heavy thing that pissed oil out, used loads of fuel and never went that well. The CIH wasn't a bad thing and the Opel Family OHC units couldn't arrive fast enough.
Escorts are far too much money, but the Avenger is worth a look. A decent Chevette will run rings around all of them however. Opel's chassis engineers were so far ahead of Ford back then.
The Jensen Healey was/is an absolute abortion. It deservedly sank without a trace.
Escorts are far too much money, but the Avenger is worth a look. A decent Chevette will run rings around all of them however. Opel's chassis engineers were so far ahead of Ford back then.
The Jensen Healey was/is an absolute abortion. It deservedly sank without a trace.
One of the cars I loved the most - I had a 2.3 Magnum saloon back in the 80s when they were little more than scrap.
That car could spin its wheels in first and second gear, it was phenomenal - having a light back end really made it spin happy.
I loved the interior, the dashboard full of dials. Unfortunately most of mine didn't work, the car had had a fire at some point before I bought it.
I'd love an immaculate one, though I always wanted a coupe with the same engine.
That car could spin its wheels in first and second gear, it was phenomenal - having a light back end really made it spin happy.
I loved the interior, the dashboard full of dials. Unfortunately most of mine didn't work, the car had had a fire at some point before I bought it.
I'd love an immaculate one, though I always wanted a coupe with the same engine.
My first car was a firenza 1800 SL
A combination of rust and me parking it in hedges and ditches finished it off. ("Watch this!" Never ends well when you are 18). The rust in the wings was quite comical, think of bonnet brackets hanging into fresh air.
In answer to the OP,they were quite rare back in the day,Vauxhall also kept changing the line up as well.
IIRC there was
Firenza,only available in coupe 1256,1800,2300. I don't remember an estate other than the 'snoot
Magnum available as a coupe,saloon,and estate I think only 1800 and 2300 The magnum also had the 7 dial dash rev battery oil etc, my firenza had a twin with no racy bits
Viva available in saloon 2/4 door, coupe and estate. Generally had a 1256 in them but they may have gone bigger when the viva was end of life.
They were rare, I don't think I ever encountered another exactly the same spec as mine in all the time I had mine,you would rarely see them,Capri's on the other hand were everywhere.
A combination of rust and me parking it in hedges and ditches finished it off. ("Watch this!" Never ends well when you are 18). The rust in the wings was quite comical, think of bonnet brackets hanging into fresh air.
In answer to the OP,they were quite rare back in the day,Vauxhall also kept changing the line up as well.
IIRC there was
Firenza,only available in coupe 1256,1800,2300. I don't remember an estate other than the 'snoot
Magnum available as a coupe,saloon,and estate I think only 1800 and 2300 The magnum also had the 7 dial dash rev battery oil etc, my firenza had a twin with no racy bits
Viva available in saloon 2/4 door, coupe and estate. Generally had a 1256 in them but they may have gone bigger when the viva was end of life.
They were rare, I don't think I ever encountered another exactly the same spec as mine in all the time I had mine,you would rarely see them,Capri's on the other hand were everywhere.
This was the scene at the engine builders i help out at a few weeks ago:
IMG_20200201_130444 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
The super saloon in the back ground has been a slow burning resto i've been aware of for about half of my life so i'm always drawn to Firenzas. Its recently up and running again so hopefully not too many more years before it may resurface again!
IMG_20200201_130444 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrThe super saloon in the back ground has been a slow burning resto i've been aware of for about half of my life so i'm always drawn to Firenzas. Its recently up and running again so hopefully not too many more years before it may resurface again!
All this talk of Firenza's but nobody has mentioned Gerry Marshal and Baby Bertha yet??
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-heroe...
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-heroe...
pozi said:
All this talk of Firenza's but nobody has mentioned Gerry Marshal and Baby Bertha yet??
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-heroe...
...not to mention 'Old Nail'https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-heroe...
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