1964 Volkswagen 1500 TS Sedan and Wagon

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Volkswagen arrived officially in the Dominion of Canada in 1952.  It was a calculated gamble but VW execs noted that Canadian consumers liked small cars and bought a lot of them. The West German automaker decided to set up shop in modest Toronto headquarters. Canada was the company’s first overseas subsidiary. Typical of Volkswagen’s thoroughness, the company brought in $30,000 worth of parts before ordering a single car. The first display car was actually borrowed from a private owner in the United States.

The quirky air-cooled car with the funny shape was immediately popular with the public despite its dubious past and not-so-secret connection to Nazi Germany. By 1960, Volkswagen was the third best selling car in Canada. With 31,146 units delivered, VW was bested only by Pontiac and Chevrolet.

Sales were off significantly in 1962 because Parliament implemented higher tariffs on imports as a way of protecting the domestic auto industry. This new ruling did not affect GM or Ford because they were able to import cars from their European subsidiaries without penalty under their multinational umbrella. Other independent European automakers such as Austin and VW were hit hard.

Studebaker stepped in to offer Volkswagen a helping hand. The Hamilton, Ontario automaker already augmented its domestic line of cars and trucks with the luxurious Mercedes-Benz cars--and at the other end of the scale--the tiny, economical DKW, both of West German origin. Executives in Hamilton were familiar with the rules for importation of cars from West Germany.

The arrangement was simple. Studebaker would  bring in Volkswagen vehicles as a captive import, thus avoiding the taxes and duties. Studebaker netted $135 per unit when the cars were resold to Volkswagen Canada Limited but the fee amounted to a pittance compared to the increase that VW would have paid had it not enjoyed a domestic partnership. Volkswagen Canada wasn’t shy to take out advertisements to announce that the company had held the price line.

The venerable Beetle had stood alone for many years. It was joined by a modern, up-to-date stable mate in 1961. The new 1500 was designed by a team of 2,000 engineers, under the direction of Heinz Nordhoff, head of VW in Wolfsburg. Once the bugs (yes, the pun is intended) were worked out of it, the 1500 Sedan and Station Wagon arrived in Canada for the 1962 season.  Squarish, with softly rounded corners, this pair certainly didn’t look like anything else that carried the VW name and advertising was quick to make the point.

“Our 1500 Sedan doesn’t look like our familiar beetle-shaped car but take a good look and you’ll find a strong family resemblance. For example: The 1500 engine is in the rear with its weight over the drive wheels.”  The usual VW humour was evident, too. An advertisement appearing in the June issue of Canada Track & Traffic pokes fun at the new style. “Lift the front hood of a 1500 and you’ll find a large luggage compartment. Lift the back hold and you’ll find another luggage compartment.”

The other 1500 model was described as “a handsome spacious, rattle-proof station wagon. It is a workhorse with the lines of a thoroughbred. With all seats in position, it’s a five-passenger car. Or fold down the back seat and you can go into the cartage business. You can bring home a refrigerator, or take a little league team to the park or sleep two people on a camping trip.” If the 42 cubic feet of space in the rear wasn’t enough, there was another compartment under the hood of the car. An early advert boasts the Station Wagon is big enough “to carry a bathtub or 14,600 bars of soap.”


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The pancake format TS engine was touted. “Fasten your seat belts!” advertising shouted. “This new Volkswagen will move from a standing start to fifty miles per hour in twelve seconds. (It’s no wonder we call it a family sports car.) Our TS model has 25 percent more power.” It did indeed. The twin carburetor tweaked horsepower to 66 @ 4800 RPM. The TS was capable of whizzing passengers along at speeds of up to 90 miles an hour. The editors of Canada Track & Traffic gave the TS full marks for “its engineering superiority, quality of construction, aesthetics, total comfort, safety and performance.” They then bestowed the coveted Golden Wheel Award on the car.

A base VW Beetle could be had for $1,695 in 1962. The 1500 Sedan listed for $2,495. The optional sunroof was heavily promoted and it added $125 to the tab. The 1500 Station Wagon carried a $2,695 price tag. Model 351— the 1500 Convertible—listed for $2,495 but the ragtop was withdrawn from the market and ultimately never produced.

In 1963 Volkswagen was the fifth best selling car in the country, with 27, 559 units delivered. It was sandwiched in between two other popular small cars.  Valiant, held the Number Four spot and Rambler took the sixth position. In 1964 Rambler passed Volkswagen—in proverbial second gear no doubt—to take fifth position. That gave VW the sixth spot with 31,075 units delivered. While the 1500 Sedan and Station Wagon were well accepted by consumers, they never sold in the numbers that the Beetle did.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2006 All rights reserved.

1966 Vauxhall

The heady days of imported European automobiles rolling unabated onto our shores, like the Bay of Fundy at high tide, came to an end in 1963 when Parliament enacted a strong legislative dyke to stem the virtually unstoppable flow. The small, economical cars from abroad were making serious inroads on production of the domestic carmakers. One out of every three consumers had bought an imported automobile in 1959. Even cars from Commonwealth countries, namely Britain, were now subject to tax. Vauxhall was one of the most popular of the lot. Built by General Motors in Britain, it had been part of the automotive scene in the Dominion since 1948. It would be severely affected by the new rules laid down by Ottawa.

Sales of imports had already slowed considerably because GM, Ford, Chrysler finally got around to joining Rambler and Studebaker with the introduction of their smaller cars for the 1960 season. For the 1962 model year production of domestically built compacts reached 28.7 percent, divided (in order of sales) among Ford Falcon, Rambler, Mercury Comet, Acadian, Valiant, Studebaker Lark and bringing up the rear of the pack, Chevrolet’s Corvair.

The new import tariff, coupled with a sharp devaluation of the dollar by the Bank of Canada, delivered a one-two punch to foreign cars, prompting sales of all to take an enormous nosedive. The firmly entrenched Volkswagen was the only exception to the trend.

Viva was aimed dead on at Wolfsburg’s Beetle. Like the Volkswagen, it was offered only as a two-door model. Unlike VW, the Viva was square. It was so solidly square it could have easily been called “Boxhall.” Even though it was nearly six inches shorter than the Beetle, it boasted a generous 10.5 cubic feet of trunk space. Advertising bragged that the little econo-box was replete with all the finish and convenience features that “help make Viva Canada’s best all-around family car in the lowest-priced field.”

 Power was provided by a more than ample 50-horsepower engine, mated to a fully synchronized manual, floor-mounted, short-throw four-speed transmission. Advertising called the mill “spunky.”  Independent front suspension along with rack-and-pinion steering made the pint-sized Viva very responsive to the driver’s touch. Its turning circle was tight, a scant 29 feet. Marketing called the no-cost handling package its “Roll-Control Suspension” ride.

For a few bucks more, the Deluxe version of the Viva was decked out with padding for the instrument panel, carpeting, modest brightwork trim inside and out and a windshield washer.

 

The base Viva was cheap but it was no stripper. Included in the list price were bucket seats, rear armrests, front door pulls, a mighty “Canadian tested” heater and defroster, a thick layer of bituminous plastic undercoating and wipe-clean upholstery that was “so handy with young children and pets.” 

Viva sported the hottest of European driving trends, a single-lever “stalk” control that operated the turn signals, the horn and a bright-dip headlight beam flash indicator.

Even though the Victor was substantially larger than Viva, it still had no direct domestic competitor. Rambler had abandoned its 100-inch wheelbased American line at the end of the 1963 season and its place was promptly taken over by Austin, Datsun, Simca, Renault, Toyota and a host of other hopeful contenders. 

The Victor Super 101 offered “brilliant styling,” luxurious comfort” and whisper-soft quietness.” A four-door sedan and a four-door station wagon were available in the Victor line. Its deliberate air of sophistication was due to “dedicated devotion to detail.” And Victor delivered, with one impressively thoughtful touch after another, standard appointments that often graced much larger and much more expensive vehicles.

Curved side glass, coil springs in the seat backs for “proper spinal support,” padding for the instrument panel, fully upholstered doors, a novel map-reading beam on the courtesy light, arm rests and door pulls were but a few of the niceties found in a Victor. The cabin was liberally swaddled in scads of sound deadening and thick, felt carpet underlay material.  As small and inexpensive as it was, Victor boasted fully operational Ventipane windows, fore and aft. 

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The shell was not new but advertising claimed that the ”carefully perfected body design” gave “more room, more comfort” than ever before. It claimed to be so refined that the Victor 101 Super was “firmly into a class by itself.”

Shoppers would come into the Vauxhall-Pontiac dealership and look over the full-sized models and then carefully kick the tires on the Acadians and Beaumonts that were parked on the showroom floor and on the lot. When the vivacious Vauxhalls caught their attention, salesmen were primed to pitch the practicality of the little lads from Luton, extolling their every virtue, from their initial low purchase price to their inexpensive maintenance.

They waxed eloquent about the wagon being large enough, with its 51.7-cubic feet of cargo space, to haul things up to the cottage and still stylish enough to be seen in at the country club. 

The Victor’s four-cylinder engine generated a respectable 70 horsepower. It came bolted to a standard three-speed, fully synchromesh manual shift or an extra cost, four-speed manual transmission.

As the year wound down, 1966 turned out to be the second best year for both production and sales in Canadian automotive history. Vauxhall shared modestly in that success by adding 6,850 sales to GM Canada’s bottom line and taking exactly one percent of the market share.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2004 All rights reserved.