1950 Vauxhall

 General Motors of Canada began importing Vauxhalls from its British subsidiary in the 1948 selling season. A 1950 model is seen here.

The first Vauxhall appeared on Britain’s streets in 1903. The fledgling automotive company quickly earned accolades  for its racing prowess and that added up to impressive sales. In 1925 the firm was welcomed into the worldwide General Motors family and grew to offer a wide range of popular passenger cars and commercial vehicles to Britain's motoring public. Production came to a screeching halt when World War Two broke out in the fall of 1939.

1939 Vauxhall Ten.

            Targeted by the Luftwaffe, GM’s industrial complex in Luton, England was bombed on August 30th, 1940. 

GM's Luton plant under attack by the Third Reich's Luftwaffe.

The arial attack  damaged the plant extensively, killing 30 employees and inuring another 200. Despite the danger, determined workers toiled around the clock, turning out some 250,000 Bedford army trucks and 5,640 Churchill tanks. Each weapon of death delivered was a nail in the Nazi coffin as Britain  and its Allies beat back the Axis aggressors.

Churchill tanks built by Vauxhall workers.

When Victory in Europe (VE Day) finally came on April 7, 1945, Vauxhall was able to commit once again to building civilian products. The emphasis of all post-war manufacturing in the UK was on exports. The “Dollars for Britain” campaign was absolutely vital as the government needed to earn American money in order to pay back the huge debt incurred during the long, six-year conflict.

1946 Vauxhall Fourteen.

With exports in mind, civilian automobile production resumed at Vauxhall in 1946. At first, warmed over, pre-war Ten, Twelve and Fourteen models rolled out the doors to satisfy the pent-up needs of the domestic market. But the designers in Luton had something pretty hot under wraps in the styling studios and what beauty it would be!

1948 Vauxhall Velox.

The completely new Vauxhall lineup was unveiled to the public in 1948. Earmarked for world export, the modest Wyvern and the luxurious Velox shared a pert 2 484-millimetre (97.8-inch) wheelbase and featured frameless construction.  Overall length for the pretty pair was a tidy 4 178 millimetres (164.5) inches. The look was described as “ample”. No one doubted that the envelope was strikingly modern. Advertising boasted that the styling “set new standards in elegance of design, character of performance and economy of operation.”

Britain’s Vauxhall was backed by the considerable resources of GM Canada.

Floating effortlessly above a no-nonsense chrome bumper, five substantial and gently Vee-d, horizontal chrome ribs made up the grille. The Vauxhall name was spelled out on a chrome hood lip, above which rode the mighty Vauxhall emblem. A chromium ribbon rose upward from the emblem to meet the rocket-like hood ornament, crowning the alligator-style hood. Integrated into the deeply valanced fenders, single, sealed beam headlights wore chrome bezels. Small, circular turn signals were located directly underneath. The single-piece windshield was laminated for safety.

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From the side, front and rear fenders were gently rounded and finished off with straight sides. The body envelope was gracefully slab-sided as well. A chrome spear accented the full length of the hood. The front doors opened suicide style while the rear doors were hinged at the centre post in the conventional manner. Running boards had disappeared.

Pulling up behind a Vauxhall on the road, one noted that the rear fenders tapered tastefully into the trunk. A discrete Vauxhall “Four” or “Six” badge was affixed to the mid-section of the deck lid. The T-shaped trunk handle was positioned lower down, just above a deep recess intended for the license plate. The large indent was flanked by inboard tail lamps.

The Velox was Vauxhall’s most expensive model, listing for $1,825. It boasted a six-cylinder power plant.

Some 31,000 British vehicles were imported in 1949 and 77,600 in 1950. Austin and Triumph enjoyed brisk sales. The new kid from Britain’s shore to Canada’s fair domain was the Vauxhall. GM launched a massive advertising awareness campaign in order to familiarize Canadian consumers with  “Britain’s Finest Famous Low-Priced Car.” Publicity ensured that everyone knew Vauxhall was a genuine GM product, that it was available at Pontiac-Buick dealers and that it was  properly "Canadianized".

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Canadianization of Vauxhalls translated into  12-volt electrical systems,  a robust heater-defroster unit and electric wipers as standard equipment. A three-speed, synchromesh, manual transmission --operated by a lever mounted on the steering column--appealed to our driving habits, while our British cousins preferred floor-mounted four-speed manual transmissions.

 Fitted with left-hand drive for the Canadian market, Vauxhall boasted a full set of gauges on its instrument panel.

There was a distinctly European flavour about Vauxhall, even if ours were fitted with left-hand drive.  In typical British fashion,  turn signals operated from a switch mounted in the centre of the steering wheel hub. In keeping with European tradition, a well-equipped toolbox was stashed in the trunk. Should a tire need changing, the socket was located at the mid-section on each side of the body; the Stevenson jack operated with a rachet lever.

While sharing body shells, the fancy Velox boasted a new overhead-valve, six-cylinder engine under the hood. The top end of the speedometer was marked 70 (miles) and the 2.5-litre (54.75-horsepower) mill promised top speeds of 120 kilometres (75 miles--ancient Canadian units of distance) per hour. Velox sported cream-coloured wheels, making it dead easy to distinguish from Wyvern at a glance.

 Wyvern was the lower priced Vauxhall. The four-cylinder model sold for $1,663.

Velox was further distinguished from Wyvern with the use of genuine leather upholstery and incorporated a large, fold-down centre arm rest in the back seat and arm slings (passenger assists) for convenience and comfort. The cabin was large enough to carry “four burly passengers in comfort with room to shift their positions.”

Advertising bragged: “Traditional British craftsmanship shows in every detail of this sleek sedan,” and so it did. Small but not cheap, Vauxhall’s flagship listed for $1,825. On the same showroom floor, domestically built Pontiacs ranged in price from $1,803 to $2,083. 

1950 Pontiac.

Vauxhall was a very welcome addition to the twinned Pontiac and McLaughlin-Buick dealerships in 1950; there were no McLaughlin-Buicks at all.  The prestigious automobile long favoured by the royal family and prime ministers  was missing from GM Canada's lineup. Oshawa didn’t resume building the luxury marque immediately after World War Two at the request of the Federal Government and curtailed their importation from the US until our own substantial wartime balance of payment deficit was squared away with Washington. 

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured Canada in 1939. They ride in a new McLaughlin-Buick limousine built especially for them.

Powered by a durable 1.5-litre (35-horsepower), four-cylinder engine, the 970-kilo (2,140-pound) Wyvern was capable of zipping along at a comfortable 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour. Passengers in the Wyvern had no leather on their “tension-sprung” seats; they rode on practical Bedford Cord. Its wheels were painted to match the body. The lower-priced stable mate cost $1,663.

There were few options for Vauxhall, though a radio and fog lamp were available.

Billed as delivering “outstanding performance with excellent economy,” a driver could expect to squeeze 560 kilometres (350 miles) out of the Wyvern and 450 kilometres (280 miles) out of the Velox before pulling into a Golden Eagle, White Rose, B/A or Husky station to fill up the 45- litre (10-Imperial gallon) gas tank.

The rugged little Vauxhalls did well in 1950. Records indicate that 1,508 of the well-groomed, smart sedans were registered to happy owners from St. John’s to Victoria. It was an auspicious beginning for the captive import that would grace domestic Pontiac-Buick dealers’ showrooms for the next twenty-three seasons.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2003 All rights reserved.

1955 Morris Minor

1913 Morris

The early days at Morris Motors were exciting ones. The first Morris appeared in 1913 when one William Morris constructed a car of his own creation at his very own factory in Cowley, England. Morris cars were rugged and grew popular quickly with the British motoring public. 

The marque’s success was assured after The Great War ended in 1918. By 1925 Morris found itself in the enviable position of being King of the Hill--able to boast it was the best selling car in Great Britain.  The company expanded with the purchase of suppliers like SU for carburetors and Hotchkiss, an engine manufacturer. Morris himself was honoured by being knighted as Sir William in 1928 and then made a Lord in 1933.

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De Haviland Tiger Moth.

During World War Two the company turned its attention from producing automobiles to cranking out aircraft for De Haviland. The Cowley facility was dedicated to building Tiger Moths for victory. 

While workers at the plant manufactured aeroplanes, Lord Nuffeld dreamt of a future where the world was at peace. His assistant, Sir Thomas Miles, hired Alec Issigonis, a young designer, to create a small personal car for the post-war buying public.

1943 Morris Mosquito prototype designed by Alec Issigonis.

Initial plans called for the little vehicle to be called the Morris Mosquito. The look that took shape under Issigonis’ capable hands was extremely aerodynamic with headlights hidden behind the grille, front fenders that disappeared smoothly into the body and running boards shorn from the envelope. 

When he finally saw the vehicle, Lord Nuffeld absolutely despised the look, calling it a “poached egg.” Ready in early 1947, the completely finished vehicle languished for a full year while awaiting orders for destruction.

Lord Nuffeld finally decided to build the car but personally ordered the changes that were seen in production models. Headlights migrated outward from the grille to the fenders. There was the suggestion of a running board. A flat, four-cylinder engine was ultimately nixed and the existing Morris power plant was used, though frameless, unit construction was kept.

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Capacious trunk boasted seven cubic feet of space.
Note the unique location of the spare tire.

The name was changed from Mosquito to Minor and the substantially changed car debuted at the 1948 British Motor Show held at Earl’s Court in London. The petite Morris Minor was the belle of the ball. Journalists fell over themselves in their attempts to pen superlatives about the adorable set of wheels.

 Despite effervescent words from the press, sales were slow; fewer than 1,000 Morris cars sold in the UK in 1950. Most were sold abroad as Britain focused on paying off its substantial war debt to the United States and Commonwealth countries under its 'Export for Dollars' scheme. The little vehicle did very well in Canada where sales of 7,561 Morris cars were recorded.  

The following year Morris sold 1,945 units in the US and 1,192 units in Canada. Back in Britain, Morris tied the knot with former archrival Austin to form the British Motor Corporation, a.k.a. BMC.

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Morris sales were miniscule in the US and racked up sales of 2,304 units in Canada in 1953. No doubt sales were helped some by the addition of a station wagon. Though prices were held the same for all models in 1954, sales were a modest 995 units in the USA and only 1,022 units in the Dominion of Canada for 1954.

Morris Minor Traveller Estate Car cost $1,968 in 1955.

The 1955 Morris Minor models were being unloaded on our shores in September of 1954. The grille was updated and advertising shouted, “New look for world’s biggest small car buy!” 

No doubt referring to Nash and Hudson, with which Morris shared the advanced frameless Mono-construction found in aircraft, advertising bragged that the Minor was “built all through on big car lines” and the result was “big beyond belief--proved beyond doubt.” 

Examples of that bigness included torsion bar independent front wheel suspension, seating for four within the axles, a 12-volt battery, safety glass and a Panoramic vision windshield, hydraulic brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, double shock absorbers a four-speed shifter and more, All this was loaded onto a pint-sized 86-inch wheelbase. 

“The Minor is truly a big car—built on the same principles and to the same specification as a big car, and offering you the same supreme comfort, exciting road performance and attractive features as many a car much more costly to buy and to run.” 

The 1955 Minor convertible was the least
expensive Morris model available in Canada
with a price tag of $1,665.

The Minor was delivered as a convertible with fixed window rails, a four-door sedan and the Traveller two-door station wagon. The wagon’s back seat dropped perfectly flat to give a good-sized cargo area.

The four-cylinder, overhead cam engine  generated 29
horsepower—enough to take the car to 62 miles an hour.

Under the hood was the tried and true Morris 49-cubic inch, OHV four-cylinder engine. A four-speed manual transmission transferred that power to the wheels. “As you head for the open spaces you’ll thrill to the brilliant acceleration and superb hill-climbing of the lively OHV engine—and notice how easily the Minor can sustain a high cruising speed!”

Functional in the extreme, the Canadian sales brochure
 showed the right-hand drive instrument panel setup.

The Minor was well appointed to seat four “and an occasional five.” No, I am not making that up! Standard equipment included carpeting, a heater, ashtrays fore and aft, bucket seats, wiring for a radio and a jack. 

Optional equipment included a sun visor for the front-seat passenger, bumperettes and Vinyde leather-cloth covered seat cushions.

Colour choices were short and sweet: Black with maroon upholstery; Clarendon Grey with maroon upholstery, Smoke Blue with maroon upholstery and Empire Green with green upholstery.

 The 1955 Morris Minor four-door sedan carried a
$1,776 price tag in Canada. The popular British car
was built in Cowley, England.

 Copyright James C. Mays 2007 All rights reserved.

  

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