The Vauxhall Magnum was shown at the London Motor Show in October 1973 as an HC Viva with a larger engine, a more luxurious interior, a higher trim level and four headlights instead of two. It shared its suspension and drivetrain with the bigger-engined Vivas and Firenzas, and it stayed on sale until 1978.
Vauxhall Magnum at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall Motors, Luton |
|---|---|
| Production | October 1973 – 1978 |
| Based on | HC Vauxhall Viva |
| Engines | 1,800 cc Slant-Four; 2,279 cc Slant-Four |
| Power | 1,800: 77 bhp, later 88 bhp; 2,300: 110 bhp, later 108 bhp |
| Instruments | twin dial on the 1800, seven dial on the 2300 |
| Bodies | two- and four-door saloon, three-door fastback estate, coupé |
| Wheels | Rostyle |
| Sportshatch | 1976, 197 built, with the droopsnoot nose |
| Magnum coupés built | 1,692 |
Written from the English Wikipedia article on the Magnum, with the German article for background.
History of the Vauxhall Magnum
The Magnum arrived at the London Motor Show in October 1973 as the luxurious Viva. The smaller-engined version used the 1,800 cc Slant-Four and a twin-dial instrument panel, while the more powerful one used the 2,279 cc Slant-Four and had a seven-dial panel. Both were available in two- and four-door form, as a three-door fastback estate and as a coupé, and all had Rostyle wheels. Confusingly, some Viva models could also be bought with the larger engines but with vinyl interior trim; the lack of coherence in the range at the time was one of Vauxhall’s main marketing problems.
Late in the model’s life a mild upgrade switched the 2300 from twin carburettors to a single one, dropping 2 bhp to 108 bhp, while the 1800 jumped from 77 bhp to 88 bhp, cutting its 0–60 mph time by three seconds to 12.5 seconds and raising its top speed from 93 to 100 mph. The Magnum badge also replaced the Firenza badge on the two-door coupé, with the Firenza name then used only for the HPF droopsnoot model from 1974. The coupé is rare: 1,692 were made between late 1973 and early 1975, of which only 525 had the 2,279 cc engine, and sales were hit hard by the 1973 oil crisis because the Magnum’s large engines made it thirsty — about 25 mpg in normal use, rising to over 30 mpg on a restrained motorway run.
A special variant of the Magnum estate, the Sportshatch, was built in 1976 in a limited run of 197, according to one count, or 197 UK-registered cars plus three for export by another account, using the droopsnoot nose cone designed by Wayne Cherry for the HP Firenza. Leftover nose cones from the HP project were used up this way. The Sportshatch did not get the uprated 2,279 cc engine but the standard single-carburettor unit and the Magnum’s running gear, along with the seven-dial dash, Avon Safety Wheels and a distinctive “Extra Dark Wine” paint finish with bright red striping; Vauxhall marketed it as a hatchback in response to the Volkswagen Golf.
The Magnum range continued until 1978, by then overshadowed in Britain by the Ascona-based Cavalier. Its trim and body options filtered down to the Viva as the top-of-the-line Viva GLS, which had only the 1,256 and 1,759 cc engines, and the Viva range finally ended in 1979. In New Zealand the Magnum name was used on the Viva 1300 from 1975, with the four-headlight front but standard Viva interior.
Design and features
- Four headlights: the visual mark of the Magnum over the standard Viva.
- Two engines: 1,800 and 2,279 cc Slant-Fours.
- Seven-dial dash: fitted to the 2300 models.
- Sportshatch: the droopsnoot-nosed estate limited to about 200 cars.
Vauxhall Magnum versions
- Magnum 1800: twin-dial dash and 77, later 88 bhp.
- Magnum 2300: seven-dial dash and 110, later 108 bhp.
- Magnum coupé: 1,692 built, of which 525 with the 2.3.
- Sportshatch (1976): droopsnoot estate, about 200 cars.
- Viva GLS: the Viva that inherited Magnum trim.
The Magnum was the luxurious version of the Viva, and its Sportshatch used the nose designed for the Firenza. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Vauxhall Magnum, English Wikipedia: engines, bodies, Sportshatch, coupé numbers
- Vauxhall Magnum, German Wikipedia: model history
