Some cars ranked by/for the Pom press, for what it's worth

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Toby Ponsenby - 13 Mar 2008 14:38 GMT

Worth a browse.

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/03/10/
mfcars110.xml>

or

<http://tinyurl.com/2jmvev>

Sorry, no Diesels....

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Toby

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Jason James - 13 Mar 2008 21:46 GMT

> Worth a browse.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Sorry, no Diesels....

What about 2-strokes? :-)

I always have thought that a car which was mechanically a shitbox, deserved
the same accolade. Take the first model Torana,..mechanically a complete
shitbox, with styling that could be described as not too bad. These cars
spat out gearboxes with gay abandon, and pistons which got real noisy
(piston-slap) real quick.

For sheer ugliness, I vote the 4 headlight Humber as one amongst many
others.

Jason

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Toby Ponsenby - 14 Mar 2008 11:45 GMT

>> Worth a browse.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> For sheer ugliness, I vote the 4 headlight Humber as one amongst many
> others.

Huh? The big one of the little one?

ahhh....Both.

(provided the Series 5 had quad lights, of course - it's all abit hazy
with those devices for me these days.)

> Jason

First Torana,HB IIRC was indeed a piece of sh.t in so very many ways -
but GMH's previous attempt to get into the small car market, the
execrable Vauxhall Viva was Stupifyingly Bad.
I mean, was there an 'oil crises' back then, or were they just trying to
make their bigger shitboxen look good or somethin'?

Interesting that current Holdens product is sold to the poms as Vauxhall
with nary a bonnet flute in sight thus proving that at least one GM
Marketing j.rkoff has a half decent memory with a sense of humour par-
excellence:-)

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Toby

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Jason James - 14 Mar 2008 16:25 GMT

> >> Worth a browse.
> >>
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> Marketing j.rkoff has a half decent memory with a sense of humour par-
> excellence:-)

Indeedy,..those historical flutes just got dropped. The Viva engine was used
in the first Toranas as you know,..I think GMH upped their CCapacity by
100cc for the torana. Then there were variants ie the cam belt 1600cc that
could be had in the 2nd gen Torana 4 (probably Opel). At the time dad was
looking at buying a 1300cc Torana. He thought better and bought an
HR,...pheww! a close one.
The Humber 6, 4 headlight was the ugly duckly I was mostly referring
too,..but the Hillman/Humber was a little better,...by a smidgeon :-)
Hillman made great cars IMHO. Strong in the running gear, and for the time,
didnt look that bad, even so some say the Imp was ugly,..it grew on you
(like a fungas).

Jason

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atec77 - 14 Mar 2008 22:19 GMT

>>>> Worth a browse.
>>>>
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>
> Jason

Those snip 4 speed boxes are the strongest I have ever used in a car ,
used in several trucks and make a top loader look like a toy .. great
syncro on he entire box and handle huge power with ease ( have one in a toy)

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Jason James - 14 Mar 2008 22:58 GMT

> Those snip 4 speed boxes are the strongest I have ever used in a car ,
> used in several trucks and make a top loader look like a toy .. great
> syncro on he entire box and handle huge power with ease ( have one in a toy)

Did you mean the Imp box? Wouldnt that be part of the trans-axle, or did you
mean the std Hillman I4 box?

Jason

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atec77 - 14 Mar 2008 23:43 GMT

>> Those snip 4 speed boxes are the strongest I have ever used in a car ,
>> used in several trucks and make a top loader look like a toy .. great
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Jason

Super snipe box , used in several trucks and an amazing syncro boxen .
wasn't the hillman/humber box bronze bush no syncro 1st 4 speed ( I
had some Humbers with it fitted )

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Toby Ponsenby - 15 Mar 2008 03:04 GMT

>> Those snip 4 speed boxes are the strongest I have ever used in a car ,
>> used in several trucks and make a top loader look like a toy .. great
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Jason

Sounds to me like he was on about the wartime Humber truck gearbox to
which someone artfully added synchros that may work well enough to be
added to the cars they made later;-)

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Toby

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Paul Saccani - 15 Mar 2008 06:25 GMT

>Indeedy,..those historical flutes just got dropped. The Viva engine was used
>in the first Toranas as you know,..

And the body. And the panels. And the transmission. And they kept
using the Viva engine all the way up to the LH.

>I think GMH upped their CCapacity by 100cc for the torana.

Nope, same engine. Same car, actually.

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Cheers
Paul Saccani
Perth, Western Australia.

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Jason James - 15 Mar 2008 14:38 GMT

> >Indeedy,..those historical flutes just got dropped. The Viva engine was used
> >in the first Toranas as you know,..
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Nope, same engine. Same car, actually.

Here's a link to the Vauxhall Viva HA
http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_vauxhall_viva_ha.htm

Note its engine is around 1057cc

Here's a link to the HB Torana with the same engine, and probably gearbox.

http://www.canberratoranaclub.com/history/hb.htm

Note its engine is now 1159cc.

As you probably know,..Vauxhall was either partly or wholly owned by GM.

Jason

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Paul Saccani - 16 Mar 2008 02:39 GMT

>> >Indeedy,..those historical flutes just got dropped. The Viva engine was
>used
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
>Note its engine is now 1159cc.

The HB Viva had an 1159 cc engine. The Torana was a HB Viva with a
different badge. The engine was not increased in size for the Torana.
It was exactly the same engine as the HB Viva. Surprisingly, the HA
series also used the 1159 cc engine when it became available.

The HB Viva were also sold in Australia in small numbers as Vauxhall
Vivas. Why that is so, I do not know, but I've seen them with data
plates showing they were assembled in Australia.

>As you probably know,..Vauxhall was either partly or wholly owned by GM.

Yeah, and they shipped near complete knockdown kits for HB Toranas,
with little Australian content being used in the finished article
until the series II.

Believe it or not, the HA Viva van stayed in production until 1983 -
using the 1159 cc engine. So the "Stupifyingly Bad" HA Viva ended up
outlasting the entire Torana line....

The HC Viva even had a Chevy V8 stuffed in it and was sold with
Chevrolet Firenza badging.

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Cheers
Paul Saccani
Perth, Western Australia.

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Jason James - 16 Mar 2008 22:08 GMT

> >> >Indeedy,..those historical flutes just got dropped. The Viva engine was
> >used
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> The HC Viva even had a Chevy V8 stuffed in it and was sold with
> Chevrolet Firenza badging.

I dont recall what I recognise as an HB Torana, named "Vauxhall Viva" in
Australia? The only thing that makes sense, is in the UK the car was called
a Viva while out here it was named Torana. :-)

Jason

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Paul Saccani - 15 Mar 2008 06:19 GMT

>First Torana,HB IIRC was indeed a piece of sh.t in so very many ways -
>but GMH's previous attempt to get into the small car market, the
>execrable Vauxhall Viva was Stupifyingly Bad.

HB Vauxhall Viva = HB Torana = face lifted HA Vauxhall Viva....

It wasn't even until the HBII that they stopped importing the body and
panels from Vauxhall.

Not sure what you are on about. It wasn't until the LC that they
drifted away from the Viva.

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Cheers
Paul Saccani
Perth, Western Australia.

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Toby Ponsenby - 15 Mar 2008 07:47 GMT

>>First Torana,HB IIRC was indeed a piece of sh.t in so very many ways -
>>but GMH's previous attempt to get into the small car market, the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Not sure what you are on about. It wasn't until the LC that they
> drifted away from the Viva.

I wasn't on about drawing the local pedant, but since you're arrived..
HA Viva = Piece of sh.t.
HB Viva = Torana HB = piece of sh.t insofar as whatever was 'updated'
didn't manage to disqualify it from holding the piece_of_sh.t tag aloft.

Oh, and a brief check of the material indicated LC wasn't mentioned. At
all.

There ya go.

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Toby

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Paul Saccani - 16 Mar 2008 02:13 GMT

>>>First Torana,HB IIRC was indeed a piece of sh.t in so very many ways -
>>>but GMH's previous attempt to get into the small car market, the
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>I wasn't on about drawing the local pedant, but since you're arrived..

It's hardly pedantry to observe that the Torana was a Viva when you
are contrasting the Torana with a Viva!

>HA Viva = Piece of sh.t.
>HB Viva = Torana HB = piece of sh.t insofar as whatever was 'updated'
>didn't manage to disqualify it from holding the piece_of_sh.t tag aloft.

Still for all practical purposes exactly the same car that you call
"Stupifyingly Bad". To the extent of where it was made!

>Oh, and a brief check of the material indicated LC wasn't mentioned. At
>all.

Who knows what you are on about here? The fact is, the Torana was a
Viva until the LC came along.

>There ya go.

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Cheers
Paul Saccani
Perth, Western Australia.

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John_H - 13 Mar 2008 22:41 GMT

><http://tinyurl.com/2jmvev>
>
>Sorry, no Diesels....

Forget about the stinking diesels... how about an apology for pommy
fuckwits? :)

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John H

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jackbadger56 - 13 Mar 2008 22:56 GMT

> Worth a browse.
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> --
> Toby

Interesting.
After reading one of the comments regarding the "Mohs Ostentatienne
Opera Sedan" I looked it up..............faaaaaaaark!!!!!

http://www.dexigner.com/detail/files/11032.jpg

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