Vauxhall Motors Limited is a British automobile manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Opel, based in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. This extremely unique automobile shown here is the 1966 Vauxhall XVR Concept, and it’s an example of an advanced design project that was developed and designed by Vauxhall engineers and stylists. The XVR was notably the first Vauxhall concept car ever to be exhibited in public, and the name of the car stands for ‘eXperimental Vauxhall Research’. The car first ever made an appearance in the world during the Geneva Motor Show in March of 1966, and despite receiving a number of positive reviews, and loads of uplifting feedback, the car never advanced further than the conceptual stage. In total, three examples of the XVR were developed in the mid 1960’s. Two of the three cars constructed were rolling mockups with no powertrain or mechanical functionality, and one of the three was a full meta bodied functional prototype that was developed by ‘Motor Panels of Coventry’. Of the three total units built, only one of the non-functional mockup cars is still said to exist to this day, where it is reportedly on display at the ‘Vauxhall Heritage Centre’. The design team for this unique concept automobile consisted of talented names including American car designer Wayne Cherry, Australian born stylist John Taylor, John Taylor, Leo Pruneau, who had joined Vauxhall in 1964 as Assistant Design Director, interior designer Pat Fury, and project engineer Judd Holcombe. The entire project was lead by the then Vauxhaull Director of styling, David Jones. The singular running prototype example was painted in a dark shade of green. The car features all of the odds and ends you might want to have on a car like this, such as gullwing doors and pop-up headlights.
How many made? 2 full size mock-ups, 1 functional prototype
Engine: 1,975 cc (2.0 L) Slant-four I4 - 100bhp (estimated)
Debut: Geneva Motor show 1966
Top Speed: 100mph (estimated)
0-60mph: n/a
Photo Credit: @for.the.love.of.petrol & @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly