Vauxhall Motors Limited is a British automobile manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Opel, based in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. In an attempt to raise the companies profile and image, in the early 1970’s, Vauxhall created this: The 1970 Vauxhall SRV (Styling Research Vehicle). Despite being just 41 inches high off the ground, the SRV was designed to seat four passengers. The car was designed by Wayne Cherry and Chris Field, taking inspiration from the Le Mans race cars at the time with it’s short nose and long tail appearance. The car featured handleless (gullwing) doors, which is something you’d only ever see often incorporated on modern production vehicles today over 30 years later. Other futurist features that indicated the SRV was way ahead of it’s time was the an adjustable front aerofoil & an electric self-leveling air suspension. The engine used in the car was simply a mock up, made with glassfibre, wood, and CNC-machined aluminum dummy parts, lacking necessary transverse transmission to allow the car to actually function. Shortly after the cars debut, GM (General Motors) was quick to point out that production was not a possibility for the SRV, due to it’s lack of practicality. The SRV was probably one of the most thoroughly-developed non-functioning concept car ever created. The interior was outer space-like, with fixed bucket seats, but the pedals, steering column, and front seat rake were adjustable in order to suit individual requirements. All control switches were mounted on the driver’s door and gave the look of an aircraft cockpit. Control switches on doors appeared again in a more elegant fashion, on the 1992 Jaguar XJ220 years later. Coincidentally, Geoff Lawson, design chief for the XJ220 project, also belonged to Vauxhall’s design team in 1970.
How many made? 1 of 1.
Engine: a ‘fake’ engine that appeared to look like a 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engine with gasoline injection and bi-turbo charging.
Debut: Earls Court Motor Show in October 1970
Top Speed: N/A
0-60mph: N/A
Photo Credit: @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly