Vauxhall XVR

The Vauxhall XVR was one concept car, that was built in 1966, by Vauxhall. The name stands for the prototype of eXperimental Vauxhall Research. It debuted at the March 1966 Geneva Motor Show, receiving favourable reviews from press, but, however, never went into production.[1]

This article is about the concept car of 1966. For the tuning division by Vauxhall, see VXR. For the four door sedan based by Holden, see Vauxhall VXR8.
Vauxhall XVR
The last surviving mockup, of the Vauxhall XVR (July 2009)
Overview
ManufacturerVauxhall
Production1966
(three built) (two glassfibre mockups, one metal, functional vehicle)
DesignerDavid Jones (design director)
Body and chassis
ClassConcept car
LayoutFMR layout
DoorsGullwing doors
Powertrain
Engine2.0 L (1,975 cc) (slant four engine)
Transmission4 speed manual

Production
XVR (rear end)

Three prototypes of the XVR were built in total. Two were glassfibre rolling mockups with no engine, while one was the fully functional example, with the metal body, which was built by Motor Panels of Coventry. The fully functional car was the one displayed at the Geneva Motor Show, in March 1966. In total, the concept took five months to design, and build.[2]

Only one of the mockups survives today, as Vauxhall crushed both the running prototype, and the other mockup. The surviving car currently resides, at the Vauxhall Heritage Centre.[3]

Specifications

The single, fully functional XVR, is powered by one front, mid mounted 2.0 litre engine of Slant4, producing around 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS).[4]

The suspension is fully independent in the front and rear, and there are disc brakes, at all four corners.[4] At the time, this engine was the pre production model, and was later used in the Vauxhall VX4/90. The XVR was able to reach a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h)

Design

The design team, for the XVR, was directed by David Jones, and also included Wayne Cherry, John Taylor, Leo Pruneau and Judd Holcombe.[5] The looks, are inspired, by the concept car of Mako Shark II, which was introduced in 1965, and the design features the split windscreen, pop up headlamps and gull wing doors.[6]

References
  1. "1966 Vauxhall XVR". supercars.net. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  2. "Vauxhall XVR: The Little Vette that Wasn't". Hooniverse. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  3. "TG's guide to concepts: the Vauxhall XVR". Top Gear. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  4. "TG's guide to concepts: the Vauxhall XVR". Top Gear. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. "Vauxhall XVR Concept". deansgarage.com. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. "Blog: Vauxhall's long lost sports car - the original GT Concept". autocar.co.uk. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
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