New Vauxhall 15th April 1958

15th April 1958. Completely New Vauxhall

Completely changed in styling and engineering, the new Vauxhall Velox made its first Australian appearance this month at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

For public release shortly by General Motors Holden, the Velox, with its ultra low overall height, and many advanced features of design , styling , engineering and comfort, should have wide appeal for Australian conditions.

The new style Vauxhall body, an advance in integral construction, features a low, broad grill which emphasizes the width of the car, which has the traditional British Vauxhall "flutes" retained as side rubbing strips. Headroom, door space and seating are far better than in previous Vauxhalls, and centre of gravity has been considerably lowered with a resultant big increase in comfort and road stability.

The new lower bonnet, and the exceptional visibility provided, both front and rear, enable all four "corners" of the car to be seen from the driving seat, and the novel full width, three piece windscreen greatly simplifies parking.

Although the same rating as the former Velox (2262 cc) the O.H.V. engine now fitted is rated at 23.4 h.p. and has a power output of 82.5 b.h.p.. At 4400 r.p.m. Important New advances include "deep skirt" block construction; individual inlet ports which improve engine breathing; larger inlet valves and manifold, giving greater efficiency at high speeds.

In addition the new engine is fitted with the special Zenith 34VNT carburetor, which incorporates automatic choke adjustments, and has been developed to for greater economy, and easier starting, under all conditions.

Bore and stroke are 3.125x3 inch, as formerly, but pistons are of improved design, with the piston pins offset 1/16th inch on the thrust side to minimise slap when the engine is cold.

The new gearbox features synchromesh on all three forward speeds , while the semi-floating Hypoid rear axle is of 4.11 ratio, compared with 4.125 on the previous Velox, and more massive rear axle shafts, of the latest flanged type, are now fitted.