1938 Vauxhall 10-4 *Sold £2,500*

Description

• De-luxe model
• Large history file
• Sliding sunroof and leather seats
• One family ownership for 62 years

When the Vauxhall 10-4 was launched at the 1937 London Motor Show it was an incredibly advanced motor car for its time. Featuring unitary construction, hydraulic brakes, OHV engine with thermostat and pump-controlled cooling, self-cancelling indicators, independent Dubonnet/Lovejoy front suspension and hydraulically damped rear suspension. Production of this lovely little family car was rudely interrupted by the war, finally being reintroduced in 1946. Further development work on the 10-4 and the very similar 12-4 resulted in the Vauxhall Wyvern which replaced both cars in 1948.

Our vendor, Peter, is an avid collector and has only made the decision to find a new home for the Vauxhall due to lack of space. A common occurrence with many enthusiasts! Peter knows this car well, so we’ll let him tell the story of his octogenarian Vauxhall.

“LSL 172 is an exceptionally original example with less than 62,000 miles from new which is believed to be genuine, but please do make your own checks. Being the De-Luxe model, it has a sliding sunroof and leather seats along with the rare optional extra heater.

The car comes with an amazing, thick history file which includes everything from the original purchase invoice onwards.

The Vauxhall 10-4 was bought new by a woman who had two sons and they owned the car from 1938 to 2000.

In addition to the history file the car comes with an owner’s handbook, workshop manual and other technical information along with its original starting handle, jack, wheel brace, tyre pump and a tool roll.

The original lights have been fitted with LED bulbs which include flashing LEDs in the semaphore indicators.

The original leather seats have been re-coloured at some time. There are no tears or cuts in the original leather so they’re in good condition and now look nicely aged.

The car hasn’t been used for more than a year and was hardly used previously. It still starts (a little reluctantly on the stale petrol in the tank) and drives, everything works as it should except for one trafficator which has a tendency to stick. For the last couple of years, it’s not been further than the end of the little crescent where it resides. When last used it drove well so it should take little more than a good check over and a service to return it to good running order. The original oil filters are difficult to get hold of so the car will be supplied with a new oil filter upgrade kit (cost over £100) which hides a modern filter inside a container that looks like an original filter.

The paintwork is mostly original, but after more than 80 years is showing its age. Some people would call it patina! Areas of the chrome work could do with attention. The carpets are really showing their age along with the headlining which has discoloured.

As the tyres are old and starting to crack, two good tyres with nearly new tread will be supplied with the car ready to be fitted.

Several useful new and used spare parts are available as one lot by separate negotiation.”

A large history folder accompanies the car, here’s a summary:

• April 1938 Mrs E Woods bought the car from Spencer Brothers, Weston Garage, Bath trading in her 2-year-old Vauxhall 14 for it. At the time of purchase Mrs Woods had two young sons. There is a photo of the three of them with the car in the image gallery.
• March 1939 to March 1940 the car went back to Spencer Brothers 5 times for servicing/repairs
• March 1940 to July 1941 the car went to Western Counties Automobile Co 7 times for servicing/repairs.
• July 1942 Western Counties Automobile Co prepared the car for storage and placed the car up on blocks.
• July 1942 to June 1945 the car was stored unused (WW2)
• April 1946 to October 1949 9 invoices from Western Counties for repairs/servicing/parts
• April 1950 mileage shown as 26,920 miles on invoice from Western Counties for repair work
• June and July 1950 3 more invoices from Western Counties for parts.
• 1951 to 1955 random records, undated, on handwritten scraps of paper
• May 1955 to November 1964 detailed handwritten records showing mileage, petrol, servicing and repairs. Mileage May 1955 was 42,139 Mileage. June 1963 was 58,954. Mileage August 1963 was 59,161.
• January 1959 C P Horstmann (one of the two sons) was added on to the insurance for the car. The insurance letters also show that he had his own car so it’s possible that his usage of the car was minimal. (The two sons ran an engineering company that traded from the mother’s address. They took over the servicing and repairs to the car from some time in the 1950s onwards)
• The car was first MOT tested on 12th November 1960 (when the ‘ten-year test’ was introduced)
• It was MOT tested yearly until 12th November 1966 (The documents don’t include MOT certificates for 67/68 and 68/69 so they are assumed to have been lost)
• The insurers started putting restrictions on the policy due to Mrs Woods’ age in 1969 and the final insurance policy expired January 1971.
• The car stopped being used by 1971 (it may have been earlier as the old RF60 registration document shows the road tax expiring in 1968) and wasn’t used again until June 2000 when it next passed an MOT test (Stored for 29+ years)
• MOT dated June 2000 – Mileage 61,027
• MOT dated August 2001 – Mileage 61,148
• MOT dated May 2003 – Mileage 61,215
• Owned by Ms JAF January 2000 to January 2001
• Owned by Mr CK January 2001 to Jun 2012
• SORN from May 2004 to May 2013 (another 9 years in storage)
• Owned by Mr TP Dec 2016 to Dec 2018
• Current owner December 2018 to date.
• Current mileage 61,488 (believed to be genuine)

Since 2000 the following work has been carried out:

• New carb
• Extensive re-wire using period correct cloth covered cable
• New coil, rotor arm, points, cap, HT leads, plugs
• New SU electric fuel pump
• Leather seats recoloured (original leather retained)
• Brake seals replaced
• New brake master cylinder
• Radiator hoses replaced
• Heater control added
• Lights fitted with LED bulbs
• Trafficators (semaphore indicators) fitted with flashing LED bulbs
• Correct keys obtained
• Stuck windows and vents freed
• Various electrical problems resolved
• New Bosch battery
• Other parts appear to have been replaced but there are no receipts/invoices for them.
• The underside is all solid and original except for the sills which look like they’ve both had a good quality welded repair
• The wheels have been painted at some point as they should been green and black like the spare.
• One front wing has been resprayed
• Please note that the V5 states an incorrect engine size of 1141cc 

Our view

If you’re looking for a highly original pre-war vehicle which looks every bit of its 86 years old, you’ve just found it. We like the Vauxhall 10-4 just the way it is and would be very tempted to let it continue to age gracefully. LSL 172 just needs someone to grow even older with. Could it be you?