1950 Vauxhall Wyvern *Sold £5,000*

Description

• Rewired
• Bronze Leather interior
• 1.5 litre engine
• Well looked after
• A charming, practical and stylish rare classic

A rare Fifties survivor. The Vauxhall Wyvern was named after a mythical, two-legged, winged dragon. It was the first time Vauxhall had ever used this name. The Wyvern is a glorious throwback to a time without national speed limits, traffic wardens and congestion charges.

Their contemporaries were the Rover P4 range and the like of the Standard 10. After spending the Second World War building tanks and trucks, Vauxhall returned to car production. The first new models of the postwar period were the L-Type models known as the Vauxhall Wyvern. Their design, style, comfort and performance meant they wiped the floor with the competition. Today they are an unusual sight and have become very sought after.

They’re also, with the possible exception of Jaguars and Bentleys of this era, cheaper than many of their later counterparts; I’m often flicking through the CCW classifieds, wondering whether I should be picking up one of the temptingly priced Rover P4s or Standard Vanguards.

History

• A rare RHD UK spec car
• An older restoration
• Our vendor, Geoff, has owned it for around six years
• In his ownership it has always been garaged

Used sparingly, mainly for shows and events, where it always attracts a lot of interest

Mechanicals

• Rewired
• Recently had service items, plugs, points, condenser, etc. replaced
• Four-cylinder 1.5 litre engine
• 35bhp
• An aluminium housed three speed synchromesh gearbox
• Rubber mounted independent front coil/wishbone front suspension
• Semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear with inverted telescopic shocks
• Hypoid rear axle
• Single Zenith 30 VIG 5 carburettor
• Lockheed hydraulic brakes all round

The Wyvern comes from an age when cars were very straightforward. There’s a limited amount that can go wrong. Notwithstanding that, our vendor has kept this Wyvern ticking over very nicely doing the usual maintenance as he goes. The term ticking over is very apt- take a look at the video. You’ll also note the newness of the wiring in the engine bay too.

Outside

The L-series Vauxhall Wyverns were Vauxhall’s first new post-war models. Starting production in 1948 and running until 1951, the American influence is obvious in the various lovely shapes, curves and chrome-work. It was no surprise some wags at the time described the Wyvern as a ‘mini-Chevy’.

Along with keeping the engine and mechanicals in fine fettle, Geoff has had the exterior brightwork re-chromed.

• Gloss Black
• Front opening front doors
• Steel wheels and original hubcaps
• Front badge bar
• Imposing front grille
• Bonnet flutes

The large door apertures, and very practical boot space, mean the Wyvern in the real-world is very easy to clamber in and out of and use. The previous owner even popped a tow bar on the back to drag around a little trailer.

Interior

The everyday practicality continues with the interior space. Vauxhall’s marketing of the time actually highlighted this feature saying: ‘The Wyvern will easily carry four adults and two children”. Please don’t try it.

• Art-deco designed interior
• Original three spoke steering wheel with rare Daikon centre push
• Front and rear bench seats
• Carpets and headlining in good condition
• Simple chrome architecture on the doors

The Wyverns usually came with cloth seats. But Vauxhall fitted Bronze Leather to the later models, like this one. You can clearly see the condition of the seats from the images provided by the vendor. To be honest, we don’t think the condition detracts massively. It looks as you’d expect a classic of this style and vintage to be.

You can see the front seat has been removed. This gives a good insight into the condition and space of this Wyvern. The bench seat is on roller runners and moves fore and aft. Our vendor tells us he removed the seat to fix the broken adjuster. The seat will be refitted for the lucky new owner.

Wyverns were the first cars to be offered with a factory fitted radio, which this one has. On a car that cost £475 and 26 shillings, the £21 option was quite a lot.

Summary

Many will recall the Wyvern L series model was immortalised in the TV series Heartbeat (not this car, to be clear). A well-known and reliable online source reports that there are only six Wyverns in circulation in the UK. When they do pop up, not surprisingly they attract much interest.

A charming, stylish, hugely practical classic that garners a great deal of attention wherever it goes. Oh, we nearly forget; its great value too.

Vehicle Location: Staffordshire, ST18 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Would like to arrange a viewing or have a question about this Vauxhall Wyvern? Please contact us at team@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.