1974 Vauxhall Ventora FE *Project*

Description

• BUY IT NOW FOR £2,000
• Please contact us if you’ve any questions or would like to arrange a viewing
• A wholly intact classic project
• Only two previous owners
• Runs and drives
• An interesting back story
• 3.3 litre straight six engine
• Automatic

Produced from 1972-1976, the Ventora was marketed by Vauxhall as a flagship model. It featured additional instrumentation, clocks, rev counter, cloth upholstery, twin halogen headlights, extra brightwork and power steering.

It was the final model to be built by Vauxhall before being smothered by the German mothership Opel. The 3.3 litre straight six offered similar performance to the VX4/90.

A little-known fact; the name Ventora was coined by none other than Murray Walker during his days as PR executive working on the Vauxhall account.

A short production run saw very few built and even less surviving. What a rewarding project this would be.

Overview

The Ventora FE was ambitiously christened the “Transcontinental” in early publicity material, the over-enthusiastic Murray Walker probably had a hand in that too.

Mechanically, the FE was a development of the FD, with a larger capacity engine and beefier, refined suspension.

The body, however, was completely new. A larger glass area and more interior space gave the car a spacious, airy feel.

Basing its floor pan on the Opel Rekord, the FE series was also the last Vauxhall to be designed independently of Opel. It featured a different bodyshell, its own suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering.

The FE range included the Victor 1800 and 2300 saloons and estates, the Victor 3300SL Estate, a VX4/90 saloon, and the flagship Ventora saloon like this one. Early models had a bench seat in front; from 1973 these were replaced with twin front seats. Various limited edition FE’s were available, before production ended in 1976 to make way for the revised VX Series and of course, ultimately, the Vauxhall Carlton.

• First registered 1 June 1974
• Chassis number 9PD69WDY137120
• Engine number 2598090
• We are told the vehicle was originally owned by ICI and could quite possibly have been a chauffeur driven car
• Our vendor has known the car for about a decade
• It was stored for a period in a garage
• The car had to be moved from that location as the garage was starting to crumble away
• Our vendor and his uncle rescued it
• It then sat for another period in a huge greenhouse
• We are given to understand it was last on the road in 1981
• It has only had two previous owners

Our vendor tells us; “The Ventora is solid underneath, but the body clearly needs attention. It runs and drives, and several mechanical items have been replaced or refurbished”.

• Steel monocoque construction
• 3294cc straight-six, with single Zenith carburettor
• Max power 123bhp @ 4500rpm
• Max torque 176Ib ft @ 2400rpm
• Transmission three-speed automatic
• Suspension: front double wishbones, anti-roll bar rear live axle, Panhard rod, trailing links; coil springs f/r
• Power-assisted rack and pinion steering
• Discs front, drums rear, with servo
• Length 14ft 8½in (4483mm)
• Width 5ft 7¼in (1708mm)
• Height 4ft 6½in (1384mm)
• Wheelbase 8ft 6in (2591mm)
• Weight 2598Ib (1178kg)
• 0-60mph 10.5 secs (manual)
• Top speed 105mph
• Price when new £1,299

Summary

The clean, crisp styling was ahead of its time. In 3.3 litre automatic form, it has effortless performance, bags of space and is very practical too.

These are now vanishingly rare. This project is a must for any classic Vauxhall enthusiast, or indeed any enthusiast who is interested in timeless British classics.

You’ll be hard pushed to find another one that is ‘all there’ as the cliché goes. And like all British cars from this era, these are not technically difficult to bring back to life.

We’d love to follow and publicise the lucky new owners’ journey as it is brought back to its full glory.

Vehicle Location: Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL4 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendors.

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

Guide Prices?

We’re different. But you know that. And we’re always honest. In a sector where no two classics are same, how does anyone put a ‘guide’.

Well, everyone knows the broad value of classic, let’s all be honest. So, we don’t need to tell you what you already know, do we.

The ‘market’ decides and the old cliché that ‘it’s worth what someone wants to pay’ is no less true. So why kid everyone!

But, because we are different, if it really does matter to you, that’s fine, we want you to be happy. Just drop us a line at team@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to get back to you, it’s what we do.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

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