MEET THE OWNERS – FRED DUKES AND ADRIAN MILLER WITH THEIR VAUXHALL VIVA BRABHAMS
By Ellie Priestley |
21st July, 2020
Some vehicles take on an almost mythical quality; such is their rarity; the Morris-badged Metro Van, the basic-specification Austin A110 Westminster and, of course, the Brabham Viva HB. You are more likely to have seen the 1967-vintage advertisement featuring Sir Jack and bearing the headline ‘What happens when a 3-times world champ breathes on Britain’s most exciting light saloon?’
Today, just six Brabhams exist in the UK - which is why we are delighted to present these two ultra-rare survivors. Fred Dukes, the chairman of the Vauxhall Viva OC, owns the green 1968 SL and the 1966 Pageant Red model belongs to Adrian Miller, the Club’s founder. The latter is both the only known De Luxe and the oldest surviving Brabham.
Adrian points out that Sir Jack’s car conversions, based in Woking, ‘financed his team’. The operation embraced Rootes Group products, MGBs, Triumph Heralds and, from 1964 onwards, the Viva HA. For £160, you could treat your Vauxhall (new or used) to lowered suspension, a ‘body flash’, an anti-roll bar and an enhanced power plant capable of a 90 mph top speed. Brabham eventually produced some 500 “GTs”. One is known to survive in Australia and it is currently a full restoration project that has been off the road for the past 46 years. Watch out for a blog later this year.
The Viva HB debuted in September 1966 and quickly gained praise from the motoring press for its looks and dynamic abilities. Naturally, Sir Jack approached Luton and the latest Brabham Vivas, based on either the De Luxe or the more-upmarket SL, made their bow in early 1967. The new set-up included twin Stromberg 150 CD carburettors, an aluminium inlet manifold and a “big bore” exhaust system fitted to the “90” engine. However, Adrian observes ‘they never touched the suspension as the standard HB was such a well-mannered car’.
The package cost a very reasonable £37 10s, plus £10 - £12 fitting charge, raising the price of a De Luxe to £730 and the SL to £775. As the Brabham work was undertaken by dealers, as opposed to factory cars, they did not attract Purchase Tax, but unlike their HA predecessors, they came with a Vauxhall guarantee. The various modifications increased the engine’s output by ten bhp to 79 bhp, and the top speed was now 88 mph, with 0-60 in 24.3 rather than 28.6 seconds.
The Brabhams were further distinguished from their stablemates via their bonnet stripes and wooden gear knob. Naturally, there was a myriad of options to tempt the would-be F1 driver; an oil cooler at £13 10s, Koni shock-absorbers at £20 and a tachometer for a mere £12 14s 6d. The Duke Viva sports a wood-rim steering wheel (a snip for just £8 10s) but Adrian chose to transfer this item to his SL Crayford Convertible (his collection also includes a GT and an Estate). His reason – ‘it looks better there!’.
Few owners would have expected Lotus-Cortina style performance for rasosn d’etre for this HB was to enhance a very agreeable family saloon. Fred notes the ‘Braham banded wheels, Brabham marked inlet manifold and Braham decal on the rocker box cover’ – details that were guaranteed to induce envy in Ford Anglia 123E Super, MG 1100 and Triumph Herald 12/50 owners. By 1967 you could even order a high-performance HB Estate – Adrian remarks ‘there is one on the road, but it has been retro-converted’. In Australia, your GMH dealer offered the “Brabham Torana” – ‘The sportiest Holden yet’.
John Bolster wrote in Autosport of 15th December 1967, ‘For a very small price increase, Jack Brabham has produced that extra power which adds so greatly to the Viva’s appeal’. Earlier that year Mike Cotton of Motor Sport thought it provided ‘extremely good value for money, since the car will hold its own against larger GT-designated models costing at least £100 more’. Autocar’s report of 3rd August 1967 concluded ‘it seems to be in many ways the best Viva yet, putting the driver in excellent spirits simply because it is always great fun’.
Sales of the Brabham ceased in 1968, not least because Vauxhall unveiled the 2-Litre GT in March of that year. The 1969 brochure may have listed both versions but Luton obviously focused on their new in-house flagship. Another reason for their demise was, in Adrian’s words, by that time ‘Bill Byldenstein had begun to offer his own, far superior, conversion’. A Vauxhall warranty may not have covered his cars but ‘they had a single twin-choke DCD Weber cylinder-head and were more powerful’.
Fred acquired his Viva ‘four years ago from a Club member’ while KXE was initially a Vauxhall PR vehicle. Mr. Miller came by it some thirty years ago – ‘although it has only been on the road for the past decade. It spent the previous 20 years in my shed!’ Adrian found the Viva in Somerset, and it was ‘a real “barn find” as a farmer then owned it’. One attraction was the bodywork was all original and had never been welded – it was as solid as a rock’. Another was the engine in situ.
In 1990 the Viva sported a blue paint finish ‘that has clearly been applied on top of the red – you could see that from the engine bay and boot lid. This new shade seemed to have been applied by Vauxhall before their selling the Brabham. It also featured ‘a wrong driver’s seat. A previous owner must have been a very big chap as he destroyed the original one and probably a second seat as well!’.
In terms of road manners, Fred’s SL ‘always puts a smile on your face - quite nippy to drive without being brash. In 2016 I took it to the Shetlands Classic car show in Lerwick and covered 1,100 miles without a problem’. Adrian’s De Luxe is ‘quick away from the lights! The Brabham special exhaust is fitted with a twin resonator which sounds really really sporty - but when you get up to 60 it starts to wheeze a bit’. As for the 5 ½ 1/2J wheels and Avon GT cross-ply tyres – ‘they are totally useless things. They wear out, and the rubber is so hard it negatively affected ride and the handling’.
At shows, Adrian’s car is either mistaken for the far more ostentatious GT or ‘a lot of people simply do not know what it is’. However, Corgi Vanguards recently immortalised KXE, which is a fitting tribute to such an intriguing car. Fred’s Viva now goes by the Nom-de-Vauxhall of ‘“B Bumble” as it buzzes along!’ – a reference that will be familiar to any devotee of early 1960s rock and roll instrumentals.
Today, the Brabham HB continues to fascinate. Its launch in 1967 was perfectly timed as the be-striped Viva predated the Escort GT. And asides from its undeniable aesthetic charm, it was a Vauxhall that promised to be even more ‘Jet Smooth – Whisper Quiet’.
WITH THANKS TO:
FRED DUKES
ADRIAN MILLER
THE VAUXHALL VIVA OWNERS’ CLUB - https://www.vauxhallviva.com/
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