Meet The Owner – Andy Wheeler And His Vauxhall Vx 4/90 Fe
By Maxine Bowell |
5th October, 2020
‘I always liked the FE design, the twin headlamps, the Rostyle wheels, the classic four-door saloon shape, and the interior is big, airy and comfortable. Before I could drive I had a brochure with a blue VX4/90’.
It would be fair to say that Andy Wheeler is a devotee of the last of the “traditional” big Vauxhalls and when he discovered NGP 470 P for sale - ‘by pure chance’ – he knew that he had to buy it.
Luton introduced the original VX4/90 in 1961 as a sporting version of the new FB-series Victor; the ideal transport for the Graham Hill of Acacia Avenue.
The FE made its bow in 1972, by which time the VX was powered by a twin-carburettor 2.3-litre OHC “Big Four” engine. The rather striking looks of NGP reflect the fact that Canada was once Vauxhall’s primary export market; the FE does resemble a scaled-down 1970 Pontiac.
At £1,530.63 the VX 4/90 was the second-most expensive member of the FE line-up, and the sales copywriter certainly earned his/her fee.
Here was a Vauxhall ‘For people who are going places’ and one that was ‘Designed for the man of action’. Furthermore, this was the perfect Vauxhall for ‘the man who wants to share the experience of performance motoring with his family’.
One 1974 gem of an advertisement even suggested ‘You bought a dull family car. And you’re bored. Which is why Vauxhall built the VX 4/90’. Yes, ‘there’s more to life than commuting, shopping and taking the kids to school’.
Such prose conjures images of Tony Anholt in The Protectors (and several bottles of Hai Karate aftershave), but the FE with extra verve was a very agreeable machine.
In 1973 the never easily pleased Car magazine praised the VX’s ‘smooth, accurate steering, its tremendous road holding whether in the sun or the rain, its big car ride and its strong performance between 60 and 90 mph on the open road’.
Vauxhall extensively revised the FE as the “VX 1800/2300” in 1976; the last of the VX 4/90, now boasting a five-speed gearbox, joined the range in the following year.
The entire line-up was replaced by the Carlton in 1978, marking the end to Luton’s Anglo-American style large saloons. Andy’s car was ‘registered early 1976, although information from the club shows that the chassis number dates to approximately late 1974’.
The Wheeler VX 4/90 is fitted with three-speed automatic transmission, and for quite a while it was believed to be the only surviving example so-equipped ‘, but in the last few years a few more have reappeared’.
In terms of public reaction, Andy finds that his “Flamenco Red” Vauxhall receives a great many positive comments – ‘people really do love seeing it. I’ve been held up in petrol stations on many occasions by people who just want to chat about it and have a look. It’s not a perfect car by any means, but it gets a lot of attention’.
Today, not everyone recognises a VX 4/90, despite its badges ‘on the boot and both front wings’ but almost all respond to its sheer presence. ‘Tremendous style’ indeed.
With Thanks To: Andy Wheeler
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