1977 Vauxhall Magnum

Vauxhall Magnum (Saloon), 1973-1977

The Vauxhall Magnum was in production from 1972 until 1980. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive saloon range seating four adults.

The Magnum, effectively, replaced the Viva 1800 and Viva 2300SL as a range topping variant of the HC series small saloon. Available with two and four door saloon, estate and coupe bodies, the Magnum could be identified by its twin headlamp grille, sports steering wheel, rubber bumper inserts, Rostyle type wheels and cloth trim. At the same time, all HCs received dual circuit brakes, front seat belts, reclining front seats, two speed wipers and an undersealing treatment from the factory. The grille had been taken from the Firenza - as had much of the coupe model range; Firenza was now a stand-alone high performance model with a new aerodynamic drooping nose.

Most Magnums came with a seven dial dashboard - all 2300s and the 1800 from 1975. Production underwent a hiatus from March 1976 but had resumed by October, now with new ribbed cloth seat trim and halogen headlamps. The saloon and estate models were discontinued in 1977 - two years after the final Magnum coupes had been built. While not directly replaced by anything in the Chevette range, it could be argued that cars like the Vauxhall Belmont CDi carried the Magnum torch forward into the 1980s.

Obvious Magnum competitors include the Ford Escort 1600 Ghia and even the Cortina 2000E, while the Morris Marina TC and Austin Allegro 1750HL were targeting a similar marketplace too. The Triumph Dolomite was a premium product with pace and comfort, while imported cars such as the Opel Kadett and upmarket Volkswagen Golfs might also have been on the shopping list for Magnum buyers. The coupe's closest rivals bore Capri badges, though the Triumph TR7 may have appealed to buyers of either too. Finally, the Magnum may have appealed to former VX4/90 customers in search of a similar hot Vauxhall with a more compact body -internal competition perhaps, but it ensured customer retention for Luton. Today, it's also worth considering the 2.0 HB Viva GT.