Vauxhall Viva I (HA) gallery (1963–1966)
The first generation Vauxhall Viva HA marked the return of the British GM brand to the compact small-family car market.
The first-generation Vauxhall Viva with the factory designation HA was manufactured from 1963 to 1966, marking the British General Motors division's strategic return to the compact small-family car segment. Produced at the specially constructed Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, the Viva HA shared its engineering architecture and rear-wheel-drive platform with the German Opel Kadett A. The car was primarily available as a two-door saloon, while its mechanical underpinnings also formed the basis for the Bedford HA light commercial van and the Bedford Beagle passenger estate conversion. It was powered by an all-new 1,056 cc overhead-valve inline-four petrol engine developing 44 bhp in standard specification and 54 bhp in the higher-compression Viva 90 De Luxe version, paired with a four-speed all-synchromesh manual transmission. The chassis featured an independent front suspension with a transverse leaf spring and a live rear axle. The Viva HA was celebrated for light steering and brisk performance, selling over three hundred thousand units in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
