1934 Vauxhall Model BX

Roadster

Vauxhall Motors was founded in 1857 in London by Alexander Wilson as a pump and marine engine manufacturer. They began manufacturing cars in 1903 and moved to Luton, England in 1905. Their cars were characterized by their sporting models with successful entries in British hill climbs and reliability trials, but after World War I, the cars became more austere. The company was acquired by General Motors in 1925 and the company's products were positioned as low-priced cars.

The Vauxhall BX was introduced in 1934 powered by a 195 cubic-inch overhead valve 6-cylinder engine producing 27 horsepower. Before being discontinued in 1936, 3,788 BX models were produced. The chassis for the very rare and very class BX roadster model was built in England and then shipped to Australia for body assembly by Holden, GM's Australian car division.

This Vauxhall BX roadster is one of only 54 roadsters built in 1934 and is believed to be the only survivor.

General Motors acquired Vauxhall in 1925. The cars were built in England and then shipped to Australia where they were fitted with bodies designed and built by Holden. Both companies-Vauxhall and Holden-are subsidiaries of General Motors Corporation.

It is powered by a six-cylinder, 3200cc motor that develops 27 horsepower. A total of 3,788 BX series automobiles were produced between 1934 and 1938.

This car was restored in Australia in the 1970s and received a cosmetic restoration in 2002.

A UK car company, Vauxhall Motors is a subsidiary of General Motors. The griffin emblem, which is still in use today, is taken from the coat of arms of Fulk le Breant, a mercenary soldier who 'was granted the Manor of Luton for services to King John in the thirteen century'. This soldier gained the rights to an area near London by marriage, and the house he built, called 'Fulk's Hall', became known as Vauxhall over time.

The Vauxhall Company was founded in 1957 by Alexander Wilson, and had originally been named the Vauxhall Iron Works as it produced pumps and marine engines. Its first vehicle was built in 1903, a 5 hp model that was steered using a tiller, with only two forward gears, and no reverse. Eventually, a better design was produced and made available for sale.

The company relocated to Luton in 1905 and the griffin emblem returned to its ancestral home. Until 1907 the company continued to trade under the name Vauxhall Iron works, and then the more modern name of Vauxhall Motors Ltd. was chosen. Originally the company was known for its sporting models, but following the First World War, it began to design more austere models.

GM purchased Vauxhall in 1925 for 2.5 million U.S. dollars. During WWII, car production was suspended at Vauxhall to allow work on the Churchill tank, which had been designed at Luton in less than a year, and also assembled there. Production resumed after the war, but models were designed as more mass-market product.

In 1934, Vauxhall introduced a very rare, very classy roadster. The Vauxhall BX was produced from 1934 through 1936, and a total of 3,788 units were produced during its three-year production run. The chassis was built in England and then shipped to Australia where it was fitted with a special body by Holden, GM's subsidiary.

by Jessican Donaldson