The Vauxhall 14-6 is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

produced by

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

in the United Kingdom from 1939 until 1948.Michal Sedgwick & Mark Gillies, Vauxhall J-Fourteen-Six, A-Z of Cars 1945-1970, Haymarket Publishing Ltd, 1994, page 212 Announced in early October for the 1938 Earls Court Motor Show the 14-6 was offered as a six-light, four door saloon and was powered by a four bearing,

OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

, 1,781cc Straight-six engine.Michal Sedgwick & Mark Gillies, Vauxhall J-Fourteen-Six, A-Z of Cars of the 1930s, Haymarket Publishing Ltd, 1993, page 208 It had a top speed of 70 mph and could accelerate from 0-50 mph in 18.2 seconds.

Engine, transmission and suspension

The previous engine was retained but with compression ratio raised from 6.25 to 6.75:1 and revised timing increasing the output to 48 bhp at 3000rpm. Other features included

independent front suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...

using torsion bars in place of the previous

Dubonnet Dubonnet (, , ) is a sweet, aromatised wine-based quinquina, often enjoyed as an aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol. ...

system with semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear, Lockheed hydraulic brakes and a three-speed all-synchromesh gearbox in place of the four-speed "silent third" gearbox.

Unitary chassis-body

The car now had a unitary hull which had a longer wheelbase and wider track than its predecessor which made it larger than the 12-4 model announced at the same time. Previously the 12 and 14 hp models had shared the same body. Interior features included individual leather front seats and a rear seat with fold-down arm rest, a rear window blind and a sliding sunroof. Post-war models can be distinguished by bonnet-louvre and grille changes. 45,499 examples were produced, including 30,511 in the post-war period.

Australian production, Vauxhall Senior

A Vauxhall 14 J was built by

General Motors-Holden's Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own brand, marque in Australia. In its las ...

in Australia without unitary construction"The husky frame has an X-shaped cross-member and the deep side rails . . ."
''Truth'', 4 June 1939 which was beyond the capacity of local presses but sharing much of the English car's styling. The separate chassis allowed the Australian firm to provide open and utility bodies. Commencing in 1939, the 14 was offered in sedan, coupé and roadster body-styles.Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, January 2002, pages 130-133 and as in UK but in a Holden version, a light utility.Four models, a business roadster, sports roadster, convertible coupe and saloon
''The Sun''
/ref> The Australian Vauxhall 14 used the same frame as the Bedford JC, which was also built by Holden in Australia. A

roadster utility A roadster utility — also known as a "roadster pickup" or "light delivery" — is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility, however with a convertible roof instead ...

was also available. A 14 sedan was the first civilian car to be produced by GMH in the post-war period, leaving the

Fishermans Bend Fishermans Bend (formerly Fishermen's Bend) is a precinct within the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne. It is located on the south of the Yarra River in the suburb of Port Melbourne and opposite Coode Island, close to the Melbourne ...

assembly line on 21 May 1946. 1939 Vauxhall-Holden 14 DHC.jpg, Vauxhall drophead coupé 1939 1940 Bedford JC coupe utility.jpg, Bedford Business Roadster or coupé utility 1940 Vauxhall 14 Model J of 1946.JPG, Vauxhall 14 Model J 1946
note Holden's divided windscreen and roof

Notes

References

{{Vauxhall timeline 1945 to 1979 14-6 Cars introduced in 1939