The Vauxhall 10-4 is a

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-built

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C ...

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 ...

between 1937 and 1947. It was launched at the October 1937

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and was the first

car to have a unitary construction body. The first car was delivered to a customer on 1 November 1937. A structural innovation, (1937 - 1940) following the

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set in 1935 by GM's German subsidiary, was the Ten's integral (chassisless) construction. According to Maurice Platt, who transferred from technical journalism to a career with

in 1937 (and would be employed as the company's Chief Engineer between 1953 and 1963), the Vauxhall Ten became known within the company as the million-pound car, which reflected the extent of the company's investment in tooling up for the new model. 1933 was the first year all GM vehicles were installed with optional vent windows which were initially called “No Draft Individually Controlled Ventilation” later renamed "Ventiplanes" which the patent application was filed on Nov. 28, 1932. It was assigned to the Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, a GM subsidiary that manufactured components for Fisher Body. As production began, unfortunately, the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

intervened, and Vauxhall’s

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plant switched to

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production and the Vauxhall 10 was unavailable after 1940. In 1938 and 1939 a two-door coupé version was also available, although it was built on a separate chassis as the smaller production numbers did not justify the tooling costs of a monocoque version. The 10 Coupé sat on a shortened and otherwise modified version of the earlier DX-series chassis. This meant that the more expensive coupé was heavier than the saloon and no faster, limiting its appeal although it fared better in some export markets. 55,000 Vauxhall 10-Fours were built until May 1940, when production was halted due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The model was re-introduced in 1946 with the same 1203 cc

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 ...

engine as before, albeit with a reduction in claimed power output. The post war Vauxhall 10 was little changed in other respects. However, with

consumers cash-strapped, and the market for

s of prewar design closely contested,

withdrew their 10 in 1947. From then until the introduction of the

Vauxhall Viva The Vauxhall Viva is a small family car that was produced by Vauxhall in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were designated as the HA, HB and HC series. The Viva was introduced a year after Vauxhall's fellow GM compa ...

in 1963, the company concentrated on larger and presumably more lucrative models. The name of the car referred to its fiscal horsepower, which at this time defined the class in which it was to compete against cars such as the Morris 10, the Standard Ten and the

Ford 10 The Ford Model C Ten is a car that was built by Ford UK between 1934 and 1937. The Ten moniker signifies its 10 British fiscal horsepower. The car was also assembled in Spain (Barcelona) between 1934 and 1936. The German version produced in th ...

. The Vauxhall 10’s advertised horsepower in 1937 was . The 10-4 was designated by Vauxhall as the H Type, with the post-war model coded HIY.Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies, A-Z of Cars 1945-1970, Haymarket Publishing Limited, 1986, page 212 A bored out 12HP model was also built, called the 12-4. A light commercial model was also developed and sold as the

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

HC. This has the same engine as the passenger model, and a payload.

Australia

A 10-4 look-alike marketed as the Vauxhall Wyvern was built in Australia 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 ...

. The company did not have the presses needed for monocoque construction and put a 10-4 front end and mechanicals on their own chassis under their own body. Vauxhall Wyvern Caleche H Series (1)

Indonesia

General Motors Java also built the 10-4, beginning in 1939, and exported cars across Southeast Asia.

Notes and references

{{Vauxhall timeline 1945 to 1979 10-4 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Compact cars Sedans Coupés Roadsters Convertibles Cars introduced in 1937 Cars introduced in 1946