The Vauxhall 12-4 is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

which was 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 to 1940 and in 1946.

Model I

The car, also known as the Type I, was a total redesign and given the new 12-4 name. It featured a longer six-light body based on the Vauxhall 10 but with a monocoque hull with independent torsion-bar front suspension and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes were fitted all round to the same design as the 10-4 and featured a split circuit to prevent complete loss of braking in the event of a fluid leak. The engine was a 4-cylinder 1.4-litre (1442 cc) with overhead valves enlarged from the 10-4 by increasing the bore from 63.5mm to 69.5mm and keeping the same 95mm stroke. A Zenith carburettor was fitted. For UK taxation purposes it was rated at 11.98 hp. The actual output was at 3800 r.p.m. The gearbox was the 3-speed, with synchromesh on second and top, that was used in the 10-4. This engine was also used in post-war Bedford HA light commercials. Two versions of the saloon body were available, a Standard and a De-luxe, the latter featuring a sliding sunroof. The Standard version was dropped for the 1940 year. The ''Autocar'' magazine tested a de-luxe saloon in 1938 and found it would reach and accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 22 seconds. Production pre-war was 10,164 and in 1946 just 6 more of the pre-war version were made.

Model HIX

For 1946 the I-type body was replaced by the wheelbase one used on the H type 10-4 painted in black, maroon or blue. Both the 10 and 12 hp cars sold for the same price. In 1947 material shortages caused cloth seats to replace the previous leather ones. Production continued until 1948 when the car was replaced by the

Wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Unit ...

. Combined production of the 10-4 and 12-4 was 44,047.

References

{{Vauxhall timeline 1945 to 1979 12 Cars introduced in 1939