The first CC I wrote over at the other site was on the subject of that Canadian market special, the Envoy Epic. The write up eventually migrated over here as well, but as my first write-up, the little Epic has always had a special place in my automotive heart. It seemed like fate that I should have one for myself. If you’ve read of a few of my previous COALs, you have no doubt realized that it would only take a cheap example appearing for sale to push me over the edge into ownership.
The optimistically named Envoy Epic was a Canada-only variant of the Vauxhall Viva HA and sold at Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers. The regular Vauxhall Viva was also sold in Canada at Pontiac/Oldsmobile dealers. The Envoy differed from the Vauxhall in badging, trim and its use of the UK market higher trim Vauxhall Viva SL triple round tail light set up. The Canadian tail lights were slightly different with all lights being red as the UK set up had two red and one orange.
Given their reputation for rusting, my Epic had a shockingly solid body. Some dents and dings were present with a little bit of surface rust in places, but one look underneath or at the usual rust traps revealed nearly perfect sheet metal. Even the particularly rust-prone rear wings were fully intact. The 46k miles recorded on the odometer could very well have been original.
The tiny 1057cc four cylinder engine ran quite well at idle. If you gave it more than a quarter push of the throttle pedal it would stall, however. With a 2.925 inch bore, 2.4 inch stroke and 8.5:1 compression, the little engine developed 44hp (50hp gross) at 5,200 rpm and 62 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. It was somewhat drivable with very light and careful application of the throttle, so I limped it over to a storage yard so I could replace the accelerator pump diaphragm on the Solex B30 PSEI-6 carburetor.
Other mechanical specifications include a four-speed manual gearbox. The rear axle is a semi-floating hypoid drive with a 4.125:1 ratio suspended by semi-ecliptic leaf springs and telescopic dampers. Front suspension is independent with upper and lower control arms. A transverse leaf spring with telescopic dampers completes the front suspension, and was well loved by UK hot-rodders as it could be relatively easily transplanted as a complete unit. Steering duties are handled by a rack and pinion system with a 18:1 ratio. Wheels and tires are of a dainty 12 inch size.
While the body and engine indicated low mileage, the interior was in rough shape. Though complete, sun and the passage of time had done significant damage, making the vinyl extremely brittle and degrading the foam. The front seats looked like they had lost a fight with an angry badger. The back seat was intact and faded but was so brittle that any pressure applied cracked the vinyl.
After some research I determined mine was a Deluxe model which added the following features over the Standard:
Chrome trims around front and rear glass
Stainless gutter trims
Chrome body trim
Opening rear side windows
Chrome quarter light frames
Model badge on truck
Both seats adjustable
Dashboard padding
Chrome gauge surrounds
Black window winder/ inner door lock handles
Two sun visors
Rear arm rests and ash trays
Interior grab handles
Carpets
Lined trunk
Sticker on dash
Courtesy light switches
Two-tone colour front door cards
Upgraded seats
Extra sound deadening
Cardboard trim panels under dash
Heater
Window washer pump
This is a rather curious dealership badge on the back of my Envoy Epic. It has American Motors on one side and Klaudt’s Toyota Ltd on the other. Given the Envoy was originally sold at Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers in Canada, this would have been applied when it was used, likely when it was only a few years old in late 1960s or very early 1970s. That would be quite early for a stand-alone Toyota store, and it seems this dealer had a Toyota/American Motors mix. After some research it looks like Klaudt’s Toyota Ltd evolved into Parkcity Toyota after several location moves. I managed to pull the following off a cached copy of their old web page. “Our dealership history began in the late sixties with Klaudt’s Toyota, on what is now Maple Avenue, and then moved to a larger location on Kingsway Avenue.”
Another interesting sticker was on the windshield. This is a reminder of Alberta’s one year safety inspection program. It was rather ill-conceived as you could only have your car inspected in either Calgary or Edmonton, meaning that drivers in other communities had to travel hundreds of kilometers to complete the errand. The program ended after only a single year pending the availability of black market stickers and widespread complaints of less-than-honest mechanics. It does tell us the little Envoy managed to last at least five years on the road.
If you can stand looking at another vintage sticker, this fishing Alberta sticker has to be a few decades old.
My first task was to rebuild the Solex B30 PSEI-6 single barrel carburetor. Most of the mechanical parts for this car are available through various online sources. The long-lived production of the Vauxhall HA van in the United Kingdom has, no doubt, helped in this regard. The interior and trim pieces, however, are second hand only and nearly non-existent. I was able to track down a full rebuild kit. Thankfully, since this was my first attempt at a full rebuild, the little Solex was about as simple as an automotive carburetor gets.
The air cleaner lid was given a quick makeover at the same time and the engine compartment certainly looked less shabby. Now it just had to prove itself as the car had not been driven any real distance in several decades.
A forty kilometer drive home at highway speeds would flush out any weakness in the Epic. My friend Rod drove in a chase car as I suspected we would encounter some difficulty. Our first mistake was setting out at dusk which quickly became night. The headlights died (still had parking lights) about half way, so the chase car became the lead car to light the way forward. We took back roads when possible to keep speeds down. The Envoy even soldiered up a rather steep hill right at the end of the drive.
During this time I also owned the 1970 Mercedes-Benz 220D so any wrenching time had to be split between them. The Mercedes was more functional so it received more attention, initially. Still, on the Envoy I managed to straighten out a well-mangled front bumper to a presentable state. Not perfect, but where the heck would you find a replacement? Similarly, a dent on the front fender was pulled out.
The interior chrome came back to a like-new shine with the careful application of steel wool. The broken dash pad was removed and with a lick of paint, the dashboard would have been looking quite fine. The lower dashboard still needed to be installed as well as a factory GM radio. The carpets had developed an acute case of mold, so they had to be discarded. The door cards were cleaned and straightened to a more presentable state. The heater fan was restored to working condition as well as those dodgy headlights with a little bit of electrical sorting. A little electrical side note that some may find interesting is that the Epic, like some other period British cars, featured a positive ground instead of the more common negative grounding. Nothing inherently bad, you just have to be extra careful hooking up the battery and definitely do not let a department store parts jockey do it.
In the end, the Envoy left my garage because I also had the Mercedes. The Benz was licensed, insured and proved to be pretty low maintenance for a car over forty years old. In a moment of weakness, I put the Epic up on the local classified site not expecting much in response. I did get one interesting reply, however, from a man who had one as his first car decades ago. He had never had a chance to put that first one on the road and had wanted another since. While the smart thing would be to hang onto it for myself, he certainly sounded like a worthy owner so in the end, I decided to let the car go. I never restored it as planned and only managed to drive it a handful of times, but it left my care in better condition than when I found it.
Related Reading:
CC 1966 (Vauxhall) Envoy Epic: An Epic Finf, An Epic Beginning
The Corporation: The Story of my Father, a GM Executive – Part 3 Viva Russelsheim
Another car from my time as a kid in the 60s and 70s.One of my favourite teachers Mrs Grey had one(yes it was grey).A lovely Scottish lady who taught me Religous Education,History,Geography and Art the sort of multi talented teacher who seems to have vanished today.
They had a serious rust problem in the UK and survivors must be thin on the ground today.
Interesting… I am surprised GM even bothered with trying to import those – what kind of a person could have wanted such a car in Canada, with its vast expenses of land and endless roads? I remember those from growing up in Israel and even in a (then) not particularly affluent land they were – together with the Triumph Herald – thought off as only one step above the locally made (and horrible) Susita…
What kind of person? My mother! We had a ’63 Epic in ’66 or ’67 as the second car, which my mother drove all over southern Ontario. I remember 2 and 4 lane highway trips as well as gravel and dirt road adventures with her, as we would go berry picking, or attend some farm auctions.
It was done by ’68, though, as the rust made it dangerous to drive. Five years was all that was required for the rust to eat through even frame members IIRC.
Opels and (German) Fords had a good rust proofing, say in the pre-1985 era. Certainly compared to anything from southern Europe and Japan in that period. Japanese cars were perfect, mechanically. But in the seventies they rotted to the ground as fast as an average Italian car. I’m talking maritime climate here.
An Opel D- or E-segment car was considered as a poor man’s Mercedes back then. The best car that Joe Average (or Joe Average+) could buy for his money, quality-wise.
I wonder how the English Vauxhall and Ford counterparts were when it came to the quality of the paint job and rust proofing….I’m afraid I know the answer.
Same situation here with my mother buying a new one while I was in the RCN. When I took my release from the navy, I returned to Ontario and found a machinist job at Canadian Arsenals in Longbranch so I used that little bug to commute all the way down old Hwy27 from Aurora throughout one winter. Put a butter-box full of sand in the trunk and that little car would go through two feet of snow. I regularly drove through stalled and stuck cars on my way to work. It may have been the Yugo of it’s day but that little beasty never left me stranded as many other later cars did. Sadly, it went the way of the all rust buckets of the day.
Our family also owned an Epic, probably purchased in 1965, that replaced our 1960 Renault Dauphine. By then, both my sisters were married, so the Epic was used by my older brother and my dad. My Mom still refused to drive a manual transmission with a floor-mounted stick (three on the tree was not a problem for her, however), so she drove the 1964 Impala.
I was twelve at the time, and don’t remember too many details, but I remember my brother’s driving style with the Epic previewed his later amateur rallying exploits at the wheel of his Datsun 510. The other thing I remember was my Dad often lugging the Epic’s engine, refusing or forgetting to downshift. Of course, he learned to drive in the 1920’s, when engines were low revs and all torque, so I guess he never adapted to small, higher revving engines.
By 1969-70 or so, the Epic was replaced by an automatic Ford Cortina, which became my Mom’s car.
Here’s a pic of the Epic, taken in December 1967, in front of the family home.
What a lovely period photo. Thanks for sharing your Epic story.
They actually sold very well for a time. Second besting selling import behind the Beetle. Not as durable in the long term however.
Watch out for those cardboard trim panels!
1969 . I had the four door deluxe.
With automatic, Borg Warner transmission ,loved that little car I was 17 bought it new right out of the show room. Many great memories!
This Envoy is news to me. How many brands did GM need anyhow??? The Ranger, the Statesman, the Asuna, the Viking… I don’t understand their strategy (assuming there was one).
As they discontinued in last 10 years Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Geo, Hummer, Daewoo all of them so so well established brands, instead of that they established Alpheon! Huhh…biz strategy…
…I almost forget>>> Saab. What a shame discontinuing it as well…
Saab is the one that hurt the most, as it really wasn’t GM’s to begin with and had a unique background/history. Tragic waste.
WTF is this Alpheon nonsense???? While we’re at it, what’s up with those silly names they’re coming up with? La Crosse? Escalade? What’s next? The Chevrolet Cholera? The Buick Bordello? The Cadillac PTSD?
GM aren’t the only offenders in this race to ridicule (lookin’ at you, Renault) but come ON!
I always wondered why British cars were named after exotic European locations(Ford Cortina,Capri etc)but would you buy an Austin Skegness or a Ford Peebles?
Great write-up ! I assume this is basically an Opel Kadett A ? More or less the starting point of a very long lasting (decades) Opel domination of our car market.
Opel really was “our” brand during the late sixties, the seventies and the eighties. Good quality, simple, practical, fair price, perfect size, no-nonsense ne plus ultra. Exactly the way we wanted our cars back then.
Was going to say that it sure resembled my opel kadett. A very forgettable experience with charging system nightmares.
Agreed, from the front this is very similar to my ’65 Kadette, looks like the same motor too. I also had a ’64 Kadette parts car. Identical to the ’65 except the nose. Both were severely rusted by the time I took possession in ’73. I never knew about this connection.
Probably some of the mechanical parts could be sourced by following Opel Kadett-B series part’s specifications as well. My first car had been an Opel Kadett-D series (Vauxhall Astra Mk-1 body) equiped with a small 1.2 Litre IL4 OHV gasoline engine. The carburetor was the same single barrel Solex as shown in this article. GM in Europe had built in these engines till the Kadett-E series dependingly on their export market requirements where the small displacements enjoyed popularity. From A series through B, C, D and E some parts could be the same though could fit this sweet lil’ GM Epic. So among sourcing parts from UK, the continental Europe especially Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium could be also a good place for sourcing Opel mechanical parts. Body styling was totally different between the Vauxhall, Opel and Epic as well…till the mid ’70’s. I have automotive friends who are old Opel fans as they are always in refurbishing projects of various Opel types from the ’60’s and ’70’s mostly…and they got tonns of different parts…
hi. we have a 1965 envoy epic and are searching for rear suspension parts and rear end for it. as far as we can tell it has the stock parts,and is quite unhappy cornering at any speed. the engine is a 2.4l nissan four with about 160 hp. any help you have would be most appreciated! we are located near toronto btw
Just as Buick had sold the Opel, this would have been a great small car for Oldsmobile or Pontiac in the USA.
Pontiac did sell Vauxhalls in the U.S. from around 1958-60. I believe only the F-series Victor was imported, and they were dropped entirely when the Tempest was introduced.
In Ontario, these first generation (HA) Vivas and Epics were decent sellers, but were pretty much rusted and worn out by the time they were five years old. They were mostly gone by the early ’70s. I don’t think the HB series cars (1967-70) sold nearly as well – they never seemed as common as these once were.
While the size is smaller, the proportions don’t appear to be all that different from those of the Town Car “City” in the previous post!
Not much front over hang but quite a bit in the rear. The trunk is actually a pretty decent size for a small car.
My cousin in Edmonton had a similar 67 Epic Envoy 2-door that she kept for about 5 years from new, somehow surviving -40C Alberta winters and getting her around U of A and Whyte Ave nicely. Replaced with a new Toyota Corolla, a move to Vancouver, and no looking back.
Well into the 1980s and even 90s you’d see epics and Vauxhalls around Vancouver and Victoria routinely, as they were simple cars and in the mild lower mainland climate the various retired UK expats and local schoolteachers who had them kept them running nicely. “Epics” were sold by Chev-Olds and identical Vauxhalls by Pontiac-Buick dealers, so you could buy a “real” Viva or Victor if you so desired.
The good-looking but spectacularly bad 1971-72 Vauxhall Firenzas (sedan, 3-door wagon and coupe all wore the Firenza badge in Canada, ditto South Africa (as the “Chevrolet Firenza”)) not only killed Vauxys rep for good but led to Canada’s very first class-action lawsuit. These cars started rusting the moment you carried a steaming cup of tea into the showroom, and had additional fun features such as doors popping open during turns, etc. Still, good lookers, good pricing and decent handling, so many consumers bit the apple…
The 71-72 Vauxhalls were only sold by Pontiac-Buick as Chev now had the Vega. In 1973 Pontiac replaced the Vauxhalls with a rebadged Vega called the Pontiac Astre. These sold well, planting the seeds for future Asian car ownership with their own problems, but later Astres actually had the old Pontiac “iron duke” 4, not the Vega’s aluminum nightmare. The last Astres in 1976-77 were also sold by US Pontiac dealers, in the same manner that the by the mid-80s desperate US Pontiac dealers “imported” the Parisienne (rebadged Caprice) and Pontiac Acadian/T-1000 (these were rebadged Chevettes, and in fact I believe all Chevettes/Acadians were made at GM’s Georgia plant).
A friend of mine had a brown Firenza about 15 years ago. That is the only one I can recall seeing.
Oh, and I have to add that as a student working summer jobs at Avis in 1982-85 at Vancouver airport, we’d regularly kill down time by creating “Chevadians” by pulling the badges off Chevettes and Acadians and swapping them around. All of this, from wheel hubs to side “chrome” badges to steering wheel hubs, could be done by hand. What a car. Half the car is a Chev, and half a Pontiac! Let tourists marvel!
I can’t decide if this is another OVERLY optimistic name or another case of a car manufacturer choosing a name that’s directly opposite to what is called for. A more apt name? The Viva Dismal?
The 50s and 60s when the difference between a “stripper” model and the “top of the line” model is a few pieces of chrome and a sticker or 2. Oh, wait, an extra tail light on each side of the car…I almost forgot. And yet, we love these cars.
WE’RE CRAZY!!!
The Chevette-Acadian-T1000 of the 60s
Same powertrain as the UK Chevettes too just smaller capacity everything interchanges.
Interesting! Reading that it was an Opel variant was completely surprising. Everything about the car belongs in a Ford world. Falcon front, Anglia rear. Even the hubcaps and vent-wing latches are Fordian. The only element that looks vaguely GMish is the heater control.
My grandfather (mother’s side) like so many other Europeans of the time, immigrated to Canada in the mid 1950’s for a better life. For the first few years he was able to afford only used cars (his first car was a ’49 Studebaker). Finally when 1960 came around, he was able to afford his first new car, and he bought a ’60 Envoy station wagon. That car lasted until 1966, when my grandfather bought a new ’66 Impala. Other than a Buick Lesabre in the early 70s, my grandfather bought Chevrolet for the rest of his life. His last car was a new ’87 Caprice coupe.
Cute little car .
I was hoping for a more detailed driving report but I guess you passed it along quickly ~ your cleanup and revival works look pretty good to me , I’m sure you’d have made this look as good as the Merc. in due time .
-Nate
Great aricle. Gone are the days when dash padding and “cardboard trim panels under dash” could be options!
Awesome little cars, I had a 66 HA Viva fitted with a HC engine and gearbox from a 75 Viva van the extra few horsepower helped immensely my car could wind out to 95mph indicated though it didnt feel very stable at speed nothing ever happened mine had 175×70 radials all round bought 2nd hand which improved the cornering aas it actually had grip as opposed to the cross ply razor blades fitted when I bought it, I drove that car all over the North Island of NZ getting 46mpg on average they had incredible economy mind you there is very little metal in them so very light plus mine had no bumpers so lighter again.
A master at the boarding school had one of these when I was there, he modified the suspension fitting stiffer front an rear shocks and overloads on the back that car cornered flat and level until traction evaporated but was perfectly controlable sideways, I and some friends rubbed it down ready to respray so I was given use of it on weekends a stark contrast to the oval beetle I also had use of.
Nice one DS, very fitting for you to complete the epic circle of cc life.
My next door neighbor had an Epic, later replaced with a Firenza. Both of them exploded into little brown flakes of rust.
Don’t forget Canada was still very British in the 1960’s and with Canadians’ appetite for lower spec cars you can see why these sold so well.
Epic generally means a great work of literature, poetry, music or movie-in the David Lean tradition.If this car was “literature” it would have be a Harold Robbins novel . If it were poetry, it would be an X rated limerick. If it were music, it would be any rap song, And if it were a film, it would be “Ishtar”.
Very nearly bought one of these in 1979 when I moved to London. It was parked up the road from where I lived, had one ‘little old lady’ owner, was light blue in colour and in STUNNING original condition with sod all miles on the clock. Only two hundred and fifty pound wanted. Sadly, it had no street cred, very little in the way of luxury, let alone instrumentation on the dashboard and I passed on it, only to buy a complete lemon called a Mk I Humber Septre.
The one that got away,I turned down an immaculate Triumph Toledo a little old lady had from new and was dealer serviced because it looked an old people’s car and had no street cred.I bought a rusty Vauxhall Victor FD for my first car instead.
I do hope it was this model Gem. It looks so much more stylish crapped out at the side of the road.
My Sceptre was a little short on rust; the previous owner had diligently replaced the brown stuff with lashings of glued together copies of the daily mail newspaper.
Gave me something to read waiting for the tow truck though…
Sadly no,the early first Victors were getting rare and expensive by 1979.Mine was a 71 FD
This could well have been my parents’ car. My Dad bought ours in Vancouver, BC, in 1968. I believe he bought it used, he had just moved to Canada at the time and was looking for work. It was white and two door like your photo. The rear windows were pop-out I think. It was a second car so probably wasn’t used a lot. We moved to central BC not long after (Vanderhoof) and mom sold the car (private cash sale) in the spring of 1975 I think, after buying a Pinto. I remember it being prone to mechanical issues. The buyer could well have moved to Alberta. Unfortunately no photos have survived.