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Hi Peter
Welcome.I've owned Dolomites for about twenty six years now. Just had a look for a pic of the current one and this is about the best I can do, a 1973 Honeysuckle 1850.
Ian

triumphdolomite-2020040912441305213_1.jpg
 
Yes Alister Vacbear,

the Viva was a subcompact by the US industry ratings, same as the Chevette made here, a T body car. It's precdecessor the Vega as well, on the former H body, along with it's luxury variants the Monza, Pontiac Sunbird, Olsmobile Starfire, and Buick Skyhawk. Our full size cars began shrinking in 1977. GM cars lost several inches in length, and about 800 lbs. on average while maintaining almost the same interior and boot volumes. Wheelbases shrank from 121 inches to 116 for GM B bodies, and from about 126 to 120 on C bodies except the Cadillac Fleetwood 75. In 1978 mid size cars got the chop by 600 lbs., and wheelbases from 116 to 108 inches (like many 70's compacts), ecept the ElCamino, which actually grew from 112 to 116 inches. Thinner doors and stationary rear door windows allowed for added space. By then, no hardtop coupe had an opening rear or sail panel window.
Once the industry began to shift to front wheel drive, the size categories changed. With a flatter floor, many compacts became mid size cars, and sub compacts compacts. In about 2002, the SAE got the parameters changed again. The Ford Taurus for ex. which had been a mid size, became a full size, more in line with European standards. Even though it's floor pan platform had not changed yet. A slightly higher roofline enabled enough exrtra interior volume for it to qualify.
 
Hello
Our Lavamat had just a single programmer knob on the left hand side of the brushed stainless panel, the word 'LAVAMAT' in the centre and 2 push buttons on the RHS of the panel with an amber pilot lamp. The buttons were marked I and II
- first button for bio wash and second button was a rinse hold. Detergent drawer was on the top cover. Cold fill only. Motor was an induction type of a strange design - seemed to be two motors in one, it was the final demise of the machine in 1993, the spin windings failed but I could not get it rewound as the rewinding firm said it was an unusual configuration. Nice Dolomite 1850 pics there - here is a picture of my 1300 parked outside a famous house from a TV comedy series - took it about 2 weeks ago. The Victor FD definitely took on some American car styling, no doubt due to Vauxhall and General Motors getting together. Dad's old car was the rare 1600 model with floor change, most of them were 2 and 2.3L. The engine also saw service in the Bedford CF van and the sporty Viva based Firenza.

nilfiskga70-2020041005224709681_1.jpg
 
Saw a youtube video of an AEG Domina-L: it looks exactly like our old Princess-S (on our machine, the 'LAVAMAT' was in large print in the centre of the fascia, with the 'Princess-S' in smaller type under the push buttons/pilot lamp
 
Our next door neighbour

….is the secretary of the UK Vauxhall viva club.

My fathers brother had (from new) a Vauxhall ventora (is that how its spelt) around 1967/8?

silver/black vinyl roof. It sounded lovely many years later I learnt that was down to a straight six cylinder engine?

His poor wife didn't even have a fridge!! She didn't get a fridge until his mother dropped dead mashing potatoes on easter sunday 1970!! My aunt was given Grans early 1960's English electric. OMG my uncle was a selfish, tight fisted little git. Never mind, his ashes were interred next to a chaps whom he hated, HA HA!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Triumphdolomite, Love your 1850, wasn't that about the biggest engine in the range?

Regards, Walter.
 

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