Concept car classic, the Vauxhall SRV is really a coffee table on wheels!

The Vauxhall SRV (Styling Research Vehicle) is an extraordinary concept car that still looks astonishing even after almost 40 years. I saw this classic car at the Beaulieu Motor Museum in 1982 and it was awesome. It was built in 1970 around the time my dad had his own Vauxhall - the slightly less than extraordinary Viva. I remember thinking it was a similar height to our coffee table back home, but I suspect somewhat faster!!! It stands only 41 inches, 104cm high, not to sure about the engine size though, maybe someone can let me know? Maybe it didn't have an engine, as some of these concept cars were basically just made out of wood (as our coffee table was) and fibreglass. It's a car you would expect Captain Kirk to have waiting for him back home in his garage after his five year mission was completed. Or another Captain, this time Captain Scarlet, who on his days off from working for Spectrum i.e. keeping world order despite the onslaught from the Misterons, could be well suited to 'posing' in this vehicle and I'm sure he wouldn't have problems attracting the ladies either! Actually, if I remember rightly, his company car was the similarly titled, SPV (Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle) Maybe the Vauxhall SRV could stand for Spectrum Recreational Vehicle! The car was rumored to be an inspiration for the Lamborghini Countach and certainly they share a similar nose, don't you agree? It's (surprisingly) a four seater and has four doors, although on you can't really tell as they are handle-less. This concept of disguising the rear doors is ahead of its time and only in recent years have some car manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo and Mazda incorporated this feature into their design.

I think the closest Vauxhall (the British wing of General Motors) came to the SRV was the Firenza 'droop snoot' (right) Nowhere near as dramatic as the SRV but is still a beautiful classic car and a welcome and worthy alternative to the Ford Mexico, RS1600, Capri or Triumph Dolomite Sprint of the time. Apparently only 204 examples were ever built, and all in silver, production problems and an oil crisis were the culprit (ah, that old excuse!) and as a result the car has become a very collectable classic. Quite right too, I've only seen maybe two or three examples and they are gorgeous...well I certainly think so. Did you father own one of the aforementioned classic cars? (except, I should imagine the SRV! but who knows, someone must own it) or you just want to write about your favorite classic/retro/concept car, it's up to you. Please write in with your experiences or thoughts on this subject.