Towards the end of 1967, General Motors introduced the Vauxhall FD Victor as a replacement for the FC Victor, also known as the Victor 101.
When Car Magazine published its annual preview of new cars in the January 1968 issue, the editorial team wrote, "This must be coming to South Africa" but added that no announcement had been made. That was an attempt to send journalists on a wild goose chase because General Motors South Africa was already hard at work developing a car that would replace the Victor 101. The Vauxhall HB Viva was introduced to South Africa in early 1967 and sold quite well, but the Victor 101 was not as popular as the FC Victor it replaced and the PC Cresta and Viscount were a failure which were discontinued in 1969 in South Africa despite remaning on the British market until 1972.
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At that stage, General Motors manufactured a wide variety of cars in South Africa and had two dealer networks; one for Opel and Chevrolet and the other for Vauxhall, Holden and Pontiac. Of course the latter network had to market an alternative to the very popular Opel Rekord, which was replaced in 1967. The company decided not to introduce the Vauxhall FD Victor but instead developed a car that combined features of the Rekord and the Victor. Local content requirements demanded that engines manufactured in South Africa be used for all locally-manufactured cars. This meant that a range of locally-built engines was introduced in 1965. The Rekord and Victor would be powered by a Chevrolet-based 2,1 litre engine from 1966 onwards whereas the company withdrew from the 1,5- to 1,7 litre segment altogether. This last move would backfire in a big way in later years.
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In June 1968, General Motors announced the Vauxhall Victor replacement with a massive fanfare and declared this to be "South Africa's own car." The Ranger name was chosen because names with a South African connotation were all protected by copyright. The FC Victor range consisted of three models; the Super sedan and station wagon and the De Luxe sedan. The Ranger was available with no less than five (yes, five) bodyshells. They were a two-door and four-door sedan, a three-door and five-door wagon and a two-door Fastback. Three engines were available, and because South Africa had not yet metricated, engine capacities were indicated in cubic inch. The 130 (2,1 litre) engine was available in a standard version or a high-compression HC version which delivered more power. The latter engine was also used on the Rekord L sedan and coupé.
The 153 (2,5 litre) engine made its South African début in the Ranger, but was also later used in the Rekord,as well as several other indigenous South African models in later years. Armscor also used this engine for its Eland military vehicle. The standard 130 engine was only available for the two-door sedan and the three-door wagon. Unlike the entry-level Rekord models which came with a four-speed manual transmission, the Ranger 130 models had a three-speed manual transmission with a steering column gearshift (three on the tree, as the Australians would call it) as standard equipment. A floor-mounted gearshift was an optional extra. The 130 HC was available as a standard sedan, a five-door wagon, a De Luxe sedan.and a De Luxe Fastback. These models had the four-speed manual transmission.
On the standard sedan and the wagon, a steering column gearshift was standard equipment because of the front bench seat. However, the De Luxe versions had bucket seats and a floor-mounted gearshift. The 153 engine was fitted to the sedan, the five-door wagon and the Fastback and had the four-speed transmission with a floor-mounted gearshift as standard equipment. Ironcially enough, Vauxhall introduced the FD Ventora, with a 3,3 litre six-cylinder engine, in the United Kingdom in 1968 but a six-cylinder Ranger was never introduced. Maybe the 194 cubic inch (3,2 litre) engine from the Chevy II would have been a good idea.
The front end and wheel covers came from the Vauxhall FD Victor, but initial models had the Vauxhall griffin on the bonnet and a Vauxhall badge on the boot lid. The radiator grille of the De Luxe models was split by a small vertical panel containing a V badge. The badge that was eventually designed for the Ranger and was fitted to the bonnet and the steering wheel, contained the head of a Springbok, similar to that of the infantry corps of the South African Defence Force, with the orange, white and blue colours of the contemporary South African national flag. By 1970, the range was facelifted; the new badge was adopted and all models gained an R badge with the engine capacity in cubic inch on the grille.
That meant that the R 130, R 130 HC or R 153 badges would be fitted, depending on the model. At the same time, the three-speeed manual transmission was consigned to history, where it belonged in the first place and a four-speed tramsnission became standard equipment across the range. In mid-1970, the range was extended with the introduction of the SS. This was a Fastback with a more poweful version of the 153 engine, and it only had an SS badge on the grille. Inside, the same steering wheel as that of the Holden Monaro SS was fitted, along with a complete instrument panel containing a rev counter. The initial models were fitted with steel rims with chromed trim rings but these were soon replaced by Rostyle wheels. A vinyl roof, and a sports styling package consisting of stripes on the bonnet and boot lid and a rear spoiler were available as an optional extra.
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The rationalisation of General Motors's operations was inevitable and in February 1971 the announcement was made. The Vauxhall Viva, the Opel Rekord and the entire Holden range would be discontinued and one dealer network would market the entire GM range. The company showed that it got poor marketing decisions down to an art by discontinuing the popular and well-established Opel Rekord in favour of a mongrel blending features from Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet. The company made its intentions clear by displaying its new range at the one and only Autopret motor show that was held in Pretoria in February 1971. The Ranger ganied the same three-speed Tri-Matic automatic transmission introduced to the Holden-based Chevrolet models at just about the same time. The automatic models, available as a sedan, wagon or Fastback, were powered by the high-performance engine fitted to the SS and were popular among urban owners.
In the January 1972 issue, Car Magazine speculated that the Ranger might be re-badged as a Chevrolet, but there was a bit of a twist to this story. Later in 1972, a reader with a sharp eye captured scoop photographs of a "mystery model" with what looked to be Chevrolet badges. Car Magazine posted a report on this development, along with one of these pictures, in the November 1972 issue. In the very next issue, the introduction of the Chevrolet 3800 and 4100, based on the next-generation Opel Commodore , was announced.
A scoop Road test of the 4100 LS Automatic was also published. The editorial team stated that the introduction of these models would not affect the Ranger in any way. Meanwhile, following South Africa's metrication in 1971, the model designation of the Ranger models were changed to 2100 and 2500, instead of 130 and 153. The Ranger story came to an end in May 1973, when the Chevrolet 2500, based on the then-current Opel Rekord, was introduced as a replacement. Unlike the Ranger, only a four-door sedan with the option of a manual or automatic transmission was introduced.
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The Ranger marque would not be unique to South Africa for a long time. In 1970, General Motors's Swiss arm introduced its own Ranger, because as in South Africa, Vauxhall models had become less popular. Other alternatives, including the Holden Torana, were considered, but eventually the Ranger was introduced for that market. The difference, however, was that the Swiss models would use Opel engines from 1,7 litres to 1,9 litres, with the six-cylinder 2,5 litre engine from the Opel Commodore fitted to the top models. These cars were sold in Switzerland and Belgium, with a few also making it to the Netherlands. Unlike South Africa, General Motors in Switzerland continued using the Ranger name for the next generation, once again powered by a range of Opel engines. The Ranger ,marque lived on in Switzerland until 1978.
Daantjie Badenhorst
proudly CHANGECARS
