This handsome 1947 Vauxhall 14 has been off the road for a couple of years. Nevertheless, it’s a nice serene drive: engine, clutch and gearbox all running well, no nasty creaks or knocks from underneath and, without drama, stops safely and in a straight line.

This is a late series J and boasts a number of refinements that marked it out as the market-leader of the day in terms of engineering, comfort and affordability…a cultured 3-speed gearbox with ‘Vauxhall Controlled Synchromesh”; the “Vauxhall No-Draught window Ventilation” system; adjustable steering wheel; sunshine roof; clock: no wonder it was marketed as “The Fourteen That Has Everything”!

The car comes with an impressive document file which, whilst not complete, does lead us to believe that it’s been well looked after since being rescued and renovated in 1980 having fallen in to use as a training module for Vauxhall apprentices. More recently, there are invoices that evidence further improvement and professional restoration works in the early 2010s with £’000s spent including mechanical activity, brake work, bumper rechroming, front and back seat refurbishment and so on.

The result is a delight: the car is structurally very sound, the black and burgundy paintwork is good all over and the chromework solid and shiny. Inside is complete and in nice condition throughout. The leather seats may benefit from a feed but nonetheless have a lovely patina (we suspect the front seat isn’t original as these cars were fitted with separate driver and passenger chairs rather than the current bench configuration). The headlining, door cards and carpets have been renovated as part of the works mentioned above and are in very good condition. The dash is complete with all the gauges apparently working as they should.

This is an outstanding post-war example of Vauxhall’s ground-breaking masterpiece. Now a rare sight, this car offers the new owner a unique opportunity of a complete, solid and very usable vintage car but with scope for easy ongoing restorative improvements which would surely turn it in to a show winner.

The car will be sold with a light recommission / service, a new MOT and comes complete with an original owner’s handbook and an original illustrated Service Parts catalogue. There’s also an original RF60 Registration Book and loads of old tax and MOT records and pages and pages of technical information about the model.