1970 Vauxhall SRV
First shown at the 1970 Earls Court Motor Show, the sleek, imposing shape belies its four-door practicality. But with an adjustable front aerofoil, electric self-leveling air suspension and a ‘manometer’ to measure air pressure on the car’s hull, the SRV illustrated Vauxhall’s forward thinking technology stance that endures to this day.
The car was designed by Wayne Cherry who had also worked on the radical XVR concept from 1966. It features gullwing doors with hidden handles and is an extreme study on angular design.
The car could change its aerodynamic profile using an adjustable aerofoil located in the nose section. The SRV also had electrically adjusted suspension leveling at the rear, and the car could redistribute fuel to different tanks to adjust handling. The instruments were fixed to a pod hinged to the drivers door.
The engine was a 2.3 litre mid-mounted transverse version of the Slant Four, but featuring fuel injection. The engine fitted to the SRV was a mock-up, and the car was unable to run under its own power, and the necessary transverse transmission was never developed for the vehicle.
