While perhaps lacking the romance of Sant'Agata, Maranello or even Martorell, Luton is (and always will be) inextricably linked with Vauxhall. From the 1905 7/9hp to a 2002 Vectra, cars were churned out of Kimpton Road for 97 years. The facility is still in use today, of course, making commercial vehicles, meaning there's more than a century of manufacturing history in a little corner of Bedfordshire. Which is quite something.
Keen to celebrate the fact, Vauxhall and The Culture Trust Luton have curated a new exhibition "telling the incredible story of Vauxhall Motors rise from a niche sporting car manufacturer to one of the UK's best-known automotive brands." Called 'Vauxhall - Made in Luton', the expo opens on September 5th, running until next Easter. Admission is free (but with ticketed time slots to aid social distancing) and it's being held at the Stockwood Discovery Centre, just a short distance from the manufacturing base.
Now, nearly all of us will have a Vauxhall of some kind in the back catalogue of family wheels, and the new exhibition sounds like being a great trip down memory lane. Because while there's obviously the Lotus Carlton, the amazing XVR Concept and that original 7/9hp, there's also an Astra GTE, an original Cavalier and a Vectra to show the kids what a family car used to be. They are all in addition to a Firenza, Bedford van and Viva, alongside many more.
Vauxhall says the new show "paints a wonderful social picture of the Vauxhall's importance to the Luton community, through all the highs and lows of the twentieth century." Vauxhall - Made in Luton will be open from Thursday-Sunday 11am-5pm, with tickets available here. And no blaming us if you come back lusting after an old Cavalier.
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