On 1st February 1957, the first Victor left the production line. A few days later, Vauxhall staged a musical gala at the Kilburn State Theatre for 2400 dealers and the gentlemen of the press. After comic turns from Arthur Askey and his assistant Sabrina, the audience first saw the F-Type Victor – a Gypsy Red example – accompanied by Victor, King of The Highway, a specially commissioned march from The Grenadier Guards.
The public launch took place on 28th February when the Victor – 'the most exciting motoring news for years' – replaced the E-series Wyvern. The new Vauxhall embraced US-style conspicuous consumption down to the panoramic windscreen and the Rayon and Elastofab seating. Motor Sport regarded the Victor as: 'quite an ordinary 1507cc four-door four-seater saloon, with, however, some appealing features and selling at a competitive price.' The standard Victor cost £728 17s, with the Super version another £30 extra – a reasonable addition for extra chrome, twin sun visors, a courtesy lamp and a rear ashtray. It also boasted an exhaust pipe outlet in the offside rear bumper porthole, which did not improve Victor survival rates.
An test sniped at the flamboyant exterior, saying it 'may appeal in export markets rather than to the more conservatively minded British motorist,' which was not entirely the case. Indeed, in 1958 Vauxhall boasted that the Victor was 'Britain's No.1 Export car, first choice of 125,000 motorists at home and abroad.' However, drivers in Southampton and Croydon were impressed by its style and two-speed wipers at a time when the rival Ford Consul Mk2 had vacuum-powered blades. 1958 further saw Newtondrive semi-automatic transmission become an option and the introduction of the estate, Vauxhall's first believed: 'Much thought has gone into the Victor in order that the extra load capacity can be accommodated without upsetting the balance between appearance, comfort and performance. In this it succeeds admirably.'
