Vauxhall SRV
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
The Vauxhall SRV (Styling Research Vehicle) is a 1970 concept car designed by Wayne Cherry and Chris Field for Vauxhall Motors.{{cite web|url=https://www.cardesignnews.com/cars/concept-car-of-the-week-vauxhall-srv-1970/25092.article|title=Concept Car of the Week: Vauxhall SRV (1970)|website=cardesignnews.com|date=18 August 2017|access-date=15 October 2020}} Never intended for production, the car was an attempt to raise Vauxhall's profile and image while providing a research platform for novel design concepts.{{cite web|url=https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/vauxhall-wanted-be-a-porsche-917|title=The Vauxhall that wanted to be a Porsche 917|website=classicdriver.com|date=17 November 2017|access-date=15 October 2020}}
The car's exterior design was inspired by the short-nosed, long-tailed Le Mans racers of the time, but was able to seat four adults in comfort, despite being just {{Convert|41|in|cm|0}} high. Unusually, the design featured fixed front seats but with all of the driver controls adjustable for position, angle, and reach. The car has been displayed more recently, such as at the London Classic Car Show in March 2017.{{cite web|url=https://motorsportformentalhealth.com/2017/03/14/london-classic-car-show-2017-vauxhall-srv/|title=London Classic Car Show 2017: Vauxhall SRV|website=motorsportformentalhealth.com|date=14 March 2017|access-date=15 October 2020}}
The car featured four doors, with the rear doors being handle-less and largely disguised, a feature that would take more than thirty years to be incorporated into real production cars. The car could change its aerodynamic profile using an adjustable aerofoil, which was located in the nose section.{{cite web|url=https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/inside-vauxhalls-space-age-srv-concept|title=Inside Vauxhall's space-age SRV concept|website=classicandsportscar.com|date=20 February 2019|access-date=15 October 2020}} The SRV also had electrically adjusted suspension levelling at the rear, and the car could redistribute fuel to different tanks to adjust the centre of gravity.
The instruments were fixed to a pod which was hinged to the driver's door. The engine is a 2.3-litre, transversely mid-mounted Slant-Four, featuring fuel injection with a top speed of {{Convert|225|km/h|mph}}.{{Cite book |title=Car: The Definitive Visual History of the Automobile |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7566-7167-9 |page=211}} The engine fitted to the SRV was actually a mock up; the car was unable to run under its own power and the necessary transverse transmission was never developed.
References
{{reflist}}