AWD Audi S4 V8 Transplant Took This British Classic Vauxhall From 60 HP To 339 HP

Post-war British cars weren’t exactly known for their fiery performance. The 1961 E-type might have been able to top 150 mph (241 km/h) with a little careful “prep” from Jag before being dispatched to magazines like Autocar, but ordinary cars like the Vauxhall Victor sedan struggled to go half as quickly.

Not this one though. Thanks to a comprehensive drivetrain transplant from a 2004 Audi S4, it’s quite likely that this Victor would leave the E-type trailing from the lights, and be a good match for it at the top end, too, based on the donor Audi’s 155 mph (250 km/h) limited top speed.

The origin of the build can be traced back to 1994 when British Vauxhall fan Paul Martin stumbled across an old Victor body shell that had been stored in a barn since the 1960s after an owner’s plans to build a rally car had come to nothing. But it was another 19 years before Martin turned it into the car it is now.

First came a two-door conversion on the body before the Audi’s running gear was transplanted. That transplant included the S4’s 339 hp (344 PS) 4.2-liter V8 and six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, and represents a massive improvement on the 1.6-liter inline four Victors of that era came equipped with. Vauxhall rated them at 69 hp (70 PS), but that was measured under the more generous gross horsepower system, meaning the true power was more like 60 hp (61 PS).

Martin swapped the entire wiring loom across meaning almost every convenience available on the donor Audi appears on the 1960s sedan, including anti-lock-equipped four-wheel disc brakes, ESP, central locking, air conditioning, heated and electrically adjustable seats, and paddle shifters for the auto gearbox. The Victor even has the S4’s OBD diagnostic port, meaning you could theoretically book it into an Audi dealer for a service.

The S4 was a quick car in its day, capable of zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 6.0 seconds, but the intervening years have revealed the V8 engine suffers from timing chain problems, and that chain is located at the back of the engine, making repair an engine-out job. Despite the donor motor having just covered just 57,000 miles, Martin sensibly decided to strip it down and install new timing chains and guides as a precaution.

This kind of conversion was a pet project for Martin and won’t be everybody’s English breakfast cup of tea. The Victor wasn’t a great looking car anyway, and the upgrades will definitely polarize opinion. But someone obviously shared his passion because the car, which was advertised for £24,500 ($30,250), has just sold for an undisclosed sum.

What do you think of these kind restomods that take on so many features from a donor car there’s almost nothing left of the original? Leave a comment and let us know.