Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 92: Hampton Muscles In

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 92: Hampton Muscles In

1966: Hampton's First Muscle Car Debuts

1966 marked a major milestone for the Hampton Motor Group - the Warwickshire-based company took the lucrative American market by storm with its first muscle car, the Valiant V8 5.0. The regular Valiant wasn't a bad car - in fact, it was quite decent, but this high-performance flagship was making all the headlines that year, thanks to its superb all-around performance. Not even the fact that it was more expensive than its rivals could stop it from being voted the best muscle car by the fictional Motor Review World magazine at the time of its launch.

Left to right: Some of the cars offered by the Hampton Motor Group in 1966 - Ferret II 1.8 (far left), Valiant II Prime (left), Valiant II V8 5.0 (right), and Transtar 2.0 van (far right).

The smaller Ferret II was more divisive, though; it was more comfortable than other competitors in its class, and offered competitive economy and practicality, but at the expense of inferior reliability and being more expensive to buy and run than most of its counterparts. Realizing this, Hampton began drawing up a second compact model line that would better suited to the economy car role (which would turn out to be the Fennec), while also planning to enlarge the Ferret for the next few generations and shift it upmarket.

Meanwhile, in the utility sector, their refreshed Transtar remained a popular choice among fleets seeking vans to use for hauling cargo. It was as cheap to buy as ever, and had a high load capacity. It was not as capable of off-roading as some of its rivals, though, but this was not much of a problem given that Transtars were primarily designed for (and used on) paved roads.

Revised versions of the Peregrine (above) and Shrike (below) were also new to the Hampton range for 1966.

As for its sports cars, the Peregrine received the Valiant's V8, but in a slightly more aggressive state of tune, while the smaller Shrike received an enlarged and more powerful engine displacing 2.2 litres. The extra power was decidedly welcome in both models, and kept them relevant even into the next decade.

Speaking of which, founder and CEO Toby Hampton announced in the fall of 1966 that the rest of Hampton's core range would be updated by 1972 to keep them competitive. As part of that plan, the Valiant II would receive more powerful engines, as would the new Vanguard II (which was scheduled for launch in 1969); the latter would also be the first Hampton to use hydropneumatic suspension, with a new semi-trailing arm rear end providing improved comfort over its predecessor's coil-sprung live rear axle.

1972: Hampton Powers Up Again

The Vanguard II was initially offered with six- and eight-cylinder engines at launch; however, from 1972, only the V8-powered versions remained, with the top 5.0-litre trim now endowed with 200 horsepower. Unlike its predecessor, it was also available as a two-door coupe as well as a four-door sedan. Also in 1972, the Vanguard range received more advanced safety equipment commensurate with its positioning as the company's flagship. As with all other Hampton models, US-spec examples were fitted with rear side marker lights and front parking lights, while passenger's side mirrors were now standard across the board. In addition, an 8-track player was also offered as standard equipment for the first time.

As for the Valiant II, the high-performance Sprint trim could now be upgraded to a SuperSprint package, which finally added the high-lift camshaft, high-flow intake and long-tube headers that had been standard on the Peregrine V8 for so long. With 270 net horsepower, this was the most powerful version of Hampton's original overhead-valve V8. Production was cut short after the first oil crisis, but with all the performance improvements, it was a great way to go out. Lesser six-cylinder models also received engine tweaks that boosted their performance and efficiency. However, all trims of the Valiant II would also receive safety upgrades as regulations tightened during the 1970s, along with the addition of extra standard equipment.

Some of the new models introduced by Hampton in 1972, from left to right: Valiant II 3.5 Prime, Valiant 5.0 V8 Supersprint, and Vanguard II V8 5.0. 

Postscript

Given that the Ferret was proving to be somewhat more expensive and less reliable than anticipated, but still a competitive choice due to its comfort and economy, Hampton also chose to develop a second compact car platform, one that would underpin a more affordable entry-level offering as the Ferret slowly moved upmarket. This was, in fact, their first-ever transverse-engined, front-wheel-drive car, and it would ultimately be called the Fennec when it debuted in 1974. That model line would go on to have a long and successful production life, and would even receive a facelift in 1985, before being replaced by an all-new Fennec in the early 1990s as part of a company-wide model range refresh - but that is a story for another post.