Just found a decent looking V147 on gumtree. Now in the parts reference manual it says Store Brand Corvette 160. This one is definitely store brand and uses most of the corvette parts but it's name is Celestial 160 and it's a zip start.
I believe that there is a pretty old thread where 2 members didn't agree on corvettes and zip starts. Well from what I actually see in this advertisement and the parts reference manual maybe you were both right and wrong?
Any way, This mower is up on gumtree for $80 NSW Riverstone. Looks like value to the corvette collectors! Even if it doesn't say corvette on the mower itself, it's in the part's reference manual as a corvette and it has the exact deck. In my mind it's probably more desirable (in my way of thinking) then some of the middle versions because it's kind of the last with that deck that's technically labelled a corvette (I think but im probably very wrong)
Hope someone here needs this for their collection!!! If I knew how to link gumtree adverts I would. If you put "victa celestial" in the search engine you should find it!!!
Hello Sean The Walton's Celestial is just one example of how the 1960s Victa Corvette was used after it's retirement from the Victa Range in 1972.
The following year, the Corvette became the Victa Cortina, with a recoil Zip starter. After that, the Corvette chassis was re-invented for use on Store branded mowers. And yes, they were all fitted with recoil starters.
These were Corvettes but by another name.
A caution about the Victa Code system. It can mislead. The Code only covers a handful of commonly used spare parts. In this case the store brand mowers used the same common parts as the 'retired' Victa Corvette.
There were no Victa Corvettes in 1973-74.
Using this understanding, there was no 'Victa Celestial' as you say in your title. That would be misleading.
The Celestial was a store brand made by Victa for Waltons that used a Waltons' brand name. Why the need for accuracy in this case ... ?
ANSWER: Victa did re-introduce the Corvette to their range later in the 1970s. That was a different mower.
I hope this clears up the 'right/wrong' issue you raised. A bit like the apparitions in Macbeth methinks. The modern word for this ... equivocation. I have attempted to be unequivocal.
I wrote that thread last night very very late at night after I saw the celestial on gumtree and decided to look up information about them and stumbled upon an old thread on this forum.
I have no knowledge of the corvette models because they aren't my type. I just saw the pictures on gumtree and because it still had the V147 code on the air filter assembly I looked it up.
So my apologies for the misleading title and information provided.
It all started because I was scouring gumtree for mowers I collect and saw the celestial, it looked excellent and for a great price but in NSW, so I thought someone on this forum might want it for their collection. In the pictures of it was the part reference decal of V147. I decided to look it up and the guide says "Store Brand Corvette 160". I found it very interesting so I did some research about it and stumbled across an old thread about the celestial. There was some serious differences in opinion on the thread. So in my deluded 2AM mind, I thought I had stumbled upon the answer to the differences on that thread.... obvious I was wrong but I don't mind being wrong because that's the best way I learn.
All I really wanted to do was let people in NSW, that collect that style of mower, know about it.
So again my apologies Jack! I wasn't trying to mislead or post misleading info or titles on the forum.
Our only brand new mower was a Celestial 160 my dad bought from the long defunct Waltons department store about 1977. I recall him bringing it home and getting it out of the box (vaguely -I was four). It's code was V177 and weirdly it had non ball bearing wheels where earlier ones like this had the ball bearing type. I remember it had a white nose cone on an orange plastic cover which didn't take long to break off as it was held on by two plastic pins on the top of the cover.
During 1989/90 I mowed a widow's grass with her late husband's Celestial 160 which had the metal cover like the Gumtree ad, but had the G4 carburettor and the ball bearing wheels. Must have been among the first with the plastic one. It was a nice sounding motor and it revved higher which I loved. Great memories devouring tall kikiyu with that beast and it have me more work as that grass regrows almost before your eyes. I got $12 each time and I threw in whipper snipping for no extra when I got my first string trimmer which was a Ryobi Weed Hornet. Everybody I showed it to would gasp when I demonstrated it.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I think these store brands are well worth collecting, especially defunct ones -not in this case or my Kmart one I found recently, though still collectable as they don't do it anymore and these still existing stores no longer sell mowers, so these serve as records of history. I was stunned to find out my side pull full crank high arch alloy Corvette was also sold in Waltons store brand guise, with a different shade of green on the base.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
