Absolutely! The Automatic was never meant to be a stand alone model.

Facts show they had plans for at least 100,000 approx mowers, as the Model 4 base was still being used well up towards the end of the model 5 series 1s end and beyond.
What is unclear is if the model 4 base was actually intended to be used as non Automatic.

It is my opinion it was NOT, and fate was the only reason the model 4 was ever sold in Non Predicta form.

The special was already in design before the Automatic was released.
It was however intended to run much longer than it actually did.
And as your aware it was cut short due to many failures, leaving a substantial amount of spares.
The Predicta System was abandoned,and some parts were modified to suit a Standard Mower.

This was the only way Victa could supply a Higher range mower other than the basic model 3 STD until the special was Finally released.
This could have been disastrous having no modern optioned mower in its range, other than a STD. It would have affected Victas sales and potentially put them behind the other manufacturers.
But with the main design being the same, a few simple mods and the deletion of the Predicta system, the Model 4 would now become Victas flagship, until the Release of the Special.

The deletion of the 2 Skirt holes on the Special shows clearly it was a seperate model.

If the Automatic had continued, Victa would have had 3 Models in its range...The Automatic, Special and Standard running side by side for an undetermined time.

Also in the Period between the Autos demise and the Specials beginning, parts other than bases were used on these transitional model 4s. You will note badges,cigar fuel taps, ammended plugged twin port carby caps(factory fix) and side skirt bolts.

These parts were used to deplete remaining stocks and keep a "whole mower.
The Specials CC fuel tap had only just been released and was earmarked for Special, but was actually used on some model 3 and 4s prior to Specials release, more likely due to a run out of the earlier cigar taps.

Also a common misconception is that the Automatic went longer than the last recorded versions, due to these parts being used.
This is incorrect...Seemingly later versions of automatics existed only through the trickery of an Automatic badge or side skirt bolts that remained/were fitted to plain model 4s.
Since the side skirts had no relation to the operation of the Predicta system and the steel toe ring was not yet made to suit the 4s Alloy chassis, they were still sold as an option on the Model 4.
This is why you see skirt bolts on non Autos. The reason you dont see many skirts, is simply because they had strength issues and failed just as quickly as the Predicta system.

There is also evidence of Model 4 non autos fitted with the Special badge. This was to very early models and was likely dropped and kept exclusively for the Original Specials.

Also the model 4 Chassis ran alongside the Model 5 S1 Special well into the 300,000 serial and beyond, clearly showing how many bases were made in optimism of The Automatics success.....

To be cont.....