Photos from the CC Cohort by L Seddon.
Here’s something that caught my eye at the CC Cohort. And how could it not? Eye-grabbing two-tone paint and a hearty helping of glitzy chrome on what was, clearly, a US Rocket-Age influenced design: Rocket-booster shaped taillights, neat fins, and canopy-wraparound back window. True, US styling was something other carmakers aped then, though in the case of Vauxhall, it was a given. After all, the UK based GM subsidiary naturally took to its mothership’s affectations.
So, what can you see in this Cresta? Looks like a small sibling of a ’59-’60 Oldsmobile, though presumably, the inspiration was Cadillac’s 1954 Park Avenue concept. Wiki also mentions the Pontiac Strato-Streak concept as a likely influence (Sorry Wiki, I see more Caddy on this one). Whatever the case may be, all GM products swam in the same styling pond back then. A good deal of chrome glitz with Rocket-age inspired bits, stirred and shaken to your liking. Within your allotted allowance, of course.
While the front does have some of that Strato Streak to it, to my eye, it feels oddly British, though I can’t quite pin down how. That somewhat courteous face behind all the bling? Perhaps. The glitziness, though, is certainly American inspired, and the overall shape, a nicely shrunken version of American dream car styling of the period. As bright-laden as this ’59 is, in ’61 an even glitzier grille treatment would appear, adding a bulkier feel upfront.
The Cresta had been in Vauxhall’s repertoire since 1954, and today’s belongs to the PA generation launched in 1957. As for the model and its role in the UK market, the Cresta was the upmarket version of the decontented Velox, and as CC’s Roger Carr said, both competed with the Ford Zodiac and Zephyr, the larger Rootes saloons and the likes of the Austin Westminster and Morris Isis.
More bling on the interior. Though compared to US models of the late 1950s, looking more tame and reasonable. Power on these came via a 2.3L inline-6 from ’58 to ’60, with a larger displacement 2.6L available from ’61-’62. Shifting came via a 3-speed manual with optional overdrive, with an additional Hydramatic option appearing in ’61. Body styles were the 4-door 6 passenger saloon, and a 5-door estate car (i.e., station wagon, for us in the Americas).
Of the body styles, the saloon is the looker. Roger Carr covered an estate car a while back, which showed there were… let’s say, compromises in adding a utilitarian spin to this space age design. That, plus body upgrade limitations on that model, as mother GM may have been wealthy, but wasn’t eager to spoil her children rotten. Especially those overseas. Or so it feels.
As most can surmise, the car has been thoroughly restored with its new color combo replacing a white/pink treatment. Clearly, the current owner is aiming to keep this little rocket flying over the roads a good deal longer. A chance to show 21st Century folks what life in the Rocket-Age was like. Or more precisely, dreamt as.
Related CC reading:
1961 Vauxhall Cresta Estate by Friary – Not Elegant But Good Enough For Some
Snapshot from 1960: Vauxhall Cresta PA – The British Oldsmobile
Beautiful car!
WOW! A pseudo Buickallac with front end by Packard. I’d be Crestfallen to have this in my driveway. It IS Famboyant but not IMO up to the OTT excessively chromed upscale LAND YACHTS from the Good Old USA!
I love these! The most successful application of US styling to a European product IMHO. The Ford Zephyr/Zodiac from the same time period were almost as well done.
The facelift version gained a 1 piece wraparound rear screen and tidied detailing. Although they drove very nicely and were great cruisers with the overdrive, these rusted furiously unfortunately, meaning very few survived.
This one is lovely!
Interesting is the speedo tops out at 100, presumably in kph, so top speed was only 62 mph?
No that’ll be miles per hour. We never metricated distances here. Not sure I’d want to go much over sixty in a Cresta though, the handling wasn’t great and neither were the brakes, OK for the time but not good in today’s traffic though.
Both Autocar and The Motor recorded top speeds of 90mph in their 1958 road tests, but mid ’80s would have been the sustainable level. The later 2.6 models were faster and could reach mid 90s.
Overall the styling is smoother than the contemporary Victor. Both front and rear screens have some curvature top to bottom blending them into the roof shape. Once quite common: two parked adjacent in this 1962 photo. The one on the left is the 1959 model with revised front grille (and would have a single piece rear screen).
Pedal in the carpet produced 93mph, faster than the MK2 Zephyr and Isis.
Interesting find, and an odd looking mashup, indeed.
From the rear, I thought 1960 Mercury with the droopy taillights.
Those tail lights were very popular with customisers here and got fitted onto almost everything and became rare long before PA vauxhalls themselves started to disappear
AI’s idea of a 1960 car!. The only thing missing from a proper AImobile is 7 headlights.
And, now, for something completely different.
And now for something incredibly familiar, the PA series were common in NZ very very popular cars but not the PAD model ie Cresta, those were not locally assembled only the Velox and those only came in solid colour if you wanted two tone it was a dealer installed option.
The bigger grille model that shed the 3 piece rear glass was the PAY model in Velox or PADY in Cresta, the next restyle was a much better car c designated PAX & PADX respectively it had a stiffer stronger bodyshell bigger engine bigger brakes and 14 inch wheels, sycromesh on all 3 gears, a British 1st, and could do the ton, road testers got new cars to test not well run in tuned cars without a muffler, the last version PASX/PADSX got wood cappings on the doors longer wiper arms and the ashtray on the top of the dashboard.
They were nice cars to drive didnt handle all that well by modern standards with soft suspension, they corner on the doorhandles but will hang the tail out controllably, radial tyres made a massive difference on my 61, my 60 model had radials when I bought it.
The first Cresta was in 56 not 54, and was in response to 6 cylinder BMC cars like the A90 six, Morris Isis, Fords Zodiac and others that have been owned by yours truly.
My dad was company sec of a GM dealership that sold Chevrolets, Vauxhalls and Bedford trucks in fairly good numbers for the size of their operation, they took on Australian Holdens when Chevy assembly was about to stop of course my dad bought one, Huge leap backwards in every department from the Velox he traded in no synco on 1sr horrible ride less power, it was very agricultural and thing fell off, Vauxhalls rusted nearly as fast as the cheaper Holdens but were much nicer cars.
What does “PA”/”PAD”/PAX”,allude too? (or mean?) t/y
They denote Vauxhall’s model codes for successive versions of the PA, which was sold in two versions: Velox (base) and Cresta (upmarket).
From 1957-59, the Velox model code was PA S (for Standard), and the Cresta was PA D (for Deluxe).
In 1960 there was an update (bigger grille, single-piece rear window), and the Velox code changed to PA SY and the Cresta to PA DY.
In 1961 there was another update (different rear fins/lights, new interior and engine), so the Velox code changed to PA SX and the Cresta to PS DX.
Ah. Thanks . Talk about confusing.
Somehow, Mr Bryce, I had a suspicion you might pipe up…
Amazing looking “mo bile”! Dash pic is nice; pic of the interior is needed. All kinds a “angles/curves”, going on.
Hard to judge. We talking something the size of an early “60’s, Rambler Classic”, here?
105″ wheelbase, 177⅔” long, 68½” width, 57″ high so slightly smaller than a ’60s Rambler Classic, though a large family car by contemporary British standards. Having said that, size creep was a thing then too. By 1972 the FE Victor had equalled the wheelbase and exceeded the length of the PA.
Until 1964 General Motors Holden (GMH) sold Australian CKD assembled Vauxhall Cresta’s as its middle level car. Comparable to Oldsmobile / Buick status in the USA.
The order in Australia from 1949 to 1970 was as follows:
* High End Luxury – Pontiac & Chevrolet (in that order)
* Middle level – Vauxhall Cresta & Velox
* Working Class Entry Level – Holden
The GMH built Holden was effectively the Australian peoples car as Chevrolet was in the USA. Chevrolet & Pontiac were high end Cadillac class for Australians.
The Vauxhall Cresta was higher than a ‘working class’ Holden but below Chevrolet & Pontiac.
GMH offered Australians a car for every pocket.
I like it, gobs of chrome and all those sharp curves ! .
Being an inline 6 cylinder would also tickle my fancy .
-Nate
This car looks like a bucket of assholes.
I’d go lower – it looks like the guy who collected them for the bucket.
To exactly nobody’s shock and surprise, I approve of the turn signals.
I also like the way the rear door handles are effectively the start of the fins; a kind of chromed, flying buttress.
Why, what are these things you mention, Mr Stern? And what function might they perform? They’re certainly not known in these private school suburbs, I must say.
CC effect: driving through a rural New Zealand town yesterday and saw a yellow Cresta driving into the local supermarket carpark. It was the facelift model with single-piece rear window and simplified fins and taillights. I prefer the taillights of the pre-facelift versions, but in this day and age any PA Cresta is a delight to behold.
I’ve adored these PAs since I first saw an article on them in a short-lived publication called “The Road Back” in the 90s, quite stunning styling for a British car of the era. There’s plenty of info and fascinating pics on Vauxpedia (http://vauxpedianet.uk2sitebuilder.com/vauxhall-pa—velox-cresta-part-1), including pics of a proposed facelift with the GM flying wing roofline grafted on! Sadly, they’re almost non-existent in South Africa although I have seen one or two for sale, not always very sympathetically restored though.
Wow, that flying wing version looks quite spectacular – it would have offered superb visibilty! What a great resource Vauxpedia is too.
Had the facelifted version as a speedway ‘Bomber’ Evil handling on the dirt tracks, until I got as much neg camber and positive castor as I could into the front end.
Transformed it from evil to merely bad.
With it’s reverse slant A pillars making the side window too small to climb in through, we’d climb on the bonnet and enter through the windscreen appature. Driver first, then the passenger.
These things sit at a very low order of aesthetic development in my hierarchy, lying somewhere beneath the primeval swamp bottom, offending there against all known laws of decency. The ill-thought application of US-sized affectations upon what is, by comparison, a skinny tiddler, resulted in the gargoyle you see. Simply put, it doesn’t work.
Worse, in this country, they arrived for assembly as kits, with a nice, long, marinating sea-voyage to rust all the bits that even England’s climate couldn’t, and England could rust even the leather on these.
All that bile released, I’ve got to salute the owner. They have clearly re-mortgaged their house and several of the neighbours’ to re-chrome, re-build and generally re-do this old bargette into such magnificent condition. Look at those panel gaps, folks! That is one seriously nice car.
I only knew about the Vauxhall Cresta because I had the Matchbox car. They came in various colors and two-tones; I have the copper one.
Intriguing looks–so much more impressive when you see the car in real life. What an American ’50s barge would look like if you shrunk it. The dash looks nicer than expected.