Three-quarter front view of a Grey and Brown, 1960, Vauxhall Cresta PA, on display at the 2023 Deal Classic Car show
The PA Cresta was announced on 2 October 1957. It mimicked the American fashion for tail-fins, wrap-around windows and white-wall tyres, taking its cues from the 1957 model Buick Special announced twelve months before the Cresta, though understated compared to the Cadillacs and Buicks of the time. All factory-built PAs were four-door saloons: the estate cars were converted by Friary of Basingstoke, Hampshire and are rare today. The PA Cresta had independent front suspension using coil springs and an anti-roll bar with a rigid axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. The Lockheed brakes used 9 in (230 mm) drums all round. Carried over from the last of the E series cars, the 2,262 cc six-cylinder engine had pushrod-operated overhead valves and a compression ratio of :1 (a low compression :1 version was available); it produced bhp ( kW) at 4,400 rpm. A single Zenith carburettor was used. The transmission had three forward speeds. It was well equipped with leather and nylon upholstery for its bench front and rear seats and woven pile carpet. A heater was fitted as standard. The radio remained an option on the home market. Other options included fog lamps, reversing light, locking filler cap and external mirrors. In order to keep the front floor clear to seat six people the handbrake lever was mounted under the dashboard and the gearchange lever was column mounted. The car could be ordered painted in either single or two tone colours. A PA tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of mph ( km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in seconds. A petrol consumption of miles per imperial gallon ( L/100 km; mpg‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £1073 including taxes of £358.[6] They tested the Litre version with overdrive in 1960 and found the top speed had increased to mph ( km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) to seconds and fuel consumption improved to mpg
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Betteshanger Country Park, Sandwich Rd, Deal
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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