Head-on shot of Vauxhall Cresta PA on display as part of the Sandwich Classic Car Rally 2009
Head-on shot of Vauxhall Cresta PA on display as part of the Sandwich Classic Car Rally 2009. The Vauxhall Cresta is a British car first introduced in 1954 as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox (itself a six cylinder version of the Vauxhall Wyvern). When the Wyvern was replaced in 1957 the new larger car took the Cresta name. This car, code named the PA version one, was one of the more elegant British cars of the late 1950s even though it was not sufficiently upmarket for it to be driven by those who considered themselves the elite of British society. Rock stars could drive them; barristers and doctors would not. This was ironic, because Queen Elizabeth II for many years used an Estate version as personal transport. The PA Cresta is probably the most well-known version. It mimicked the American fashion for giant tailfins, wrap-around windows and whitewall tyres but in an understated way compared to the Cadillacs and Buicks of the time. It bears a strong resemblance to a 1955 Packard Caribbean. All factory-built PAs were 4-Door Saloons, the Estate cars were converted by Friary of Basingstoke, Hampshire and are rare cars today.
Size: 5050px × 3360px
Location: Sandwich, Kent, UK
Photo credit: © John Gaffen 2 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1960, 4-door, automotive, bonet, british, car, chrome, classic, cresta, front, grill, headlights, pa, saloon, transport, tyre, vauxhall, vauxhalltransport, vehicle, view, whitewall, windows, wrap-
