1961 Vauxhall Cresta PA - Raw Classic Cars
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The Vauxhall Cresta PA was a visual turning point for Vauxhall saloon cars. Take a look at this 1961 Cresta PA exterior, interior and drive observation / review to see why.
Credits:
Odyssey Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons...
Back in the 60 s when I was a small kid, a neighbour had a stunning black Cresta, absolutely beautiful, amazing to see driving about.
A very nice presentation.Some of these early 1960's Vauxhall cars were sold in Australia at dedicated Vauxhall showrooms. This model (or possibly the Velox) actually won the first series production car race at Phillip Island in 1960 before the venue was changed to the famed annual Bathurst 500(later 1000) production car race in 1963.Happy days indeed and thanks for the memories:)
Neale Only 28 left on the road in the UK? - I recon there would be at least 28+ of these vehicles still on the road in Aussie as they were fairly common in their day. Usually see the odd one or two at car shows & being a warmer climate probably didn't rust quite as badly as in the UK with salt being added to the roads.
Yes, it was the Cresta
God it's been a long time since I've seen one of them wonderful.
if ever I win the lottery this is my first purchase, have loved these cars since I was young.
I had one of these cars two tone as well, nice car.
The background music didn't bother me at all. Just a point but the 3 window PA was the first 58 model. later models were as this 61 shows, a one piece window. A very nice car that with a bit more care could make it a really good show car. Really nice to see it and thanks for posting.
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL
Shades of a different era. Literally. Enjoyed your respectful description of this dated but still gorgeous car. I want to go back and drive it around at 30 mph without p...ing anyone off!
I OWNED ONE OF THESE IN THE 1960s IN GOLD AND PALE YELLOW,ONE OF THE BEST CARS I EVE OWNED!🧑
Beautiful. I grew up in Rhodesia with these type vehicles. Never had the opportunity to drive or own the crests.
Fantastic car, it looked like something from the future at the time!
loved the PA Cresta, as so few about these days
A lovely car to drive, and seats 6 people. The American designed engine was very torquey and could pull smoothly from 20mph in top gear. The suspension was as good as a Jag, so you could hos it around those country lanes, but with more roll than a Jag. Spongy steering was par for the course in that era due to too many rubber bushes in the linkage, but you get used to it. Much better to to drive than the Ford Zephyr/Zodiac models.
Takes me back, My Dad had a 61 Velox after a long string of Consuls, Zephyrs and other Fords. We loved it. In the late 70' after I passed my test I owned 2, a two tone yellow Cresta ( had an original valve radio too) and a Maroon Velox with overdrive. Both had Whitehall tyres, a must! There was a guy who lived locally who had a mint black and grey Cresta which I believe, may have been bought off the owner, by Vauxhall for their museum. Saddened to hear that there could only be 29 left on the road, if so, I saw two of them recently.
I had several cresta PA's apart from massive rust problems was the knee breaking wrap around windscreen the amount of time's i hit my knees getting in and out im suppressed i can still walk apart from these 2 big faults they were a fantastic car of the fifties and early 60's next to the ford 2.6cc of the same era.
Served my time repairing bodywork {rot} on all these Vauxhalls
That straight 6 was quite a low revving engine, and would happily idle @500 rpm, it would eventually be taken out to 3294cc for the “PC” Cresta & Viscount models along with the FD Ventora. The steering was via a box with a lot of linkages so while being easy to drive on the move it could be heavier at parking speeds than a car with rack & pinion steering.
Absolutely brilliant! 😀
Reminds me when my passengers, on the rear seat, shouted at me as the spring hanger and springs went through the trim and the car bottomed. It was left on the side of the road and we walked home. It had a mind of its own as far as steering was concerned!
I bought this car when I was 19,!! Worked my balls off for it,,,,cost £375 ,!,,I’m now 74 and wish I’d kept it,💕💕💕👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Had this model in 1972 - same colour scheme (though the red was slightly more maroon) - I took my driving test in it with a cracked bell-housing that made pulling away very problematic...... Loved that car and a photo above my PC screen reminds me it's a Goal to tick off my bucket-list (If I win the Lottery that is :-)
I really like the design and looks of this car. Haven't seen one for sale in the US, especially with left hand drive.
I knew someone in the 1980s who squeezed a V12 Jag engine and running gear into one of these, went really well. He sold it to someone who wrote it off withing three days of buying it.
In his final thoughts he says that in his opinion "... it is not as usable as a later car, such as a Triumph Stag" . Why do people compare cars of different types? The Stag is not a family cruiser, it's a sports car. I would have thought the Cresta would be a perfect car for the purpose it was built (even possibly for present day usage), a roomy boot, plenty of passenger space. How would the Stag measure up as a functional family cruiser?
Probably the best of all the rust buckets
Could have bought one in 1971 for £100, but was on £3 a week back then,so it was a lot of dosh, would love one now.
Very nice video, love it.I used to work on pa's as an apprentice mechanic at the main Vauxhall dealers in Nottingham, Oscrofts, on castle boulevard....I always gave them a good road test after a full service brilliant to drive. I used to replace the broken wavy washer that caused the gear lever to rattle. don't forget the knee knocker when getting into the vehicle lol. 90 mph was the most I ever got out of one, then nearly s##t myself when I could't stop because of brake fade, this particular car had front drum brakes....brilliant....
starboy_barry My dad had one, a 1960 it was the 2651cc engine & face lift shape (one piece rear window) but still had the older circular dials & rear indicator lights situated in the rear fins . I actually preferred those older 'pure' features . I got that one up to an 'indicated' 100mph with my mates as passengers & they all cheered as most were stuck with Ford pops or Austin A30s that topped out at about 70 !! I then pushed my own boat out & bought an old 3.8 Jag that made even the Cresta feel like it was going backwards (until I 'smoked' the big ends !!)
@graghams taylor
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Gorgeous car
I had one for 3 years great car
very well presented details accompanying the various captures of the vehicle from various angles in and out, both standing and in motion - I enjoyed this well put together video a lot and will refrain from comments on the music ;-)
I keep seeing articles about the Cresta and others and comments about its similarities to American cars. Its true but why is the 1958 to 1961 Vauxhall Victor and Envoy Special always ignored. They look much more like the 55 and 56 Chev then the Cresta. I have several of them and i loved those cars. Nice looking and nice to drive. Very rare now because they rusted badly here in Canada but i still have one good enough to restore. I also no of someone who had quite a nice Cresta over here. Last i heard it was sitting on a farm.
Beautiful! 😍😍
WISH THEY WOULD BRING THIS CAR BACK TODAY WITH a modern engine would sell like hot cakes also ford zodiac
People would soon tire of no electric windows, airbags, continual maintenance etc.....Alright to take out once a week, but not as a daily driver. It's easy to forget how inferior they are compared to modern cars!
I agree whole heartedly, they brought back the mini, fiat 500 and beetle.
I saw two these for sale in a dealer showroom in the mid 60s. 165 pounds each. The guy took us for a spin in one even though I'd said I couldn't afford one. Nice car for its time. Bit of a banger these days though..
They were common when i was a kid. Also the earlier Vauxhall Velox n Cresta. Strong shrunken American styling. My mums eldest sister had one. My Dad by then had a Mk1 Jag so he thought it was rubbish. Aussie Holdens are similar, heavy steering, 6 cylinders, 3 speed column, float like boat, thirsty.
Great car, bench seats, column change gear shift, shooting stick hand brake, and did 100 mph.
Front and rear lights are from different model years???
I bet that big back seat saw some action .
Just loved this wonderful car. I didn't even know it existed as an european/UK car, as I thought a car like this could only be american. These kind of cars makes you feel very special when you drive them but unfortunately they are not suitable for our tiny and crowded european countries with narrow roads.
The reason why the steering is vague and there's tons of free play is because of the ridiculous number of turns lock to lock. Most cars today are 2.5 turns lock to lock but then they're power assisted. Back in the 50's and early 60's when few cars were power assisted, it wasn't uncommon for 5+ turns lock to lock. That's why the steering on many old cars is imprecise and boat like.
Having said all that, the Cresta PA is a really cool car and looks very expensive. Beautiful interior.
As for Vauxhall copying US designs, there's a reason for this. For the first 60 years of the 20th century, the US car industry was undoubtedly the best in the world. What went wrong?!?
One thing that went wrong was focusing on ridiculous styling rather than on upgrading the chassis.
@@boggy7665 - Good point. Another issue was that the US car industry stopped innovating with regards to engine design and had the view that there was "no replacement for displacement". They paid the price for this folly.
I had one of these except mine was a Velox 59 if i remember correctly, the speedo colour alsl change's from orange to red at 50 mph
The front is a direct rip of Dick Teague's 1955 restyle for Packard's senior models. The roofline is quite obviously GM circa 1958, as is the front and rear glass and the swept back quarter window. I actually saw a couple of imported Vauxhalls in California in the 1960s, both Veloxes that look like a miniature 1958 Buick. These Vauxhalls were technologically advanced in braking from their US cousins, which didn't embrace discs until the mid-1960s. A lovely car...but I'd rather drive my E-type V12...when I'm not busy working on it.
Cresta the top of the line model and no armrests front or back, were these left out of the rebuild because of cost.
I was surprised by how utilitarian the interior looks; plain door cards and lots of exposed metal.
No armrests on the doors? At least on the driver's door?
I think your comparisons with US and UK cars were a bit unfair, if not contrived. The 1957 Humber model you showed had been in existence since the early 50s and finished in 57, when it was replaced by a much more US looking model. Similarly, Ford had started to produce US looking cars in 1951 - Consuls and Zephyrs. Ditto the 1952 Vauxhall Velox and Victor of 1957. Still, the 57-61 Cresta was very daring, so much so, that it was gradually toned down in 59 and 61. The 61 final incarnation was the best looking in my opinion.
The Specials......ghosttown
GM Europe should have reused the Cresta name for the Cascada convertible. It's a great name for a car.
Ghost town by the specials
She is a beauty. I wonder what the value is?
Some local nutter had old cars in his garden, including a '60 version of this..........wouldn't sell.....I say '60 version as this one appears to have '61 rear lights?? Maybe the other way around considering the 2.6 engine. No arm rest on the front door cards either..........guess the part are hard to come by.
🎉 what a lovely mature lady! Still going strong?...
Somebody has sold off the original number plate which devalues the car,the present one is off a farm implement in Aberdeenshire.
Thanks for doing this but could you upload a version without the annoying "music". Cheers.
I had one of these a 1961 with the 2.6 ltr engine and the overdrive what fool put that round badge thing on the bonnet they did not come on this model they was put on the 1959 ones with the split rear windows I sold mine in the 1970s when the cost of petrol went through the roof had a small car for a while but soon went back to a 1965 one with the 3.3 engine loved that one that car was fast for the 70s
Has she ‘hopefully’ gone back to her original registration number as a check has come back as nothing
My Dad had one in 58 ish!
Jukebox Cresta PA🇬🇧
Salut my friend super car super video subscribe subscribe ..
Sorry.But i cannot listen with that awful background music spoiling it.It sounds like 1980s pac man.Pity.
My parents had one of these when I was a kid. Real pretty, but a dreadful rotbox. The body panels seemed to have been made from ginger biscuit...
wrong it,s a 1961 Velox PB
No your wrong pa.
Take a good look at 0:44. The Cresta nameplate appears under the driver's door vent window frame.
great motors but didnt they rust
The steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car.
You must be a Yank who drives on the wrong side of the road and drinks cold beer. ;)
overrated,too expensive, when new they were rubbish,fortunately the bad ones have been broken or scrapped, saw plenty of jack ups and junk for sale in the 90s including one which had a skim of concrete in the front door., bad vehicles for british climate, plenty of rust traps, front steering assembly had a habit of departing from the rest of the vehicle when cornering.nightmare to get panels and chrome for, not worth buying a restoration job...most restoration jobs will have had the good bits removed and sold on......as of Feb 2019, theres actually 32 PA crestas licensed on the road in Uk with a further 11 off the road on SORN....
Would we be right in assuming you don't like these cars!?
1 owned one when I was 19 yo,! In 1963, it was a real pussy magnet back then fellas,,lol, 😂😂
lets compare the 1956 Lagonda , Jaguar , Aston Martin , Bentley , Jenson , Austin Healey to name a few , all faster than the Chevy / Caddy and can go round bends ......
Pity about the agricultural Aberdeen number plate.
There's a good chance that the PA lost it's original tag after being off the road for a long time, or the original was sold as a 'cherished' reg. Scottish registrations were issued as 'age related' plates due to large numbers of Scottish tags being unissued when the authorities in more densely populated areas south of the border had exhausted their three letter, three no. combinations
Great car its like a giant piece of antique great video the people moaning about the music need to GET A LIFE!
Love the simplicity of the engine compared to today's cars.
Around 61 when I was 5, a neighbour bought one of these new. It was red and grey with the grey being where this one is white. He ran the car for over 30 years. always looked an impressive car.
My Dad bought one second hand in 64. I was six years old and spent hours sitting in the window gazing at it. To me, it was the most beautiful car in the world. It gave me a lifelong love of finned chrome beauties, especially the American fifties autos. I hate the bland jelly mold clones that inhabit todays roads. Bring back some style!
Beautiful motor and a nicely judged commentary, just the right amount of time spent showing us over the car before taking us for a spin.
Utterly unique styling; pity such a concept has disappeared, with car manufacturers terrified that their products might actually look different from the opposition.
Always loved the Cresta PA, definitely the most American looking UK car of its era.
Still look,s modern
Not so much an American looking car, but a Luton stylist's idea of an American looking car.
@paul austin Yes, really. I saw one of these in a local shopping centre the other week and thought again how it had missed the mark.
@@doubledee9675 9980090
@@guillermocornejo8803 ?
Probably the prettiest car I’ve ever owned.
It was a rust bucket and went faster than it’s handling and brakes should have.
Loved it.
Loved this car my favourite classic.
That background music is unnecessary and distracting
Haha, I didn't really even notice the music until you pointed it out
I love these cars,never had one unfortunately but good to see some being preserved.
Shite music, you must have spent months of research finding something that bad, but I liked the rest.
You're right the music is totally shite, i want to throw up.
@@benvanau Such miserable weird people moaning about music. Get a life!
The rear door handle flows very well into the fins. Unique.
When I was at school a young female student-teacher drove a Cresta. (rich daddy)
She must have sickened all the male teachers off with their Ford Populars. Haha!
+Josh Rogan : Snap !!! .. In the early to mid 1960s we had a very young Domestic Science teacher called Miss Pritchett who wore disgustingly short mini-skirts ... was extremely attractive and had a salmon-pink PA Cresta complete with leopard-skin seat covers and steering-wheel cover ... it was a co-ed school and although she only taught the girls she was a great favourite with the senior boys who she would chat to at break-times. One day we had a change of Headmaster ... he was an 'old school' type and he had an early Farina-style Austin Cambridge on which the maroon paintwork had already gone dull. Within the first few days of his tenure he summarily dismissed her because of her "undignified mode of dress". She chucked all her stuff in the Cresta and went smearing off down the school driveway leaving tyre-tracks on the tarmac. It was a very spectacular exit and her's was the only car in the teachers' car-park that could have spun the back wheels. All the others had old Hillman Minx or Ford Popular four-cylinder groaners or similar. The Cresta was the coolest car that the teachers' car-park had ever seen. Those were the days Josh !
What's with the effing "music"?
Thank you for all the great comments, likes and subscribers. I intend to get more videos uploaded once the great British weather warms up a bit so stay tuned!
Raw Classic Cars vauxhall Cresta PA 1961 facelift🇬🇧
Mooi
This car brings me back when I was a young man. I had have Velox 1954, 1955, 1955 and Cresta 1959, 1961, 1965 And my heart belongs to Cresta 1959 if I can find one for sale I buy it!!
I worked as an apprentice welder from 1954/ 1960. then failed my medical for the army(flat feet) on the way home from the medical after having the good news of getting out of national service, I pulled into a garage and saw this wonderful white and pink Vauxhall cresta and bought it on the knock, I can tell you I loved that car, it drove like a dream, even had a radio in it (most cars then didn't have one) ive had many cars since including an e type jaguar, but whenever I see an old cresta it brings back so many happy memories, yes it still is a great car.
@@colinellis8661
It was TOYOTA who first installed a RADIO in their cars as standard.
Now can you tell me what RADIO actually means?
The chances are you won't have a clue. as the English language pronunciation is
wrong, perhaps deliberately to obfuscate the meaning.
First;y it is not an English word .. There is your first clue.
@@colinellis8661 I had one for three years in the early 70s a 1961 PA 2.6Litre. I also have my fondest memories with this car. I take it you have seen the HubNut UA-cam video with him and a Cresta
@@andrew_koala2974 ..go back to sleep
I had a drive of one of these , when I was very young, I thought it was superb, the steering was brilliant like Ford Consuls & Zephyrs effortless holding a straight line, I think less hard work than some modern cars. Cars of these eras were bullet proof, they rarely missed a beat, red lights never came up, there was usually only one for the generator. Extremely cheap to maintain, miles better than new cars, quick & easy to get at anything, totally simple, quick to do anything.
My family owned two Vauxhall's, one was the 1958 Victor F, and the other was the '58 Cresta ( not the PA model) therefore less chrome. I seem to remember just how peppy these cars felt, once I was allowed to drive them ! The Cresta, being powered with that OHV in-line 6 cylnder was the more powerful, but both were impressive, for the day.
I do wish I could have both of these here with me today!
Would love to have a cresta
A beautiful classic and the full front seats just love it !
They look magic, with their juke box styling but they had a dreadful reputation for rust, long before other cars did.
What an absolute beauty of a car!
Blimey, is this from Vauxhalls Heritage museum--or a bottom up full restoration? Fantastic looking car. I was a teenager when this came out, I like it better now.
Looks like a 1962 to me with the all in one tail light, from 59 to 61 the pa had large oval tail light and the indicators in the fins. you can see where the oval tail light has been replaced with a large chrome insert, but still a very classy car its a shame they rusted so badly
My dream car but I want the 3 window model with indicators in the fins and the earlier straight front grill.
The MOST Beautiful British Car - Ever - Bar NONE!! 👍😎
Really annoying background music...
Ma's second car was a 58 Vauxhall PA Velox. Same car not quite as fancy. In the course of 8 years it proved very reliable. It could be relied upon to get you to your destination OR get you back. Nobody relied on it for both directions. The gear shift used to freeze one the temperature went below freezing. It was broken for parts at 8 years old because the rot was so bad it was not safe. The structure inside was no more than piles of powder. Nice looking cars, but the beauty was skin deep
My dream car, although I'd prefer a 3 window with the straight upper grille.
I had one of these. in1968. It was brilliant. You could put start it put it in gear get it moving then get out of the car and jog alongside it . Used to do this on an old runway while serving in the RN Both my friends had these too. The bench seats were brilliant like single beds 😜. Also they ere so easy to work on I took the engine apart and replaced all pistons and Big end bearings in a small lock up garage with no special.tools I just improvised and jacked up the engine block.
Why the ridiculous music?
Mmmmmmm mmmmmm. Memories! My best mate Neil across the road his Dad had a PA, my Dad had a PB, going for a ride in either was a treat but the PA was always my favourite, it was the coolest car in the street, two tone yellow and white and had so.much more presence and verve than the plain white PB my Dad had. With the straight 6 engine it was quick and powerful but Dad didnt have it for long as the fuel consumption wasn't very good. Such happy memories though❤
Non original wheel discs....shame!
And no whitewalls! 😱
@@steveb4012 I mean, a significant portion of the car's white already. Whitewalls would just look weird here.