Unusual Vauxhall

[oldford]

A friend of mine has just finished a restoration of this, it was due to make it's show debut at Billing on the weekend just gone:

 

 

[garycox]

That looks AWESOME.

[AeroNautiCal]

What a honey!

 

Not seen a three door Cresta before.

[messerschmitt owner]

who did the conversion - it doesn't look like any of the martin Walters or Friary conversions. Looks like a 1959 or 60 too.

[Cavcraft]

Jesus, what a honey.

[vulgalour]

That's a handsome old bus. Looks ever so slightly hearse-y with that long rear window and at a quick glance that's what I thought it might have been, but the roof line is far too low for that to be so.

[eddyramrod]

That is just gorgeous, I want!

As for detail: the rear wings are the early style, 1957-60, but the bonnet, with the raised lip, suggests 1960-62. There was a one-year overlap as you can see. However the front indicators are the 1961-62 style; for 1960 individual round units were used. The dashtop looks like the early style too (again, changed for the 1961 model year) but obviously I don't have a good view of that.

I'm inclined to think this is a homebrew, as the Cresta wasn't made in two-door form. Looking at this though, it should have been! If it is homebrew it's extremely good. I wonder if it was based on an original hearse?

[messerschmitt owner]

there were some estate conversions that were three door!

 

The car has the 1959-60 rear lights, and I'm guessing the 2.3 litre engine of the 59-60 Cresta with the indicators in the rear fins. The 1960 on cars had the 2.6 litre engine.

I've had both a 59 and a 61 Cresta and the grilles at the front are the same on either, although the speedos are different IIRC.

[michael1703]

australian built?

[dollywobbler]

Believe it's actually a conversion of 5-door estate. Looks amazing, if a little hearse-like. Which is no bad thing in my book!

[DSdriver]

Not sure if I like it, it doesn't quite look right to me. Perhaps its just the colour or maybe the bottom edge of the rear windows should have come a bit lower at the front.

Anyway I ramble, what I was going to ask was: how do you get into the back seats as the front seat is a full width bench seat from the look of things?

[trigger]

The owner of this also built this amazing Velox I've posted before.

 

1958 Vauxhall Velox by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1958 Vauxhall Velox by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1958 Vauxhall Velox by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[eddyramrod]

Overdose! Two lush PAs in one thread... M'seiu Ambassadeur, you are spoiling us!

[morris_ital_lover]

Indeed, lovely Vauxhalls... As for the subject of the thread it looks like an Irish hearse which generally seem to have had a lower roofline than their British counterparts.

[oldford]

From what I've been told, it originally started out life as a 4 door saloon. I believe that the previous owner did the conversion which included fabricating the panels and making the door skins, which is an amazing feat.

 

Eddy, I could spoil you a little more with pics of two more of his:

 

 

With this under the bonnet:

 

 

And this one, which doesn't look too good on top

 

 

Which he has done underneath

 

 

 

[eddyramrod]

As if I wasn't feeling faint enough from the heat..! Where is this artist? I want to meet him when I'm back...

[eddyramrod]

Definitely!

[fotorabia]

[trigger]

[oldford]

Where did you spot that then Trigger?

 

This was taken at Billing last Saturday:

 

[pbottomley]

Ahhh the water I remember it well, lapping at my neck at 3am

[trigger]

A friend took it in Felixstowe at a fish and chip run on Wednesday, He said the roofs a bit up and down, I think it needs a set of wheel wall tires myself.