Beauty Queen

On a dusty Phillip Island race circuit one Sunday in 1960, a most unlikely racing car left its one and only impression on Australian motor sporting history.

The event was the very first Armstrong 500, the car finishing first a PA Series Vauxhall Cresta driven by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh.

The PA model was released onto the British market in late 1957 and arrived a few months later in Australia. As a replacement for the smaller and decidedly conservative E Series cars, the PA delivered a shock to Vauxhall buyer sensibilities that resurfaced a few years later when Holden devotees saw the radically-shaped HD.

Performance offered by the original PA models was well adrift of their sensational looks. The 2.2-litre six-cylinder engine that had existed since 1952 was mildly upgraded to deliver 58kW but genuine pace had to wait until 1960 and the arrival of the slightly restyled but 22 percent more powerful PADX version.

These came with 2.6-litre engines that developed 70.5kW and plenty of low-end torque. Three-speed manual transmission was standard with Hydramatic optional. Also on the options list were power-assisted front disc brakes which, from late 1962, became a standard feature on PB cars.

Following the trend set by General Motors' 1950s US designs, PA front and rear windows wrapped tightly around the passenger area and there were the obligatory tiny tailfins. Equally distinctive were large, ovoid tail-lamps that mounted vertically in the rear mudguards with indicators sitting Pontiac-like in the ends of each fin. Pre-1960 models had three-section rear windows and fluted front mudguards.

Interior trim offered buyers the choice of traditional or modern fabrics - two-tone leather or brushed nylon with matching carpets in Crestas, vinyl seats and floor coverings in the Velox. An interesting variation and one that was never sold in Australia (although a few came in as private imports) was the oddly-shaped and named Friary estate. Among the model's illustrious owners was HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

The last big Vauxhalls to be sold in Australia were PB Series cars that arrived in 1963 and were pitted against the similarly-sized EH Holden. With the EH offering a potent 179 cubic inch (2.8 litre) engine and luxurious Premier variant, there really wasn't much market space left for Vauxhall to occupy and the PBs were withdrawn in 1965.

Velox and Cresta versions were sold, both with the 2.6-litre motor and optional automatic. A wider track and more compact body made the PB a little more nimble and disc brakes on both models ranked them among the best-braked in their price range.