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VFE003    Imperial Green (Queen Elizabeth) Cresta Friary Estate

                                                                                                  1:43 Scale

In late 1958, a Cresta cost £1,073, including £358 purchase tax. It was the kind of car you desperately hoped your dad would get next and, as the M1 opened in 1959, increasing numbers of people looking for relaxed motorway cruisers did. With a youthful Cliff Richard in the charts and coffee bars springing up in every town, these ritzy Vauxhalls were an integral part of modern Britain just before the 1960s exploded. By the time the car was replaced by the far less appealing PB range in 1962, 173,604 PAs had been made. Crestas and Veloxes saw their darkest hours in the 1970s. By then, they were regarded as worthless old bangers, and usually driven by ageing Teddy Boys (Dusty had one!) desperate to keep the spirit of the 1950s alive. That any PAs survived at all is a miracle because the cars' inability to stave off rust was legendary - ironically, it was often the join between the body panels and those wraparound front and rear screens that turned into a highly corrosive gutter.
Today, though, they're highly sought after - particularly the rare "three-window" examples, and the estates. This months Cresta Friary Estate was the Queen's favourite car for years at Sandringham and probably less than 40 of this style survives. They are worth up to £6,000 in perfect condition, so a few years salary and Dusty can add one to his fleet!