UK's rarest cars: 1964 Vauxhall Cresta Radford, the only one left

Telegraph

2 days ago

In 1964, owning a Cresta Radford meant you had – hopefully – joined the social elite. With such a car, your neighbours and business colleagues alike would recognise you as a person of substance. But 61 years later, Tony Park's Vauxhall is believed to be the sole surviving example.
The Vauxhall Radford, as it was billed in publicity materials, resulted from Harold Radford (Coachbuilders) Ltd diversifying from Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. In 1962, Peter Sellers commissioned its coachbuilding rival Hooper to undertake £1,800 of work on his Morris Mini Cooper to create the ultimate town car. The firm also produced a Ford Zodiac Mk3 Hooper.
That year, Harold Radford, a figure the press once described as a 'socialite coachbuilder', met with David Jones, Vauxhall's head of styling, at the London Motor Show. The event marked the launch of the Cresta PB and Radford saw the potential for a specially equipped model for motorists with Jaguar MkX aspirations but not quite a Jaguar MkX income.
On 11 October 1963, this newspaper reported on a '2.6-litre Vauxhall Cresta for the business executive'. Such an important individual clearly merited a Cresta with special wheel trims, a new grille, quad headlights and integral fog lamps. There was also a rear window demister (still an uncommon device in 1963), extra brake lights and marker lamps on the C-pillars. Separate height-adjustable reclining front seats replaced the standard bench, with Radford stating: 'Needless to say, they are trimmed in finest quality hide.'
The Cresta Radford's list of equipment further included lambswool carpeting and West of England cloth headlining, a transistor radio with an electric aerial, red warning lights in the front doors, an ammeter and an oil pressure gauge. Meanwhile, rear seat passengers benefited from adjustable reading lamps, picnic tables and a glove locker incorporated into the central armrest.
Sybaritic buyers could also specify a full-length Webasto sunroof and a sliding glass division between front and rear seats. As with the standard Cresta, the transmission choices were three-speed manual, as on Park's car, with or without overdrive, or a two-pedal Hydramatic self-shifter. Vauxhall marked the Radford via a select group of dealers in areas with well-heeled customers.
The in-house journal Vauxhall Motorist enthused: 'If you want your motoring in real tycoon style without the super-tax price-label of prestige limousines, you ought to try the new Vauxhall Radford – an extra-luxury model that boosts your prestige without busting your bank balance.' Even allowing for the £466 10s price of the conversion, the Cresta Radford was still well below the £2,000 threshold for claiming tax relief on a 'business car'.
By 1964, the Radford, as with the rest of the PB range, gained a 3.3-litre straight-six engine. The Telegraph found: 'It is even possible to start in top gear – I know because I tried it!' and Autocar thought the 3,294cc engine had 'an electrifying effect' on the PB. At £1,450 10s, the Radford was cheaper than the Humber Imperial at £1,796 or the Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R for £1,995. The Rover 3-Litre Saloon was £1,770, but its sober appearance lacked the Vauxhall's celebration of conspicuous consumption.
Only 25 Cresta Radfords departed the coachbuilder's works before the PC series replaced the PB in the autumn of 1965. The following year, Vauxhall created an in-house uber-Cresta in the form of the splendidly named Viscount.
Park's example originally hailed from Brighton; he became its third owner in 2022. After the interior was restored, the Radford was once more the ideal vehicle for 'lovers of good living' and even served as a caravan tow car.
The Cresta Radford is a charming footnote in Vauxhall's history, one that illustrates how Harold Radford adapted to a changing world. By 1964, Autocar reported the company 'specialise more in body conversions than new bodywork', from the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud SIII Countryman to the Mini de Ville and the 'executive Vauxhall Cresta'.
And today, Park's unique example still looks set for a trip to London's glittering West End to see Frankie Vaughan in cabaret at the Talk of the Town.