THINGS were certainly bubbling in the Vauxhall camp at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show when the company proudly displayed its new executive cars, the Velox and Cresta PB.

The names were certainly well known in Britain being features of the Vauxhall range since the 1950, but the PB series showed that Vauxhall was up there with the front runners when it came to clean-cut modern styling.

Out went the Detroit influence of the curvy and well-loved PA models and in came a more sober but powerful look that has gone down in history as one of the best looking Vauxhalls.

The style was based on the 1961 Victor but the Velox and Cresta were much larger and very roomy.

Vauxhall had been in a dilemma over the PA replacement.

Although a beautiful car it had carved an image as the transport of Teddy Boys and rock fans. Businessmen were beginning to move away from it preferring the more sober style of the Ford Zephyr, despite the fact that the Queen used a Cresta Friary estate on one of her estates.

So the PB was a major styling revision, completely eliminating American tail fins.

A flat bonnet and conservative lines housed a a 2.6 litre straight-six engine. This gave adequate power, but the PB really came alive in its last year of production with a with a 3.3 litre six-cylinder which transformed it into a truly noble beast.

The gearbox was three-speed with column change with an overdrive available.

The 3.3 litre cars had a three-speed column change box as standard with four-speed floor change an option. Three-speed hydramatic automatic transmission was available with both engines but this was altered to two-speed Powerglide unit towards the end of the 3.3-litre PB run. Servo assisted brakes, disc at the front were fitted.

The range featured some attractive Martin Walter-converted estates and the whole PB range is attractive to the restoration brigade.

It was certainly a popular range with 87,047 Velox and Cresta PBs being built between 1961 and 1965.

Fans who viewed the lower priced Velox at Earls Court on launch would have to shell out £936 and those who wanted the more expensive and better specified Crestas would have to shell out £1,046.

In 2.6 form the cars would attain 96mph and economy was 20-25mpg. But the 3.3 raced ahead with a top speed of 101mph at the cost of 19-24mpg.