Austin A110 Westminster vs Ford Zodiac MkIII vs Vauxhall Cresta PB: symbols of success

By Andrew Roberts

| 5 May 2023

Classic & Sports Car – Austin A110 Westminster vs Ford Zodiac MkIII vs Vauxhall Cresta PB: symbols of success

The air is thick with the aroma of black coffee, Panatellas and Tabac aftershave.

Inside the Maker Space café in Nuffield, an important business deal is being hammered out.

The future of a coffee bar, two licensed victuallers and the management of Danny and The Rotavators, Southampton’s premier beat combo, are at stake.

The 1962 Vauxhall Cresta PB replaced its predecessor’s tailfins with more modern lines

Meanwhile, the cars parked outside are testament to their respective owners’ standing in the community.

Not just anyone can own an Austin A110 Westminster, a Ford Zodiac MkIII or a Vauxhall Cresta PB.

The last-named is our trio’s rarest.

The debut of the new Velox and Cresta PB at the 1962 London Motor Show was a significant talking point: gone were the wraparound windscreen and tailfins of the outgoing PA.

Chrome badging on the pre-facelift Vauxhall Cresta PB’s grille

Instead, as the in-house journal Vauxhall Motorist accurately described, its new lines were ‘clean, simple and restrained’.

The 2.6-litre engine was the same as its predecessor’s, but front disc brakes were now standard equipment.

An entry-level Velox cost £822 4s 7d, but the range-topping Cresta justified the additional £94 13s 4d with the fitment of fog and reversing lamps, leather trim, a clock, a heater, a cigarette lighter and windscreen washers.

Not to mention the headlamp flasher and duotone paintwork.

The Vauxhall’s clean lines continue inside

With a wonderful lack of modesty, Luton claimed that the PB was ‘very nearly perfect’.

To increase public awareness of the car, Vauxhall arranged for the Cresta to guest-star as villains’ transport in The Saint, as well as appearing in a number of British B-films.

In The Earth Dies Screaming, the PB out-acted the human cast and, for sheer style, little could surpass Leslie Nielsen driving a Cresta in the endearingly inept Night Train to Paris.

Charming details decorate the Vauxhall Cresta PB’s cabin

Away from the silver screen, The Motor regarded the flagship Vauxhall as extremely good value for money, and Autocar praised the styling as neat and unpretentious.

The Victor FB of 1961 anticipated the PB’s looks – the two models shared doors to save on costs – but its crisp, confident lines and considerable width make the Cresta highly imposing in the metal.

The overall effect is of a restrained mid-Atlantic elegance that never crosses into vulgarity.

The Vauxhall’s neat speedometer features a colour-shifting strip

Any small factory owner visiting their local Vauxhall dealership to gaze into the tasteful interior would have been impressed.

But, just as much, they would have also been reassured that Cresta ownership would not result in their neighbours regarding them as a spiv.

The PB gained a 3.3-litre engine in 1964, and production ended in 1965 with the introduction of the ‘Coke bottle’ PC.

The 6ft-wide Cresta PB has easy access to the 2651cc straight-six

John Congram acquired his 1963 example when he was buying Victor parts on eBay.

“It was in South Wales and looked ideal for towing our 1952 Berkeley caravan,” says John.

His son, Jack, has also taken to the big Vauxhall: “It’s so comfortable, with lots of room inside.

“The power from the straight-six engine makes for really easy motoring, and I love the three speeds on the column, which I find so much nicer than a floor change.”

There are spacious rear seats in the Vauxhall Cresta PB

The Congrams’ classic hauler has the optional overdrive, which is useful for towing, but not always essential, as Jack explains: “When driving solo, it’ll pull any gear.

“So, when you forget to change down for corners, it doesn’t really matter.”

Fuel consumption can matter, however. “When you have a 10-gallon fuel tank feeding a thirsty 2.6-litre straight-six, you tend to have to fill up quite often,” John admits.

The Vauxhall is 200kg lighter than its rivals, and you can feel it on the road

“The parts supply for the PB is also a challenge,” John continues, “although the Cresta club does an amazing job at getting mechanical parts reproduced.”

Its thoughtful detailing wins praise, too, such as the height-adjustable front bench and under-dashboard fresh-air vents.

Above all, it is hard to resist any car in which the strip-speedometer marker progressively changes colour from green to amber and then red as you accelerate.

The Ford Zodiac MkIII is powered by a 2.6-litre straight-six

While the Vauxhall marketed a type of understated Americana, its Dagenham rival was for the driver who revelled in conspicuous consumption.

Ford GB introduced the Zephyr MkIII range in April 1962, unveiling the Zodiac flagship at the Grosvenor House Hotel, while its sales copywriter evidently worked overtime.

Here was not only ‘consummate elegance and freshness’ and ‘a milestone in motoring’, but a car that offered ‘a quality of luxury travel hitherto known only by the owners of the world’s most expensive cars’.

Bright blue vinyl interior in the Ford Zodiac MkIII

One of the MkIII’s major attractions was the bodywork.

Dagenham originally commissioned Pietro Frua, and Roy Brown, the father of the Edsel, further refined his concept.

The Zodiac’s six-light styling and quad headlamps (a first for a British Ford) distinguished it from its cheaper stablemates.

The 2.6-litre engine was also slightly more potent than that in the Zephyr 6, as befitting a Ford for ‘men who enjoy power’.

The Zodiac MkIII’s four-lamp front distinguished it from lesser Fords

Hyperbole aside, the Zodiac offered more prestige than the Zephyr, as well as adding a heater, two-speed wipers, a cigar lighter, folding armrests fore and aft, and a clock, all for a mere £1070 15s 3d.

Unlike the Austin and the Vauxhall, the ‘wood’ decoration on the fascia is in the finest of plastics, while the standard upholstery was Cirrus 500 vinyl.

However, the go-ahead property developer, whose role model was Alan Bates in Nothing but the Best, surely would have appreciated that artificial fibres were entirely suited to a car for the motorway age.

Unashamed ’50s Americana detailing on the Ford Zodiac MkIII

Dagenham promoted the MkIII as a six-seater, but those striking lines masked an interior with distinctly limited room for rear passengers, although there was a vast boot.

Yet the rationale behind the Zodiac was less practicality and more creating a British Ford with Route 66 looks for the A66 driver.

Autocar believed it would attract an even wider audience than its predecessor, and in Motor Sport’s view it was ‘an impressive automobile’ capable of an honest 102-103mph on the motorway.

The Ford’s column shift can obscure the dials

Perhaps The Motor’s opinion – ‘outstanding value for money, both to buy and run’ – was the most important to the potential buyer in need of prestige for reasonable expenditure.

As with Vauxhall, Ford’s mastery of product placement ensured a high-profile screen appearance.

The hero of the excellent medical thriller 80,000 Suspects not only drove a Zodiac, but cinema patrons could also win one, taxed and insured for a year.

The faux-wood veneer gives the Zodiac an intricate finish inside

David Keeping came by his 1963 example in 2021: “It was a fellow club member’s car that I’d known for 15 years, and I always expressed an interest to own the Zodiac if ever he decided to sell.

“When the time came, he gave me first refusal.”

David doesn’t mind Ford’s unloved four-on-the-column gearchange, but suggests it would benefit from an overdrive conversion or a fifth gear.

“The Zodiac is smooth to drive,” he says, “but it won’t win any drag races.”

The Ford Zodiac MkIII could do with power steering

“It could also do with power steering, but then most cars of the era could,” he continues.

“Driving in the dark can be challenging with the original dynamo set-up, but mine has an alternator.”

The MkIV replaced the MkIII in the spring of 1966, by which time it looked about as ‘with-it’ as a 30-year-old Teddy Boy moaning about those long-haired Kinks.

Compared to the Zephyr 6, there was a helpful 11bhp boost for Zodiac’s 2.6-litre ‘six’

Indeed, tailfins were already passé in Detroit in 1962, but focusing on automotive fashion is to misunderstand the Ford’s raison d’être.

In certain provinces, where the Swinging Sixties did not commence until approximately 1969, the presence of a chrome-laden third-generation MkIII on the driveway was a tangible success symbol.

To be known as Mr Fred, the foundry proprietor and Zodiac driver, probably represented the pinnacle of the owner’s social ambitions.

Snug rear legroom in the ‘six-seater’ Zodiac MkIII

The Austin is the largest and oldest design in our trio.

The original, Pinin Farina-styled A99 Westminster made its debut in the summer of 1959, together with its upmarket Wolseley and Princess stablemates.

It gained a new grille as the A110 two years later, and the brochure quite blatantly appealed to the reader’s inner social climber.

The Austin A110 Westminster has gobs of torque at its disposal

Not only was it ‘resplendent in an array of dignified colours’, but ‘a car of distinction, for people of distinction’ and perfect for ‘top business executives in a hurry’.

Somewhat more prosaically, Autocar called it: ‘Sedate in appearance, and roomy… eminently suitable as executive transport’.

Another facelift came in 1964 as the MkII, with production ending in early 1968.

Modest badging on this classic Austin’s grille

By then, an Austin that initially rivalled the Zodiac MkII and Cresta PA was competing against the PC-series Vauxhalls and MkIV Fords.

Yet even the last Westminsters didn’t seem particularly archaic, thanks in part to their finely balanced proportions.

As a Wolseley 6/99 owner I have to admit to a certain bias, but those restrained Italian-American lines have dated very well.

The Austin A110 Westminster has a comfortable driving position

Any ‘Big Farina’ has an air of formality, making it the perfect transport for the town clerk or well-to-do solicitor.

Mark Shepley purchased his 1967 Austin A110 Westminster in 2011, and it is a prime example of the Super De Luxe, the flagship MkII with leather upholstery, rear picnic tables and a walnut-veneered dashboard for additional distinction.

It is the sort of vehicle in which the driver feels naked without a hat as they settle behind the vast steering wheel.

The classic Austin’s strip speedometer

As befitting a car for traditionally minded owners, the Westminster is also the sole member of our trio with a starting-handle bracket.

A further reason for choosing the Austin over the Ford or the Vauxhall is the 3-litre C-series engine.

The testers at Autocar found that the Westminster could ‘pull away from other traffic in a manner that is both impressive and refined’.

The Austin’s Italian-American lines and tailfins have aged well

Today Mark can only agree, and finds more to appreciate: “It’s wonderfully smooth, with a lovely upright driving position – no backache driving this car!

“It is also easy to place on the road because it’s so much narrower than most moderns. Plus, the quarterlights make for good, hassle-free ventilation.”

Apart from heavy fuel consumption, there are only a few downsides to Westminster ownership.

The Austin’s 2.9-litre C-series engine is smooth and tractable

“The gearbox is a bit agricultural compared with a modern equivalent,” Mark admits, “and although the overdrive engages smoothly, it can be reluctant to kickdown out of it – hills should be planned for.”

At least there’s less to worry about on the way back down. “For a 1960s car, the brakes are incredibly good,” he adds, encouragingly.

Another challenge, one that is familiar to many Big Farina owners, is the dynamo’s weak supply of electricity, which rather exacerbates the efficacy of the poor wipers: “Night driving in the rain can be somewhat challenging, though it’s rare I’d want to do such a thing.”

Cushy rear seats for rear passengers in the A110 Westminster

Each of our test cars is now a rare sight due to the effects of age and corrosion. Many have also fallen prey to the strange world of banger racing.

Various large saloons of the ’60s being smashed to pieces in a stadium apparently represented a form of automotive Viking funeral.

The Cresta, Westminster and Zodiac are reminders of a more hierarchical age, a time when major British motor manufacturers still felt it essential to produce a car for the managerial class.

The Super De Luxe Austin A110 Westminster gained rear picnic tables

Nor did the 1963 introduction of the Rover P6 and Triumph 2000 bring about an immediate end to these big Austin, Ford and Vauxhall models.

The new school appealed to young executives with Continental aspirations, while Crestas, Westminsters and Zodiacs were for more mature drivers, those who equally valued convention and mild ostentation.

If I opt for the Vauxhall, it is partially due to its elegant appearance, but mainly because it embodies a time in England when mainstream entertainers adopted quasi-American accents and many drivers still perceived motorway travel to be vaguely glamorous.

The Austin A110 Westminster (closest), Vauxhall Cresta PB (middle) and Ford Zodiac MkIII are reminders of a more hierarchical age

For that dash up the M1 to the Blue Boar café, a duotone PB would have been perfect.

In those heady days, a new Cresta epitomised an exciting world of expense-account fine dining and trying to sound as mid-Atlantic as Cary Grant.

Plus, there’s always revelling in owning a car that was ‘designed for good driving’.

Images: Luc Lacey

Thanks to: The Maker Space, Nuffield; The Cambridge-Oxford Owners’ Club; MkIII Zephyr & Zodiac Owners’ Club; Vauxhall Cresta Club

Factfiles

Austin A110 Westminster Super De Luxe

Sold/number built 1961-’68/26,105
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 2912cc straight-six, twin SU carburettors
Max power 120bhp @ 4750rpm
Max torque 163lb ft @ 2750rpm
Transmission four-speed manual with overdrive, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering cam and peg
Brakes discs front, drums rear
Length 15ft 7¾in (4769mm)
Width 5ft 8½in (1740mm)
Height 5ft ½in (1537mm)
Wheelbase 9ft 2in (2794mm)
Weight 3190lb (1445kg)
0-60mph 16.2 secs
Top speed 102mph
Mpg 18
Price new £1114 2s 4d
Price now £7-13,000*

Ford Zodiac MkIII

Sold/number built 1962-’66/77,709
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 2553cc straight-six, single Zenith carburettor
Max power 109bhp @ 4800rpm
Max torque 137lb ft @ 2400rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers
Steering recirculating ball
Brakes discs front, drums rear
Length 15ft 1in (4497mm)
Width 5ft 9in (4445mm)
Height 4ft 9½in (1460mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 11in (2718mm)
Weight 3150lb (1429kg)
0-60mph 13.5 secs
Top speed 103mph
Mpg 18
Price new £1070 15s 3d
Price now £8-16,000*

Vauxhall Cresta PB

Sold/number built 1962-’65/87,047
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 2651cc straight-six, single Zenith carburettor
Max power 95bhp @ 4600rpm
Max torque 148lb ft @ 2400rpm
Transmission three-speed manual with overdrive, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering recirculating ball
Brakes discs front, drums rear
Length 15ft 2in (4623mm)
Width 6ft (2083mm)
Height 4ft 10in (1473mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 11in (2718mm)
Weight 2716lb (1232kg)
0-60mph 13.8 secs
Top speed 94mph
Mpg 18
Price new £918 17s 11d
Price now £5-10,000*