Cresta vvvvvvvvvvvvv
Vauxhall Cresta Friary estate car 1962ish. Lusted eh 
that rhymes with rusted which applied to all Vauxhall cars of that era.
1 Like
Yes, of course a Cresta, Velox was an earlier and less American model. But I think I got the Victor right though like this
And you’re right the rusty tradition followed them for years, and I never did own one. 
Few found on fb,
Long haul Seddon looks interesting, and it looks like a rude awakening for the daf driver…
That is a Cresta PA , now then when the Cresta PB was launched I collected one part of a load of Vauxhalls from the Vauxhall Motors pound at Slipend, cars were loaded with max attention as to how they would fit best on either top or bottom deck and with this particular load the Cresta which was an auto and on route to the Bath and West Agricultural Show or Four Counties Show back then was reversed onto the top deck at the peak(above the cab) in P and handbrake on another two and deck all duly chained down yeh no straps back then the two further cars bottom deck chained and off, well back at the Oxford yard unloading the Cresta climbing up front of cab last two chains off jumped down to run up the deck but too late the Cresta was already off and across the yard at speed hitting a Morris 1000 which shunted into an Oxford while all this was happening the TM with interest in this new Cresta had been watching from his office and he was out like a bloody shot, a lot of expletives ending with your sacked. I was kinda interested as to why it had rolled off and while TM was surveying cars damage I open the Cresta door thinking jeez had I put the handbrake on it was and TM was standing beside me . I went and loaded for next trip and heard no more about it.
1 Like
Not sure about her but I do remember a Betty Saxe Coburg Gotha whose parents/grandparents changed their name from Batten Mountain to Windsor. 
That’ll be ‘er. It would’ve been in the late 60’s I reckons.
She was driving the car in Windsor Great Park all by her lonesome. Mebbe taking sarnies and a flask o’ tea to 'er nipper who was riding some ponies wiv 'is mates.
My Dad had various Vauxhalls in the 50’s / 60’s. Earliest one I remember was a Wyvern then Cresta’s and a Velox. Last one was a Viscount in 1966.
Might be a tall tale but I was once told that Vauxhall changed the electrical polarity to try to alleviate the rust problems.
There were a few of those sleeper-cabbed Seddons on Continental work and at least one went to Iran. I think the cabs may have been converted by Nightrider.
Here’s a pic of one from Southampton that should be familiar:
Not sure I ever saw one of those, Seddons wren’t exactly on my list of want to motors, mainly Atki’s, Fodens and ERFs took stop spots in those days.
I did drive one on and off for a while as a casual with Stirland’s. They had a new one, still in primer and untaxed on red plates to collect new trailers, as I think I have mentioned before.
I don’t remember falling in love with it but neither did I dislike my time behind its wheel.
One of the most unpleasant motors I have driven.
I remember faulting the driver’s perch fixings in the defect book, IIRC it was not a proper seat but an iron frame with a small amount of foam padding affixed to the rear bulkhead.
Horrible, noisy thing - went well though - good gaffers (slave drivers) motor maybe.
Not interested Carryfast, it’s 65years ago.
I’ve never actually seen a steam truck.
They were all like that not so many years ago. 
Weren’t Atki Borderers like that?
Basically some angle iron hanging off the rear of the cab with a seat that adjusted back/fore, no suspension, nor height adjustment.
And I also remember at least one of my Atkis having the batteries in the cab under the passenger seat.
1 Like
The Borderers did have a drivers suspension seat either Chapman or an early Bostrom seat. Passengers seat was just bolted to back of cab. Some operators did put the batteries under the passenger seat. Picture of the suspension part on my Borderer renovation.
1 Like
Thanks. A false memory on my part about the driver’s seat.
At 46 seconds in I thought “wow, that trucks going at some rate of knots”. At 49 seconds in I see a couple of young cyclists keeping up with it
Wasn’t it Bewick on here who used to grumble about the Group axles on Seddon units?
Great piece of film! Not seen that one before.