MEET THE OWNER – CHAS THOMPSON AND HIS VAUXHALL VISCOUNT

In the late 1960s, a new Vauxhall Viscount struck awe in many a road user. It was a car for the provincial sophisticate, who dined at the Post Office Tower restaurant once a month and probably owned a chain of prosperous laundrettes in outer Southampton. Most importantly, as Chas Thompson, the owner of this very handsome 1969 example, points out, it had electric windows front and rear as standard. To put such fittings into a historical context, the entry-level Cresta ‘Standard’ was devoid of ashtrays for the back seat passengers.

The PC Series Cresta debuted at the 1965 Earls Court Motor Show, but Vauxhall realised there was considerable scope for a version aimed at managing directors and company owners. The Viscount made its bow in 1966, and a price of £1,457 12s 1d meant it was well below the £2,000 limit for tax relief on ‘business transport’. Then there was the remarkable array of standard equipment, PAS, a vinyl-covered roof, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, ‘Vaumol’ leather upholstery, a walnut veneered fascia, individual reclining front seats that were also adjustable for height (albeit via a spanner), a heated rear window and, most importantly of all, “windows that lower at the press of a button”.

The motoring press regarded the Viscount favourably. Motor stated, “in raising the Cresta to the peerage, Vauxhall have produced a quiet, pleasant car” whilst Autocar found it thoughtfully equipped and excellent value for money. Even the hyper-critical Car magazine noted that “the Vauxhall again impressed us with its sheer roadability”. Meanwhile, Luton was naturally leaving nothing to chance when promoting their latest flagship, for this was “the car for top professional men”. A PR fleet model co-starred with Peter Wyngarde in The Invisible Man episode of The Champions, creating possibly the most decadent man & machine partnership in the history of ITV.

Vauxhall also urged their dealers to check letterheads of local social and charitable organisations for “details of President, vice-president, patrons etc..”. The marketing department further advised their distributors to jot down the addresses at which “competitive models are obviously ‘at home’” - a scenario that belongs in a 1966-vintage Scales of Justice B-film:

A dark-coloured Cresta PC De Luxe pulls to a halt outside the driveway of a large villa somewhere in Weybridge:

Vauxhall Salesman 1 (Mike Pratt) – “Rover P5. A ‘possible’. How about next door?

Vauxhall Salesman 2 (Dudley Sutton) – Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R, with a Humber Imperial at No, 3. Both ‘definites’”.

VS1 – “Hang on. What’s that Ford lurking around that Jaguar Mk, X. at Number 12?

VS2 – “It’s the Zodiac Executive mob trying to muscle in on our territory!”

VS1 – “This means war!”

Cue a pitched battle on the village green between the rival dealers that only ceases with the sound of a bell on a police Wolseley 6/110.

Production of the PC range ceased in 1972, and Chas is delighted to have acquired his now very rare Viscount. He recently sold his Humber Imperial and was partially inspired to buy the Vauxhall because of its rarity. “In addition, my father had one, and so I could not resist this example when I came across it at the Car and Classic Auction earlier this year. On the road, I find the Powerglide automatic transmission works like a dream - you struggle to be aware of changes. Plus - electric windows?!!!!!”. And no Vauxhall dealer could have expressed the joys of Viscount motoring more eloquently.

With Thanks To – Chas Thompson.