Prices for Vauxhall’s rock and roll PA series Velox and Cresta top our chart of Price Guide Movers On The Up this month. Their 51% growth puts them well ahead of fellow chart toppers including the BMW E30, Mercedes 380-500SEC and Peugeot 205GTI.
That jump moves rough project cars up to £2.5k, with good examples £6k, mint condition cars typically £14k and concours contenders £20k. It’s a supply and demand equation. Vauxhall built nearly 174,000 between 1957 and 1962, but according to the DVLA, just 60 survive, and only two thirds of those are on the road. If you want a Fifties/Sixties sports car, there’s always much more choice on the market.
Given the well-executed American-influenced styling and smooth six-cylinder engines, you might expect this hero of the rock ’n’ roll era to have survived in greater numbers, but as with most saloon cars, enthusiasts trying to maintain or restore have been left chasing dwindling supplies or usable secondhand or new old stock parts, while professional restoration costs have spiralled out of proportion to the values of these cars. So if you really want one, and someone has a pristine example for sale at an ambitious price, you might just have to pay up, or give up your Fifties dream.
It's led to the surprising phenomenon of prices for these cars chasing those of the American sedans that they emulate, cars that end up being easier to own – assuming you have a garage large enough – because parts supply is better supported.
Price Guide Movers On The Up is part of 18 pages of market tips, analysis and buying advice in the latest issue of Classic Cars, plus this issue has our Price Guide Quarterly update, produced in collaboration with Hagerty classic insurance, for values of more than 1400 classics.