The first Vauxhalls were horizontal-engined single cylinder runabouts manufactured in London in 1903. Then 1905 saw the works move to Luton in Bedfordshire, where cars by this name are still produced today. To the younger generation in this country, the name is now not well known as all current Vauxhalls sold here are badged as Holdens.

The famous designer Lawrence Pomeroy was responsible for many of the cars that earned this company the reputation for fast, competitive, reliable, motor cars. Names such as ‘Prince Henry’, the ‘D’ Type, and the later ‘OE’ Type with their many competition successes made the Vauxhall name a household word. The prototype ‘E’ Type, also known as the 30/98, was produced in 1913 and continued in production until 1927. The year 1925 brought financial woes, and General Motors bought the company and from that point in time the character of the cars gradually changed to cater for the ordinary motorist. Most classic motorists will remember the Vauxhall name as representing somewhat mundane family cars that were known for their simplicity, reliability and good value for money.

John Miller’s PASX

John Miller admits that in the car line he has always liked things with fins. Happily for him, so did his partner Jill. It was she who first saw this car and fell for it. That was in October 2001, and the comments of another Vauxhall owner that the job would be too much for him spurred John on to prove a point. Many years of enjoyment with a 1955 Velox and a wish to do one major project in his lifetime also helped make the decision to purchase.

The previous two owners had not garaged the car and it spent its time in Nelson, down near the marina, open to sea air and all weathers, therefore there was a considerable amount of surface rust and the car had been wet inside.
On getting it home John began doing a few small jobs, replacing steering joints and oil seals etc. He worked on it off-and-on until July 2002, but didn’t drive it, and he began to feel daunted by the size of the job. A visit to the Canterbury Concours d’Élégance at Pioneer Stadium in Christchurch renewed his spirits when he saw a magnificent PASX recently completed by Grant Thiele. It was arranged that John should send his car down to Grant for assessment and a plan of action. Grant has been a Vauxhall enthusiast ‘forever’, and was the obvious person to advise and assist in the restoration. The extensive surface rusting and general weathering meant that nothing less than a full strip down of the car was required. When this was completed with doors, bonnet, boot lid and front guards removed, the car was garnet blasted, etch primed, then panel-work was undertaken. There was minimal rust to repair, but many dents and missed factory welds in the left hand sill area. Grant commented that it was the best PA body he had seen for five years.

Grant arranged the painter, and the original colours of Alpine Green with an off-white accent through the doors and fins was decided on. An acrylic lacquer system was chosen as being most suitable for the period look of the car. By Easter 2003 it was back from the painter.

Special order

Living in Nelson and restoring a car in Christchurch had its own set of problems. After the strip-down John made two trips south, of a few days duration each, just to label parts and look at what needed to be done. He acknowledges the great help of Roger Eden, friend and helper in the project, who provided accommodation as well as hands-on assistance. John describes himself as a detail man, and he looked ahead and made sure each component was as perfect as he could get it before it was needed. The clips that hold the all the chrome strips were re-zinced, seals and rubber components sourced (right down to the timing aperture plug), and re-chroming organised. Wayne Patrick created the new interior from the remnants of the old. Wayne is also a Vauxhall enthusiast who, as well as operating his very busy trimming business, races a PB Velox in the Pre-’65 Series.

As with any major project there are twists and turns to negotiate. The trimming has been done in two-tone green to match original factory tones and to suit the exterior. Headlining is in white, and the carpets are grey. The original boot mat and door panels have been used, with new backing and the door panels sprayed to match the seats. Here comes the twist. As purchased, the car was green with the interior gold and cream. Some Vauxhall enthusiasts thought this obviously incorrect, and others said that some cars did leave the factory this way. Much later, after the decision to make it all match the green, John found out from the General Motors archivist that this particular car was a special order, and the gold trim had been correct!

Teething troubles

The re-assembly process began in May 2003. About 12 trips south later, by November the car was ready to be transported home. The final bits and pieces, as well as the sorting out of the inevitable teething troubles, took until August 2004. A few minor tasks remain.

The car has done 246,223km (153,000 miles). The engine was worn enough to be rebored, with new 20 thou’ oversized pistons were fitted. Balancing was done to help smoothness and longevity, with hardened exhaust valve seats used to cope with unleaded petrol. The gearbox was rebuilt, and a new clutch fitted. Radiator and water pump were also rebuilt. With his eye for detail, John found a firm in Tauranga which made a new commission plate for the bulkhead, then he re-stamped it with the correct numbers.

Driving impressions

“There is a popular belief that owners of this model whack their knees getting in and out, I can honestly say it’s never happened to me,” John says. I had a brief drive of John’s car, which felt as if it could just have come out of the factory. The engine is smooth and quiet, the gearbox and clutch action were light and very easy to come to grips with. The ride is soft, which is typical for this type of car, and quite well controlled, the recirculating ball steering was very light and slightly vague for one who is used to rack and pinion systems – although accurate enough. Bearing in mind the customer this car was aimed at and the period in which it was built, the front bench seat suited the cornering expectations as this car has no sporting pretensions at all.

The standard of restoration and attention to detail John has achieved is reflected in the feel of the car on the road. In the Motor road test in 1962 they found that the 2651cc engine accelerated the Velox to 60mph in 16.3 seconds, achieved an overall petrol consumption of 13.07l/100km (21.6mpg), and had a top speed of 150kph (93.3mph).

History of the Car

On February 14, 1962, the Taranaki off-loaded the CKD pack containing John’s Vauxhall, and the car’s assembly was completed on April 9, 1962. The colour is listed as Alpine Green with Gold extra equipment, and on April 10, ’62, it was railed to Rodney Motors in Warkworth. From there it went to Te Kuiti, then from 13,742km (8539 miles) it stayed in the hands of one Takaka family for many years, passing from father to daughter. It had two more owners in Nelson before John, who is the seventh owner.

Owners Commens

A restoration seems to create its own energy and can carry you away. You quickly realise that the standard required of the current stage can never be less than that of previous work. Despite not setting out to create a ‘museum piece’, the feeling at the end is that this is exactly what has happened. Modern traffic and New Zealand road surfaces create a driving nervousness I did not expect. Consequently, only 1368km have been travelled.
I am pleased to have been able to save an example of automotive style that will not be repeated. When I explain to my son that, in its day, this was just an ordinary family car like a Holden Commodore is today, he looks doubtful. It amazes me that at 19, he sees it as classy and striking. In addition to the helpers previously mentioned I would also like to thank the teams at Basis, Shiny Bits, and Bruce Ardell at Vintage Spares. You have all helped create a very special ‘toy’.

Words and Photos: Dennis Le Cren

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