CarBrandLogos archive · Vauxhall · 1948

VauxhallVelox

Six cylinders in a four-cylinder body — Luton's cheapest move upmarket.

Photo: 111 Emergency from New Zealand · CC BY 2.0

The story

A defining chapter in Vauxhall history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Vauxhall Velox, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Vauxhall returned to civilian production after the war with a pair of closely related cars: the four-cylinder Wyvern and, in 1948, the Velox, which was the same body with a 2.2-litre six under the bonnet. It was General Motors practice applied to a British market where petrol was rationed and a six-cylinder engine was a statement.

'60-'62 Vauxhall Velox Sedan · Bull-Doser · Public domain

Design and engineering

The formula proved durable. A full-width body arrived in 1951, and in 1957 the PA brought the American influence into the open — wraparound windscreens front and rear, tailfins, and two-tone paint on a car intended for provincial bank managers. The PB of 1962 was more restrained and better engineered.

Vauxhall Velox-rear · Brian Snelson · CC BY 2.0

In production

The Velox always sat one rung below its own twin: every version had a more expensive Cresta equivalent with more chrome and better trim, and it was that car which eventually survived. The Velox name was dropped in 1965, leaving the Cresta to see out the range.

Vauxhall Velox-front · Brian Snelson · CC BY 2.0

At a glance