Vauxhall

Just over 100 years ago, a small engineering concern in Vauxhall, South London, made its first motor car. Named after the place it was built, the Vauxhall was a revelation. Within a few years of expansion, production had moved to Luton. Vauxhall was purchased in the 1920s by General Motors and its most famous models include its Edwardian Prince Henry, the PA Cresta, perhaps the most distinctive of its American-styled cars, as well as the Astra, Cavalier and its 1970s rally winning cars such as the Firenza and Chevette. Since the 1950s, Vauxhall has remained one of Britain's most popular car makes, with many millions of its cars sold worldwide. Its F-type Victor was at one time the biggest export earner for Britain with over 200,000 sold abroad and the PA was the first true motorway cruiser built in Britain. Vauxhall: A History tells the story of the cars, the people that built them and also of Bedford, the truck and van division of Vauxhall.