In 1956 the Lesney model of the Vauxhall Cresta became the first saloon car to join the Matchbox 1-75 series.
It was painted maroon or dark red and could have a white or cream roof. The red kept to the same shade throughout the run but the roof colour did have some variation.
It was fitted with grey metal wheels on flat head axles with crimped ends to begin with or domed head axles with crimped ends later on.Silver trim was initially applied to the headlights, The grille and to the front and rear bumpers, Towards the end of the run the silver trim was omitted from the rear bumper.
The baseplate was painted a flat on early issues or gloss black on the later ones and it had a tow hook cast in in readiness for the next model in the range which was the 23a Caravan.
There were only three casting modifications,
The first was to add a single ejector ring inside the roof
The second was on the baseplate on the inside of the car, The braces over the top of the rear axle were widened to add some extra strength,
The third modification was also to the baseplate and this was the addition of a brace to the front axle but this time the modification was to the underneath.
The brace below the front axle was originally thought to have been cast on at the beginning of the run and disappeared later on due to a worn die, This is innacurate because the brace can be found with the later domed head axles and the model without the brace can be found with the earlier flat head type axles.
Also the model without the brace can be found with the earlier thin rear axle braces.
It was packaged in 'B' type boxes and although not one of the most popular models among collectors it is quite easy to find so must have been popular in its day,
It was deleted in 1958 to make way for the ever popular 22b 1958 Vauxhall Cresta.
