WOLSELEY
(1896 - 1975)
Established in 1896, Wolseley was one of England’s
first carmakers, quickly garnering a reputation for
building quality vehicles. The first iteration was
actually built by Herbert Austin who was, at the
time, the companies General Manager. This simple
three-wheeler would quickly morph into a four-wheeler,
as did so many at the time, and by 1901 there was
even a four cylinder five speed racer in the modest
3 model lineup.
Over the years Wolseley’s would
become increasingly larger and more refined, and
by 1906 the J. D. Siddeley designed Wolseley-Siddeley
boasted a 3.3 liter 201ci engine. After World War
1 the Wolseley lineup would swell to include the
7, the 10 (which was later replaced by the 11/22),
and the 15 (which was later replaced by the 16/35
types).
However the company never fully recovered
after the war, and was taken over by Nuffield in
1927. Unfortunately it ever so slowly lost its identity
over the following decades, particularly when ownership
was assumed by BMC, who would simply "re-badge" the
same model. There were a few highlights along the
way though, such as the Morris Isis derived 21/60
of 1929 which boasted a six cylinder engine and hydraulic
brakes.
In 1930 came the 1.3 liter Hornet, the six
cylinder engine being small in capacity but proving
itself to be delightfully smooth and powerful. Through
the 1930’s the company adopted the use of the
famous “illuminated” Wolseley logo on
the radiators, a feature that would remain a part
of all Wolseley’s until the companies eventual
demise.
Following World War 2 there was the Eight,
Ten and Twenty-Five, and by 1949 2 completely new
models were released, the four cylinder 4/60 and
the six cylinder 6/80, both engines being of overhead
cam design. But as rationalization spread through
the British car industry, the Wolseley name became
ever increasingly a badge over a brand.
The last
Wolseley appeared in 1975, then a re-badged Morris
1100, but when Leyland took control they re-named
the car the Princess, and the Wolseley name was lost
forever.
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