Wonderful motor car . The quality of the interior really stands out , the hide seating , dials , switchgear . Now we get fake “leather?” , cheap nasty screens with haptic “switches” . I wonder how many of today’s cars will still be going strong in 80 odd years . Progress!!
Very nice car! By the 30s, the motorcar had become quite mature, apparently. Post war developments put more emphasis on producing large scale numbers and making cars more obtainable for "regular folks". Excellent video, Matt! I'm not a huge fan of the "copper era" cars but I would welcome something like this in your collection 👍😀
Great review Matt, thank you for promoting a beautiful quality very usable pre-war car, as seen in ' The Lavender Hill Mob ', and your perfect description of the horn, an ' inter- war year parp ' !.
Brilliant commentary, for a lovely classic. Your commentary plus the many comments below have earned you all a doctorate on this Wolseley masterpiece. Thank you all so much!
Liked that Matt. It's a really interesting car, on the cusp of modernity mechanically (wipers, synchro, etc.) but still with traditional looks. It seems like a prewar car you could drive in today's traffic...
Earliest drives were in a Rover sportsman saloon and this Wolseley owned by respective grandparents. The smell of real leather and the space in the rear with the hanging strap stick in my mind. Late forties was a good time to grow up as the car designs were changing rapidly. Great review but please use imperial weights and measures to go with the era of the car!!
As my dad told me, there's nothing as terrifying as a old car with a worn Steering box, The part needed constant rebuilds with age,, and with an old worn one, you did not steer, as much as Aim, the car.
What a wonderful piece of Wolseley history. A classic design with some modern for the time parts. I have to admit that I'm a tad envious of you driving such a classic but as you mention there are many cars at the site that can be driven by the public. Maybe one day I'll get there. Many thanks for sharing.
What a fabulous gem of a car! Absolutely love Wolseleys, but its so rare to see reviews or mentioned of this once great marque, sadly. I'd love to see more Wolseley reviews please (hint). The 14/60 was so ahead of it's time in the technology and quality it offered, which makes it such a gloriously wonderful car. Thank you for an excellent review, thoroughly enjoyed!
Actually, the police used the 18/85 variants. These were the same as the 14/60 up to the front edge of the rear doors, but the 14/60 became narrower from that point forward. The interior/dashboard treatments are quite different. Also many mechanical differences.
I bought one of these in 1970, from the original owner. I still own it now. I used to hoon it around the hills flat out in 3rd, and it handled surprisingly well. The gearbox is interchangeable with the MG TC's box. Being a long-stroke 6 of only around 1800cc, the engine has tiny bores. I got fed up with the ridiculously low diff gearing and fitted the entire rear end from an 18/85, which meant different brakes and even different wheels (different stud measurements). Now it only gets out for staid rally events, but it always makes for an excellent drive.
I've had my 1946 14/60 since '72 and endorse everything you say. In the '80s I fitted an 18/85 4.8/1 c.w.p. in the diff (No need to change the brakes and wheels)and yes it will cruise at 50/55 mph very happily.
Nice review, Wolseley company started in Australia making sheep shearing equipment in 1887, they diversified into car production in 1896. Being unprofitable the car side of the business was acquired by Vickers in 1901, later acquired by Herbert Austin. The Wolseley company is still in existence and now produce plumbing sundries and operate a Wolseley plumbers merchants.
Pretty conservative styling for 1938 compared to what was going on in the US and France with the Chrysler Airflow, Peugeot 402 and Panhard Dynamic especially. Would have looked antique by 1948, I'd think. Very interesting car none-the-less, and thanks for posting.
@@piuthemagicman The ones I mentioned were the extreme, but even the 1938 Ford V8 Deluxe had the tear-drop headlights and had dropped the formal grill for something that looked more aerodynamic. The 1938 “Sharknose” Graham had wild styling and square headlights to boot.
I think anything in the mid range from 1935 to 1939 would sit well with you, they had started to become 'modern' with auto advance and retard ignition and syncro gearboxes. Riley hung onto manual ignition advance and retard and crash boxes as were better for a sports/racing car but did offer the pre select as an option on the 12/4 and 15/6 chassis both long and short wheelbases, which was very popular. Also very easy to work on, just basic electrics and mechanics, the grease gun as important as a set of Whitworth tools, if a part can't be found can often be made easily. Maybe a 30's Rover? No ULEZ bills or tax/MOT headaches.
I dont know much about cars such as these, so its always interesting learning more. Seems like its pretty easy to live with, considering its age. Thumbs up and cheers!
Many thanks Matt for a very enjoyable video of a beautiful quality car. I loved watching Foyles War. What an opportunity for you to drive that was used in it. Happy New Year to you and your family.
We visited The Great British Car Journey on their opening day and since with the TT Owner's Club. It's just down the road from us so we took the Twizy also. 🙂
The oldest car I have driven was a 1976 Datsun 210 years wagon with 5 speed. I would love to see what older cars were like….. I know you must have rushed to get footage when that lil peek of sun came out 😆
Even by the 60's, remembering a family friend's Wolseley 1500, the acres of wood "would" have been familiar to anyone who who might have grown up with the marque from thirty years before
Would be very scary to drive. *back in the 1930s most Brits were not driving around in cars like this. They were using 🚲 or horse & cart, and public transport if there was any where they lived. An awful lot of British towns even small towns did have local railway at the time (almost all gone by the end of the 1960s cutbacks).
More bicycles than horse and cart by then in many areas but lots of morris 8 austin 7 types in the south away from heavy industry? Horse travel certainly on farms and around market towns. Suprising how by 1938/9 car use had expanded though. Too much traffic today though.
Interesting how a number of the old motorcycle marques have been revived... Triumph and Norton as well as Indian owned Royal Enfield and BSA (Czech brand Jawa as well). Might we see the same for some of long lost car makes? I suppose MG is back.
@@mikegalvin9801 Dont know if you are also joking, otherwise you may notice the quotes around what I wrote, indicating this is what a joking reply from a typical brit would be, i.e they have so little use for it, they havent even heard of it existing. Cheers mate.
How much wood can you have on a dash board and in an interior and the wood went on and on l think this Worelesly has the most wood l have seen on any car interior it is every were