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The Wolseley Motor Company' was a United Kingdom automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket
marque until 1975.
History
The origins of the company as an automobile brand was in about 1895-96 when 30 year old Herbert Austin, then employed as a works manager at the
Wolseley plc, became interested in engines and automobiles. During the winter of 1895-96 he made his own version of a design by
Léon Bollée Automobiles that he had seen in
Paris. Later he found that another British group had bought the rights so Austin had to come up with a design of his own. In 1897, the second Wolseley car, the
Wolseley Autocar No. 1 was revealed. It was a three wheeled design (one front, two rear) featuring independent rear suspension, mid engine and back to back seating for two adults. It was not successful and although advertised for sale, none were sold. The third Wolseley car, the four wheeled Wolseley "Voiturette" followed in 1899. A further four wheeled car was made in 1900, this time with a steering wheel instead of a tiller. The first Wolseley cars sold to the public were based on the "Voiturette", but production did not get under way until 1901, by which time the company had changed hands. In that year the automobile division was spun off (with financing from
Vickers) as an independent concern in
Adderley Park,
Birmingham. Austin managed the new Wolseley company for a short time before resigning to form his own concern, the
Austin Motor Company, in 1905.
Wolseley purchased the
Siddeley Autocar Company, with founder John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth in charge. Siddeley (later
Baron Kenilworth) took control of the merged concern, renaming the
marque Wolseley-Siddeley until his resignation in 1910. He went on to manage the
Deasy Motor Company, which became Siddeley-Deasy. This later merged with Armstrong-Whitworth to become Armstrong Siddeley. In
1912 they were commissioned by the Russian Count Peter P Schilovski, a lawyer and member of the Russian royal family, to build the Schilovski
Gyrocar.
Wolseley Motor Company
The company officially became the Wolseley Motor Company in 1914. It also began operations in Montreal and Toronto, Canada as Wolseley Motors Limited. This became British and American Motors after
World War I.
In 1918, Wolseley began a joint venture in
Tokyo, Japan with
Ishikawajiama Ship Building and Engineering. The first Japanese-built Wolseley car rolled off the line in 1922. After World War II, the Japan venture reorganized, renaming itself
Isuzu Motors in 1949. Today, Isuzu is part of General Motors Corporation.
Wolseley grew quickly selling upmarket cars, and even opened a lavish showroom, Wolseley House, in Piccadilly (next door to the
the Ritz Hotel, now housing a restaurant called The Wolseley). Finances were strained, however, and the company faced receivership in October, 1926.
Nuffield
Wolseley was purchased by
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield for £730,000 in 1926. Other bidders included
General Motors Corporation and the
Austin Motor Company. Morris renamed the company Wolseley Motors (1927) Ltd and consolidated its production at the sprawling Ward End Works in
Birmingham. In 1935, Wolseley became a subsidiary of Morris' own Morris Motor Company and the Wolseley models soon became based on Morris designs. It became part of the
Nuffield Organisation along with Morris and
Riley (automobile) in 1938.
After the war, Morris and Wolseley production was consolidated at Cowley, Oxford, and
badge engineering took hold. The first post-war Wolseleys, the similar
Wolseley 4/50 and Wolseley 6/80 models, were based on the
Morris Oxford. Later, Wolseleys shared with MG and Riley common bodies and chassis, namely the
Wolseley 4/44 and
Wolseley 6/90, which were closely related to the MG Magnette ZA/ZB and the
Riley Pathfinder respectively.
Other badge engineering exploits followed at BMC. In 1957 the
Wolseley 1500 was based on the planned successor to the
Morris Minor. The next year, the
Wolseley 15/60 debuted the new mid-sized BMC saloon design penned by
Pinin Farina. It was followed by similar vehicles from five marques within the year.
.The Wolseley Hornet was based on the Austin Motor Company and Morris
Mini with a booted body style which was shared with Riley as the Riley Elf. Finally, a version of the
Austin 1800 was launched in 1967 as the
Wolseley 18/85.
Afterthe merger of BMC and
Leyland Motors to form
British Leyland in 1969 the Riley marque, long overlapping with Wolseley, was retired. Wolseley continued in diminished form with the Wolseley Six of 1972, a variant of the six-cylinder Austin 1800, the Austin 2200. It was finally killed off just three years later in favour of the short-lived Wolseley 18-22 series saloon, which was based on the Leyland Princess (also known as the 18-22 series) and never even given a clear name, being badged just "Wolseley", and sold only for seven months until that range was renamed as the Princess.
Today, the Wolseley
marque is owned by Nanjing Automobile Group bought as part of the assets of the
MG Rover Group. Note that the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Company continued trading, and continues today as
Wolseley plc.
List of Wolseley vehicles
List of 1920s and 1930s Wolseley vehicles
- Four-cylinder
- 1920-1924 Wolseley 10
- 1920-1927 Wolseley 15
- 1934-1935 Wolseley Nine
- 1935-1936 Wolseley Wasp
- 1936-1937 Wolseley 10/40
- 1936-1939 Wolseley 12/48
- 1939-1939 Wolseley Ten
- Six-cylinder
- 1920-1924 Wolseley 20
- 1930-1936 Wolseley Hornet (1930)
- 1927-1932 Wolseley Viper
- 1930-1935 Wolseley 21/60
- 1933-1935 Wolseley Sixteen
- 1935-1936 Wolseley Fourteen
- 1935-1935 Wolseley Eighteen
- 1936-1938 Wolseley 14/56
- 1937-1938 Wolseley 18/80
- 1935-1937 Wolseley Super Six 16HP, 21HP, 25HP
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 14/60
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 16/65
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 18/85
- 1937-1939 Wolseley 16HP, 21HP, 25HP
- Eight-cylinder
- 1928-1931 Wolseley 21/60 Straight Eight
List of post World War II Wolseley vehicles
Wolseley long used a two-number system of model names. Until 1948, the numbers reflected the vehicle's engine size in units of
horsepower#RAC horsepower (taxable horsepower) as defined by the Royal Automobile Club. Thus, the 14/60 was rated at 14 hp (RAC) for tax purposes but actually produced 60 hp (45 kW). Later, the first number equaled the number of cylinders. After 1956, this number was changed to reflect the engine's displacement for four-cylinder cars. Therefore, the seminal
Wolseley 15/60 was a 1.5 l engine capable of producing 60 hp (45 kW). Eventually, the entire naming system was abandoned.
- Four-cylinder
- 1939-1948 Wolseley Ten (Morris Ten)
- 1937-1948 Wolseley 12/48 (Post war version was the Series III)
- 1946-1948 Wolseley Eight (Morris Eight)
- 1947-1955 Wolseley Oxford Taxi (Morris Commercial design)
- 1948-1953 Wolseley 4/50 (Morris Oxford)
- 1952-1956 Wolseley 4/44
- 1956-1958 Wolseley 15/50 (MG Magnette)
- 1957-1965 Wolseley 1500 (similar to Riley One-Point-Five, based on Morris Minor)
- 1958-1961 Wolseley 15/60 (Austin Cambridge)
- 1961-1969 Mini (similar to Riley Elf, based on Mini)
- 1961-1971 Wolseley 16/60 (Austin Cambridge)
- 1965-1974 Wolseley 1100/Wolseley 1300 (BMC ADO16)
- 1967-1971 Wolseley 18/85 (Austin 1800)
- Also produced (dates to be confirmed):
- Wolseley 4/60 (The Netherlands version of 16/60)
- Wolseley 300 (Denmark version of 6/99 and 6/110)
Aero engines
Wolseley also produced a number of
aviation engine designs, although there were no major design wins.
References
- Lambert, Z.E. and Wyatt, R.J, (1968). Lord Austin - The Man. Altrincham: Sidgwick and Jackson.
- Nixon, St John C, (1949). Wolseley - A Saga of the Motor Industry. London: G T Foulis & Co Ltd.
- Bird, Anthony, (undated but probably 1966) The Horizontal Engined Wolseleys, 1900-1905. London: Profile Publications Ltd.
External links
- Austin-Rover resource site with "family" history for many Wolseley models
The Wolseley Motor Company' was a United Kingdom
automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket
marque until 1975.
History
The origins of the company as an automobile brand was in about 1895-96 when 30 year old Herbert Austin, then employed as a works manager at the Wolseley plc, became interested in engines and automobiles. During the winter of 1895-96 he made his own version of a design by
Léon Bollée Automobiles that he had seen in
Paris. Later he found that another British group had bought the rights so Austin had to come up with a design of his own. In 1897, the second Wolseley car, the
Wolseley Autocar No. 1 was revealed. It was a three wheeled design (one front, two rear) featuring independent rear suspension, mid engine and back to back seating for two adults. It was not successful and although advertised for sale, none were sold. The third Wolseley car, the four wheeled Wolseley "Voiturette" followed in 1899. A further four wheeled car was made in 1900, this time with a steering wheel instead of a tiller. The first Wolseley cars sold to the public were based on the "Voiturette", but production did not get under way until 1901, by which time the company had changed hands. In that year the automobile division was spun off (with financing from Vickers) as an independent concern in Adderley Park,
Birmingham. Austin managed the new Wolseley company for a short time before resigning to form his own concern, the Austin Motor Company, in 1905.
Wolseley purchased the Siddeley Autocar Company, with founder
John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth in charge. Siddeley (later Baron Kenilworth) took control of the merged concern, renaming the
marque Wolseley-Siddeley until his resignation in 1910. He went on to manage the
Deasy Motor Company, which became Siddeley-Deasy. This later merged with
Armstrong-Whitworth to become Armstrong Siddeley. In 1912 they were commissioned by the Russian Count Peter P Schilovski, a lawyer and member of the Russian royal family, to build the Schilovski
Gyrocar.
Wolseley Motor Company
The company officially became the Wolseley Motor Company in 1914. It also began operations in
Montreal and
Toronto,
Canada as Wolseley Motors Limited. This became British and American Motors after
World War I.
In 1918, Wolseley began a joint venture in Tokyo,
Japan with Ishikawajiama Ship Building and Engineering. The first Japanese-built Wolseley car rolled off the line in 1922. After World War II, the Japan venture reorganized, renaming itself Isuzu Motors in 1949. Today, Isuzu is part of General Motors Corporation.
Wolseley grew quickly selling upmarket cars, and even opened a lavish showroom, Wolseley House, in Piccadilly (next door to the the Ritz Hotel, now housing a restaurant called The Wolseley). Finances were strained, however, and the company faced
receivership in October, 1926.
Nuffield
Wolseley was purchased by
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield for £730,000 in
1926. Other bidders included
General Motors Corporation and the Austin Motor Company. Morris renamed the company Wolseley Motors (1927) Ltd and consolidated its production at the sprawling
Ward End Works in
Birmingham. In 1935, Wolseley became a subsidiary of Morris' own Morris Motor Company and the Wolseley models soon became based on Morris designs. It became part of the
Nuffield Organisation along with Morris and
Riley (automobile) in 1938.
After the war, Morris and Wolseley production was consolidated at
Cowley, Oxford, and badge engineering took hold. The first post-war Wolseleys, the similar
Wolseley 4/50 and
Wolseley 6/80 models, were based on the Morris Oxford. Later, Wolseleys shared with MG and Riley common bodies and chassis, namely the Wolseley 4/44 and
Wolseley 6/90, which were closely related to the MG Magnette ZA/ZB and the Riley Pathfinder respectively.
Other badge engineering exploits followed at BMC. In 1957 the Wolseley 1500 was based on the planned successor to the Morris Minor. The next year, the Wolseley 15/60 debuted the new mid-sized BMC saloon design penned by Pinin Farina. It was followed by similar vehicles from five marques within the year.
.The Wolseley Hornet was based on the
Austin Motor Company and
Morris Mini with a booted body style which was shared with Riley as the Riley Elf. Finally, a version of the
Austin 1800 was launched in 1967 as the
Wolseley 18/85.
Afterthe merger of BMC and Leyland Motors to form
British Leyland in 1969 the Riley marque, long overlapping with Wolseley, was retired. Wolseley continued in diminished form with the
Wolseley Six of 1972, a variant of the six-cylinder Austin 1800, the Austin 2200. It was finally killed off just three years later in favour of the short-lived Wolseley 18-22 series saloon, which was based on the
Leyland Princess (also known as the 18-22 series) and never even given a clear name, being badged just "Wolseley", and sold only for seven months until that range was renamed as the Princess.
Today, the Wolseley marque is owned by
Nanjing Automobile Group bought as part of the assets of the
MG Rover Group. Note that the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Company continued trading, and continues today as Wolseley plc.
List of Wolseley vehicles
List of 1920s and 1930s Wolseley vehicles
- Four-cylinder
- Six-cylinder
- 1920-1924 Wolseley 20
- 1930-1936 Wolseley Hornet (1930)
- 1927-1932 Wolseley Viper
- 1930-1935 Wolseley 21/60
- 1933-1935 Wolseley Sixteen
- 1935-1936 Wolseley Fourteen
- 1935-1935 Wolseley Eighteen
- 1936-1938 Wolseley 14/56
- 1937-1938 Wolseley 18/80
- 1935-1937 Wolseley Super Six 16HP, 21HP, 25HP
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 14/60
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 16/65
- 1938-1939 Wolseley 18/85
- 1937-1939 Wolseley 16HP, 21HP, 25HP
- Eight-cylinder
- 1928-1931 Wolseley 21/60 Straight Eight
List of post World War II Wolseley vehicles
Wolseley long used a two-number system of model names. Until 1948, the numbers reflected the vehicle's engine size in units of horsepower#RAC horsepower (taxable horsepower) as defined by the
Royal Automobile Club. Thus, the 14/60 was rated at 14 hp (RAC) for tax purposes but actually produced 60 hp (45 kW). Later, the first number equaled the number of cylinders. After 1956, this number was changed to reflect the engine's displacement for four-cylinder cars. Therefore, the seminal
Wolseley 15/60 was a 1.5 l engine capable of producing 60 hp (45 kW). Eventually, the entire naming system was abandoned.
- Also produced (dates to be confirmed):
Aero engines
Wolseley also produced a number of
aviation engine designs, although there were no major design wins.
References
- Lambert, Z.E. and Wyatt, R.J, (1968). Lord Austin - The Man. Altrincham: Sidgwick and Jackson.
- Nixon, St John C, (1949). Wolseley - A Saga of the Motor Industry. London: G T Foulis & Co Ltd.
- Bird, Anthony, (undated but probably 1966) The Horizontal Engined Wolseleys, 1900-1905. London: Profile Publications Ltd.
External links
- Austin-Rover resource site with "family" history for many Wolseley models