Wolseley

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Wolseley | Pre War British Sports Cars


The association of the name Wolseley with sports cars goes back to 1922 with the marketing of a 10-h.p. two-seater based on the popular "Ten" tourer. This little car was away ahead of its competitors in the matter of design in that an overhead camshaft was employed to operate the valves. It was rated at 10.5-h.p., and had a bore and stroke of 65 x 95-mm. It can be truly said that it was the real father of the M.G. and later Wolseley Hornets in that it began the long association with engines of o.h.c. design that were so long a feature of those cars.

The Wolseley Moth



In single-seater form it was amazingly successful at Brooklands, and few cars have ever attained such a reputation in a short time as the famous Wolseley Moth acquired. In the hands of A. G. Millar and G. A. Vandervell it broke many records and covered 500 miles at over 80 m.p.h. The production sports model had a smart two-seater body with the fashionable pointed tail of the period. A Vee-shaped windscreen was adopted which had many imitators. The car was reputed to be capable of 70 m.p.h., and had quite a reputation for reliability. However, it was only marketed in this form for a comparatively short period, although the touring cars were continued for several years.

It was not until 1931 that we again find the name Wolseley listed under sports cars, although various proprietary-bodied Hornets had attained fame as sports cars of a sort. It was due to this increasing specialist bodywork that the Wolseley concern decided to market the Hornet as a sports-special in chassis form. The original Hornet was, of course, simply a six-cylinder edition of the popular o.h.c. Morris Minor, and had no pretensions to being a sports car. The Hornet Special, on the other hand, was very much a sporting device. Several modifications were made to the 1271-c.c. (57 x 83-mm.) engine. Twin S.U. carburetters were fitted, a special manifold was designed, compression was raised, domed pistons were adopted, and double valve springs added.

The oiling system was also modified to include an oil cooler. The front track was increased by 3-in., and the four-speed gearbox incorporated a remote control. The "Special" was an instant success, and versions of it appeared in the catalogues of all the best-known coachbuilders. It was good for a genuine 70 m.p.h. as a two-seater, and the engine could be run up to 5,000 r.p.m. In 1934 the chassis was further improved, and the engine was given streamlined ports and separate exhaust manifolds. The bores were fitted with cast-iron liners, and the crankshaft was better balanced. Over 47 b.h.p. was given at 5,000 r.p.m., so claims of 75 m.p.h. were not without a solid foundation.

Road-holding was bettered by under-slinging the rear frame, and the chassis was stiffened up generally. he Hornet Special was a successful attempt to market a low- priced sports car, and its performance was so exceptional that the cars were entered in direct competition with cars costing several times the price. Consequently it gained a totally undeserved reputation for casting bits and pieces all over the place. The truth of the matter was that the cars were shockingly over-driven by their owners, and, in many cases, far too highly tuned. Driven reasonably, the Hornet was a first-rate little sports car. A larger edition of the engine was added in 1935, and had a capacity of 1604-c.c. (61.5 x 90-mm.).

This was known as the 14-h.p. Hornet, and it was a fine sports car altogether. The engine did not require to be revved so high as the 12-h.p. car, consequently it could be driven hard for far longer periods. A proof of its reliability was that one of the cars won its class in the 12-hour sports-car race at Donington in 1937. This event was definitely not for the " softer " type of sports car.

1932 Wolseley Hornet Daytona Sports Four-Seater
1932 Wolseley Hornet "Daytona" Sports Four-Seater.
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