Wolseley 4/50
Wolseley 4/50 and 6/80 | |
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FR layout |
The Wolseley 4/50 and similar 6/80 were
The cars featured a round Morris rear end and upright Wolseley grille and were used extensively by the police at the time – the 6/80 particularly.
These models were built at
Wolseley 4/50
Wolseley 4/50 | |
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Straight-4 | |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 102 in (2591 mm)[3] |
Length | 170 in (4267 mm)[3] |
Width | 66 in (1676 mm)[3] |
Height | 63 in (1,600 mm)[4] |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | |
Successor | Wolseley 4/44 |
A 4/50 tested by the British magazine
Sales volumes were only a third those of the car's six-cylinder sibling. The car was regarded as heavy, with "good use of the excellent gear-box" being needed to maintain a respectable pace.[5] The Wolseley 4/50 was more upmarket and expensive than the Morris Oxford MO. The engine used was a 4-cylinder version of the 6/80. The pistons and doors were of very few common parts used in this range of cars. The snub-nose styling distinguishes it from the long elegant bonnet of the 6/80 re.[5]
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Wolseley 4/50 - side
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Wolseley 4/50 - rear
Wolseley 6/80
Wolseley 6/80 | |
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saloon | |
Related | Morris Six MS |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 2.2 L I6 |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 110 in (2794 mm)[3] |
Length | 177 in (4443 mm)[3] |
Width | 66 in (1676 mm)[3] |
Height | 63 in (1,600 mm)[6] |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | |
Successor | Wolseley 6/90 |
To accommodate its larger six-cylinder engine, the 6/80 was 7 in (180 mm) longer than the 4/50. It also had larger brakes with 10 in (250 mm) drums compared with the 9 in (230 mm) ones of the 4/50.[6]
The 'six eighty' was something of an anachronism, built in the traditional style that flagship Wolseley buyers loved, yet the underpinnings were intended to be almost cutting edge for an immediate postwar saloon. It had prewar style radiator, centre hinged bonnet, split windscreen, small oval rear window, and traditional elegant styling with a hint of running boards, and from inside the driver sat in leather seats and peered over the Wolseley hallmark of a polished wood dashboard, down a long high bonnet to the flying W symbol – all dated features by the early fifties, yet it had a monocoque chassis, springless torsion bar suspension, twin telescopic shocks, column gears and powered by a feat of engineering in the shaft driven overhead camshaft big 6. Wolseley had needed to produce a new postwar engine, and turned to their own past experience adapting designs drawn from an aero engine called the Wolseley Viper V8 that started life in WWI aircraft, latterly the Bristol SE5a, to which there is a visual similarity, the engine appearing quite vintage even for the day. However the formula worked for there's no doubt the 'six eighty' made a lot of money for Lord Nuffield's corporation, and was the longest ever running favourite of Police forces who seemed to retain cars well into the 1960s when they were a favourite for skid pan and mechanical training. They are even today recognised as the iconic period British police car.[7]
— Postwar Vintage Marques that enraptured the public. Old Motor R.1999
A 6/80 tested by the British magazine
A second-hand car review published in England in 1960 observed that "even the most junior member of the family" would recognise the Wolseley 6/80 as the "Cops' Car" both on television, and on the streets. The car was reckoned to offer a good power-to-weight ratio in combination with steering and suspension sufficiently robust to permit it to be "thrown around without detriment to the car and with little discomfort to the occupants".[5]
Gallery
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Wolseley 6/80 - side
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Wolseley 6/80 - rear
References
- ^ OCLC 29424733.
- ^ BMC-Leyland Australia Heritage Group, Building Cars in Australia, 2012, page 38
- ^ OCLC 1057411.
- ^ The Motor. 27 December 1950.
- ^ a b c "Second Hand car guide supplement". Practical Motorist. 6 Nbr 68: between pages 768 & 769. April 1960.
- ^ The Motor. 28 February 1950.
- ^ Postwar Vintage Marques that enraptured the public. Old Motor R.1999
- ^ a b "Wolseley Six Eighty Saloon (road test)". Autocar. 9 September 1949.