I wonder how long until there is nobody left who can actually drive these old vehicles. Manual gearchange,clutch,no power steering,no electronics to tell you how to do everything,no reverse space warning,manually opening boot lid(exhausting work for today's car owners),no cruise control,no lane change assist,an engine you can actually see when you open the bonnet(excuse me,open the bonnet? What do you mean?),check tyre pressures and oil level(what?). They were the best!
For kids like me back in the late 1950s, the 6/90 was an icon for my next-door neighbour's son was a Police Mechanic who serviced these Wolseley's both before and during any Test-Run for they were mainly black in colour along with the much rearer white ones. I used to be called upon to sit in the driving seat and hold down the Clutch, and Brake etc, while my friend was making some fine-tuning adjustments under the bonnet of the Car for it, was ramped up at the front end for I only 8 years old back then, and this would be happening during my Lunchbreak at home. There use to be a white round push button upon the dashboard next to the Police Radio that would sound "The Bells" that were upon the front of these Police Cars just above the bumper and after any mechanical adjustments were made on the go as required for it was then time for a Road Test Run to ensure that the 6/90 could reach up to 100mph by testing everything along a Dual Carriageway which had 2 Lanes, with my older friend The Police Mechanical driving and with me pushing in the Bell button. Thanks for the memory. Gosh. That was 60 years ago.
Enjoyed this Matt! As a small child in the 1970s our family car was a Wolseley 6/80. My only real memory was the wonderful smell of the interior! Who doesn’t like the smell of an old car’s interior? Holidays were from Kent to Devon and the story my dad used to tell was when my mum spotted a lay-by at the bottom of the hill selling strawberries. My dad agreed to stop but the brakes thought otherwise so they went straight past!
I knew of several roads in the Pennines where there were pull offs, a sort of layby where if your brakes were failing on the steep hills you could pull onto a stretch of gravel to slow down and let your brakes cool. I was taught to use a lower gear to assist braking
Had one many years ago in grey. Right hand floor gearchange in a cut-out in the drivers seat. Walnut dash and trim and full leather grey seats. Beautiful drive, so smooth and quiet. Only downside was it had the turning circle of a double decker bust.
Wonderful memories! My uncle had a 6/80 then a 6/90 when I was a boy in the late fifties and early sixties. I absolutely loved both of them. I loved the way that the grill badge was illuminated and the distinctive gear whine in second. Fabulous!
I am french, and I used to go in England every summer in the early sixties in my distant youth. I remember having a ride in such a car, and I found it quite comfortable and refined...
Yes, we had nice car but the Government made sure they closed the industry down and blame the worker. Also i have had French car and they nice. I worked in the car industry since i left school 1965
WOW..this just brought back many memories. My dad was one of the first members of the wolseley car club in Victoria Australia ,with peter Richardson. Was president,editor of club,spare parts man and many other things. We had many wolseleys over the year's but my favorite was the s1 6/90 . we had, 18/85s..14hps..6110s..10hps..1500s..6/80s..and the list keeps going. We lost a lot of cars in 1988 from a fire. I miss them all. Dad passed away ten years ago.my hole life revolved around these car's...Thank's for the vid.
On the characteristic BMC first gear whine, I watched an episode of Thunderbirds recently, and the sound dubbed onto Lady Penelope's 6 wheeled Rolls when pulling away was that sound! Quite amusing.
A sound from my youth. I thought I would never hear it again. Back then a certain truck would go down out street regularly. I could hear the gears whine from my bedroom. That's a very handsome car, by the way.
My first car brought off my brother. Just loved it. Big back seat that was the envy of my mates. I recall my engine being 3 litres and capable of 160kph. Took a bit of stopping!!! Just loved that car.
It is because the driver side wiper blade is too big, causing it to ride up on the windscreen rubber at the top of it's travel and lifting the blade off the screen. You can clearly see it in the video. It's a black modern one and someone just fitted the wrong size.
I am very old my dad had a second 4/44 then bought a new one just before the 15/50's came Oh the lovely smell of those leather seats lasted for over a year.Great handsome cars these the later BMC farina badged series were never the same
A wonderfully kept piece of history. This is so so much like the early Mark 2 and Mark 3 Ambassador Cars in India (basically the licensed versions of the Morris Oxford). The same big steering wheel, the same kind of horn ring and loud horn. Lots of Smiths gauges including the 4 in one gauge (with very feeble back lighting). And that array of knobs in the centre, choke, lights etc etc. The fat hub in the middle of the steering wheel with the indicator light knob inset. Lots and lots of similarities. The same lovely 4 speed + reverse column shift, the same twisty dicky handle. Oh! What lovely cars they were. All through my childhood we had the Mark 2 and Mark 3 Ambassadors at home! And those were the days of real chrome and first class metal work. Such nostalgic memories.
andrew allen yes. 1800 ISZ Diesel. But the old ones were that BMC 1400 cc or Hindustan Motors engines. The 1800 or 2000 Diesel engines made a big difference in terms of both performance as well as power and fuel efficiency!
I remember my postings as the R/T operator in a Met. Police Wolseley 6/110 in the 1960s docklands of East London, with a driver who also drove for the Flying Squad on occasion. I recall the way he seemed to "twiddle" its big steering wheel as he took us (the car and me!) through rapidly narrowing gaps on emergency calls around busy noon-day streets, with me crouched over my notepad trying to scribble the necessaery entries and keep my ear tuned to the radio speaker as we swayed (and sashayed!) on our way to some waiting caller, with the front mounted bell (pre-siren days) being given an occasional ring-a-ding more in hope than expectation. Then came the 3.4 Jags. - and that's another story altogether!
What a great car! Love all the small details like the door handles, center of the steering wheel, and many more. And it stays still when turning! Great video review Matt, thanks.
Hello Mr Furiousdriving. I hope you don't mind a longish comment, but I've owned 2 of these, Series I and III and can add quite a bit. Differences acquired by the time of the Series III were rear suspension and gear shift as you noted. The Series III also had a wooden dashboard with crashpad at the top and glovebox, power brake booster under the floor, centre front armrests, a larger rear window and revised tail lights. The instrument panel on your test car seems to have been covered in vinyl. Originally this was a nicely patterned and attractive formica. The instrument numbers and needles do indeed flouresce. There is a glass shroud over the instrument light bulbs to make a sort of black light. I was a bit surprised that the 0 - 60 time is given as 18 seconds. I'd be sure that the fine tuning I gave my last one in terms of distributor curve and carbs had it more in the 14 - 15 second range. Also a good idea for these cars for modern use is to replace the 4.11 diff centre with a 3.9, as found in the Austin A95. On indicators and trafficators, which of these was wired in may have depended on the market the cars were sold in. On mine, I had the flashing indicators wired through the centre switch and had an extra switch wired to the trafficators for waving at people. The Riley Pathfinders differed in having the Riley twin cam engine, though the late ones acquired the C engine and became known as the Riley 2.6. The Rileys also have 16" wheels as opposed to 15" on the Wolseley, and larger cutouts in the wings to match. The Rileys also boasted a tachometer. As a result of overfrequent breakage of a rear axle locating arm in the coil suspension, the Rileys were oft referred to as Ditchfinders. 6/90's, and particularly the Series III are very very good cars, and I'd be delighted to own one again. Cheers.
I didn't think it was austere either. It seems like a fantastically built compact wafter.... Again the metal content wasn't mentioned. My father had a ZB MG Magnette.
I had the Riley Pathfinder for a while. It was a nice car and the gear lever between me and the door was a novelty, as was the tacho' Mine started misfiring for some reason and after having a proper look, I found that the piston crown on no 2 (think) had decided to part company with the skirt etc. I can't believe that it didn't make a sound, but it didn't. Anyway, I'm afraid it was scrap after that as I was a youngster in 1967 and skint.
@@oldbloke5277 I had that happen on a Zephyr once. It did make a noise in that case. I think I had it repaired, but yes, there were many cars in my youth that I couldn't afford to fix, but still wish I had today!
I have always wondered which bell housing pattern the C series engine had as it would appear that the same gearbox fitted onto both 4 and 6 engines, BMC boxes had from memory integrated bell housings, It would appear that the right hand floor shift which was on the later 6/90's would have attached to the same box on the 4 pot, in other words, did BMC adopt the Riley engine block bolt pattern when the C seriers Engine was designed?.
I used to have the smaller 4/44 about 25 years ago. The 6/90 was just about extinct then so it's amazing a few survive. Love the first gear whine, the flippy flappy wipers and those red seats!
Aah, Wolseleys....wonderful. Thank you for this most excellent video and drive. Some years back my then A90 Westminster with Alexander conversion was timed at 106. Fortunately I didn't loose my licence.
The positioning of the wing mirrors reminds me of British tanks in World War Two! It's great to see that there are still examples of post-war British cars on the road. So much character in vehicles like this!
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj That why I said a 1937 model in relation to Passport To Pimlico. But more importantly, when is a frock (Sorry DESIGNER GOWN) "Fromidad?"
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj Listen closely, I think it is "Fromidad" a fake French word to go with a fake French accent, and the joke is these Bayswater Babes go along with it to appear "sophisticated" "Yes madame, I am Joohells" HaHaHaHa!
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj I hold with my original assessment. "Positively formidable" works if one is discussing a tank, not a frilly designer dress. Part of Peter Sellers comedy is using "pigeon" French to pull the wool over this lady's eyes. The other part is if she was as sophisticated as she likes to think, she would know it is a load of malarkey. (BTW, I never got the word from subtitles, I heard it, knew it for what it was and starting laughing)
Have watched this video 3 times now. There is nothing that I don't like about the Wolesley. I prefare wood on the dashboard, but this still looks right. The red interior goes with the shiny black bodywork. The W on the steering wheel is absolutely gorgeous. The Wolseley Grill Lamp is so unique. I think if you could have had her for a couple of days you would have developed a very smooth driving style for this beauty. My only experience of Wolesley was a 1974 1800 that my Dad's friend drove. It was dark brown with lovely full wheel hubcaps and trims with the big W. A nice W on the steering wheel and it was extra special when Jim stayed till after dark and the light on the grille came on really well built and strong and and capacious compared to my Dad's Arrow Minx. Little did I know that it was front wheel drive too. You lucky Man.
In these films with the camera actually in the interior, it really does give you the impression of going out in it!What a lovely atmosphere, and interior!
My Dad's pride and joy in the 1950s was a pre war Wolseley, probably a 1936 21/6. As a young kid I remember the space, the smell of leather, acres of wood, and a feature my Dad kept pointing out to friends, it was fitted with four hydraulic jacks so if (when?) you had a flat tyre, you could simply jack up the offending wheel! They don't build them like that nowadays!! My Dad replaced it with an SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre with the spare wheel mounted on the left hand wing. Unfortunately my Mum, being all of 5 ft tall, couldn't drive it, even with the help of cushions so it went to be replaced by a more mundane but more modern Ford 100E. Happy days...
Love it!!! The interior is particularly attractive; thanks for pointing out the details! I love attractive yet logical / functional designs like this. This Wolseley reminds me of "The Thin Blue Line".
By the time this was built we had suffered under the malaise of Atlee, and progresdive Labour governments made sure our greatness snuffed it by the time this car was built.
@@tatumcollin5128 Have you heard of Kodi? It’s a program/app not a website but it’s good for stuff like that - in my opinion though extremely hard and confusing to set up, I mean it’s not really legal. I set it up twice over the years - I would just pay to watch stuff legit my friend, if you actually value your time/money (time is money). If it’s for political reasons like boycotting then it’s worth it, granted you could just wait and buy on DVD/Blu-ray later for cheap, as I do. If you have sky or something like that it can sometimes take many years for some movies to become available “for free”.
My Dad had a 6/80 (like Grandad's) followed by a 6/90, a 6/110 (which was written off in an accident) and a 6/110 Mk II. I learned to drive and got my license in the 6/90.
Radioactive glow in the dark stuff...radium? Can't beat a bit of radioactivity with your classic cars :D On another note, I absolutely adore seeing old stuff like this. Very unique!
My dad had a 6/90 in 1952, cream colour which was not that common after the war years. Then a 4/44 dark green colour in 1954 which I think had a walnut dash . Both were spacious inside and he raced a train at just over 90 mph in the 6/90! I still have his HMSO manual from 1960 titled 'Roadcraft'. On the cover is a police Wolseley 6/90 with a bell just over the front bumper, a police sign across the radiator and a radio antenna with loudspeaker on the roof.
Great test, very much enjoyed that. Yes it is a rare beast, but I've seen a few even down here in Oz. I forget the surviving numbers you mentioned, but I bet you've not seen its even rarer sibling the Riley 2.6? It was in production from 1957 to 1959. I owned one of these very rare cars (built in 1958) in the 1990s in London, it was two-tone (being a Riley) with a much plusher leather interior, a huge slab of timber right across the dash etc etc. I guess it was aimed at the buyer who was a step above the Wolseley owner being more expensive. It was nothing more than a 6/90 at the end of the day with all the extra trim, two-tone paint, different and very large moon like chrome hubcaps and the Riley grill. I enjoyed my ownership of it and will never forget my holiday in the Yorkshire Dales in it, I felt like I was in an episode of All Creatures Great and Small or Heartbeat driving it around. It always seemed to attract a crowd whenever I pulled up, usually the older folk who remembered it, some confusing it with the 6/90. I guess it was one of the first examples of BMC badge engineering and not considered a Riley by the purists due to its C-series engine etc. At least two examples made it to Australia in the late 50s apparently, of which one survives still. There is apparently a fairly healthy survival rate in NZ of the 6/90 and even the 2.6.
Splendid. It even has that distinctive sound of a British car of the period. I have to say that I liked it a great deal more that the modern big boxy-looking cars that you passed by.
I remember being able to tell a Wolseley in the dark by the whistling sound of the wind around the radiator badge. I don't think any other car did it quite like that.
tremendous stuff Matt. I will admit that the older cars you review do appeal to this old gits over developed sense of nostalgia, but all your reviews are consistently full of facts and information and are therefore enjoyable, interesting and educational. You obviously do your homework, so thanks, your efforts are much appreciated. You mentioned the similarity of this car to the 'Riley Pathfinder' which some here may recall featured in a police orientated tv show called ' No Hiding Place' I clearly recall that all such Police vehicles of the day use to have loud bells which they used to ring when 'on a shout'. Just a point about the horn on the Wolseley, magnificent sound, why dont we have those on cars nowadays? And Formica dashboard ! must have been uber radical in 1955
Love this film. Reminds me of the 6/80 (ex police car SRO301) which was our first family car, about 60 years ago. It was the first car I ever drove (but only at an off road track - somewhere in Surrey!) I remember the long bonnet, which seemed to gently rise up as it pulled away, and the leather and wood luxury feel. It was very thirsty and seemed to use more oil than petrol. I recall my impoverished brother often wanting to borrow money to put in half a gallon - i.e. about 2 shillings (10p). Would love a 6/80 now!
Hi The back seat head room is like most cars of that era men wore hats and the ones who were in the back of the Wolseley would have worn trilby's. The second "W" switch could be the wrong switch and should have been "F" for fog lights. The gear change leaver at the righthand (for the mk2) side of the seat is a Riley idea as it was in the Pathfinder. Four on the tree is an Americanism at the time the Wolseley was built it was only a column change, while on the gears they were designed for 1950's roads and driving. One small thing the off side windscreen wiper was the wrong one it was to long. Sorry to be so pickey but I do enjoy your reports and hope you get the convertible Rover working well.
We picked up two 4/44 not yet a year ago, and one of them is coming close to restored. Such super cool, elegant cars! At least one of ours was a police car, here were we live in New Zealand. Yea, and there is a bit more to it than I anticipated, never having done up any car before, but my partner has ... panel beater and car painter of the old school.
I had a 4 forty it was amazing so quiet went round bends as if on rails even went through a wooden farm gate and did not get a scratch which was good I was hundreds of miles from home.
My old man had one. 4/44 that is. He bought it from the car yard owner practically new. I was not happy that my mom gave it away to a smooth talking stranger after he passed away.
No wood capping to doors and dash definitely suggests police spec. Non police cars also had front door armrests but I guess they got in the way when police drivers were opposite locking across Hyde Park Corner.
I may well be wrong, but I had an idea that the run out models only had the rear wrap around windows on the MGs. I certainly don't recall seeing any on the Wolseleys and Rileys. The MG Magnette was certainly the most attractive. The other thing to bear in mind is that modern plastic in the 1950s was still considered very 'modern' and 'exciting' - a type of luxury in a way.
Now you're talking Matt. What a wonderful motor car from my favourite era of motor cars. I'm sure Chief Inspector Lockheart was holding the camera in the back seat. Beautiful.
I used to drive a Wolseley in the late 70s and I would frequently get older drivers suddenly slow down when I came up behind them, and I live in Australia, force of habit I think!
Great vid thanks for sharing . My mate has one of these in his garage awaiting full restoration I hope he watches this and gets his --se into gear this should motivate him .
Love this - great film. Also love the hearty & spirited driving in the rain.Well done. I own one of the surviving 6/90s and until recently used it as my daily driver - 220 miles in one day, 50,000 miles since 2012. Mine's a Series 3 (bigger brakes, semi-eliptics) but I have also owned a S1 like this one. The S1 is prettier...but S3 is the better driver. I can attest to handling / springs issue...it WAS suspension...coil-sprung rear-end grips TOO well, exacerbating understeer from heavy motor slung over front axle. When it looses grip in bend it feels like death is imminent. The S3 resolves this problem by fitting primitive cart springs at the back, causing the back-end of the big, powerful RWD car to break away BEFORE the front end, making the rear slip & slide like the Police Fords from "The Streets of San Francisco". Which is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better than understeer. Because, instead of ploughing straight ahead into a wall or a tree, you can apply throttle & some opposite lock and drift round the bend. Usually (in the dry) to a chorus of impressive howling tyres. - I love your commentary on the interior - I will check our Formica documentary - I agree with you the early plastic dash is much cooler than the Gentleman's Club wooden dash fitted to the late cars (like mine). As i said, S1 much prettier to look at - and a more sophisticated ride cruising round town - but as a Driver's car I'd always go for the S3. Here's a short film of my 6/90 driving through London's Docklands at night. th-cam.com/video/5s5p_EQ5ac8/w-d-xo.html
This style of motor looks so much more attractive than anything contemporary. The interior is like a living room, long journeys are a pleasure, I miss my old P4 side valve , the smell etc. Lovely car.
I owned 2 Rover 90,s in the 1970,s ,drove to Holland & Germany in one of them never broke down in my ownership , never did more than 22 mpg either! Each one I paid £70 for!!
My father was in the RAF and when we returned to England from an overseas posting in the 1950s. He bought one of these cars band new. It cost £2500 and the registration was OUY2 My mother had a fit because she said it cost more than a new house.
No real strong Rolls-Royce influences with this car I believe. If you want to compare this car's aesthetics with a top-tier British marque, I honestly believe Bristol would be the one to do it.
G'Day from down under, i have a series 1 car that was bought in UK by my late In-Laws, Joy & Peter Richardson, founders of the Wolseley Car Club Victoria. that dashbord has striped formica behind the vinyl, one of our cars (we have 3 series 1 wrecks as well) has a striped formica "lid" for the tray area of the dash, two have a little bakelite faced ashtray on the panel under the dah (hiding the heater vent hoses), and none of ours has that handle on the front doors, they all have arm rests/grab handles, side mirrors we not supplied by Wolseley, they were fitted aftermarket to the customers preference, our good car has door mounted mirrors. our 1961 Wolesely 6/99 has the fender mounted mirrors, i much prefer the door style as they can be seen and adjusted easier. our 6/90 has an overdrive gearbox from the series 2&3 fitted, and the car simply purrs at speed, such a delight to drive. a club member here is Australia gave me a complete manual on the modifications required by the UK police, stifferner brackets and plates etc. those knowing what to look for can spot a "fake" Police Wolseley fairly easily.
The Riley Pathfinder was also the last true Riley with the famous Riley 4 cylinder engine. It always had the gear lever indented into the driver’s seat. It was excellent. I still have a Dinky model on the mantle piece to remind when I drove it to School occasionally in in Chichester!
Great video, but you always seem very aggressive with the column gear changes ! Years ago, our Neighbour had a Riley Pathfinder, with the right hand gear change- very odd. Keep up the good work, you are very good at what you do :-)
We had one of them at home in the sixties in Ireland, the Woolsey were an Anglo Irish family that have a connection to the town of Tullow Co Carlow Ireland
My dad bought a 6/90 brand new in England in 1955. It IS black, brown interior with grey formica dash. Have it in my Garage doing some work on it...ok full running gear and engine resto. Parts are easy to get also. I have also got a Wolseley 12/48 Australian bodied Coupe 1936 model, and a 1948 Wolseley 10, and to top it off, a 1961 Wolseley 6/99.
My father had one in Canada. Since we drive on the right with controls on the left, the three on the tree was backwards, ie. first and second were near the dash and you had to pull through neutral gate to get into third and fourth.. Since we had two cars, a good one usually a Studebaker for my mother's job as an investigator for child welfare, and some beat up old refugee from the scrapyard my father used for his work on the railway. The Wolseley was one of these disposable relics.
My brother had one of these in the 60s one very cold icy winter in West Ham he turned the little tap on the radiator to drain the water out over night and undone the radiator cap so it wouldn't freeze and crack the block. It must have clogged up because in the morning the bonnet was pushed up and when he lifted it up there was a pole of ice with the radiator cap sitting on top of it.
My father was a bit of a "wide boy" in the fifties. The 6/90 police car didn't bother him too much, he had a 57 Ford Fairlane V8. He used to max it out up the M1 before the 70 limit came about.
I Had a 1968 109" Landrover station wagon with the 6 cylinder 2.6 engine in it. Lovely smooth engine and ran like a sewing machine, only weak point was it had a tendency to burn out exhaust valves. Not mentioned in your review I don't think but it had Overhead Inlet and Side Exhaust valves.
I wonder how long until there is nobody left who can actually drive these old vehicles. Manual gearchange,clutch,no power steering,no electronics to tell you how to do everything,no reverse space warning,manually opening boot lid(exhausting work for today's car owners),no cruise control,no lane change assist,an engine you can actually see when you open the bonnet(excuse me,open the bonnet? What do you mean?),check tyre pressures and oil level(what?). They were the best!
For kids like me back in the late 1950s, the 6/90 was an icon for my next-door neighbour's son was a Police Mechanic who serviced these Wolseley's both before and during any Test-Run for they were mainly black in colour along with the much rearer white ones.
I used to be called upon to sit in the driving seat and hold down the Clutch, and Brake etc, while my friend was making some fine-tuning adjustments under the bonnet of the Car for it, was ramped up at the front end for I only 8 years old back then, and this would be happening during my Lunchbreak at home.
There use to be a white round push button upon the dashboard next to the Police Radio that would sound "The Bells" that were upon the front of these Police Cars just above the bumper and after any mechanical adjustments were made on the go as required for it was then time for a Road Test Run to ensure that the 6/90 could reach up to 100mph by testing everything along a Dual Carriageway which had 2 Lanes, with my older friend The Police Mechanical driving and with me pushing in the Bell button.
Thanks for the memory.
Gosh. That was 60 years ago.
Enjoyed this Matt! As a small child in the 1970s our family car was a Wolseley 6/80. My only real memory was the wonderful smell of the interior! Who doesn’t like the smell of an old car’s interior? Holidays were from Kent to Devon and the story my dad used to tell was when my mum spotted a lay-by at the bottom of the hill selling strawberries. My dad agreed to stop but the brakes thought otherwise so they went straight past!
Haha, that's a funny memory, something that you'd miss out on with a modern car 😛
I knew of several roads in the Pennines where there were pull offs, a sort of layby where if your brakes were failing on the steep hills you could pull onto a stretch of gravel to slow down and let your brakes cool. I was taught to use a lower gear to assist braking
Mind you , you can still buy strawberries on the A21 when in season. Still a bit of the old days left!
My second car was a silver 6/80 - managed to wrap it around a lamp post, we do silly things when we are nineteen ! 😉
My Dad's first car was a 1952 6/80, bought in Rhodesia. I learned to drive in it. I remember the smell in the interior, too!
Had one many years ago in grey. Right hand floor gearchange in a cut-out in the drivers seat. Walnut dash and trim and full leather grey seats. Beautiful drive, so smooth and quiet. Only downside was it had the turning circle of a double decker bust.
Wonderful memories! My uncle had a 6/80 then a 6/90 when I was a boy in the late fifties and early sixties. I absolutely loved both of them. I loved the way that the grill badge was illuminated and the distinctive gear whine in second. Fabulous!
I share your enthusiasm completely. I had my first 6/80 in 1966 when I was 17. Still think about it (and 6/90's) wistfully.
I am french, and I used to go in England every summer in the early sixties in my distant youth. I remember having a ride in such a car, and I found it quite comfortable and refined...
Yes, we had nice car but the Government made sure they closed the industry down and blame the worker. Also i have had French car and they nice. I worked in the car industry since i left school 1965
WOW..this just brought back many memories. My dad was one of the first members of the wolseley car club in Victoria Australia ,with peter Richardson. Was president,editor of club,spare parts man and many other things. We had many wolseleys over the year's but my favorite was the s1 6/90 . we had, 18/85s..14hps..6110s..10hps..1500s..6/80s..and the list keeps going. We lost a lot of cars in 1988 from a fire. I miss them all. Dad passed away ten years ago.my hole life revolved around these car's...Thank's for the vid.
I love the sound of the old transmission winding up to the next gear.
On the characteristic BMC first gear whine, I watched an episode of Thunderbirds recently, and the sound dubbed onto Lady Penelope's 6 wheeled Rolls when pulling away was that sound! Quite amusing.
A sound from my youth. I thought I would never hear it again. Back then a certain truck would go down out street regularly. I could hear the gears whine from my bedroom.
That's a very handsome car, by the way.
My first car brought off my brother. Just loved it. Big back seat that was the envy of my mates. I recall my engine being 3 litres and capable of 160kph. Took a bit of stopping!!! Just loved that car.
Love how the drivers wiper manages to miss the screen entirely! Lol Great review!
Its a feature!
It is because the driver side wiper blade is too big, causing it to ride up on the windscreen rubber at the top of it's travel and lifting the blade off the screen. You can clearly see it in the video. It's a black modern one and someone just fitted the wrong size.
Triangle or square of doom?
@@Ribeirasacra All of them I think 🤣
I am very old my dad had a second 4/44 then bought a new one just before the 15/50's came Oh the lovely smell of those leather seats lasted for over a year.Great handsome cars these the later BMC farina badged
series were never the same
@Edward Gross thanks Ed
A wonderfully kept piece of history.
This is so so much like the early Mark 2 and Mark 3 Ambassador Cars in India (basically the licensed versions of the Morris Oxford). The same big steering wheel, the same kind of horn ring and loud horn. Lots of Smiths gauges including the 4 in one gauge (with very feeble back lighting). And that array of knobs in the centre, choke, lights etc etc. The fat hub in the middle of the steering wheel with the indicator light knob inset. Lots and lots of similarities. The same lovely 4 speed + reverse column shift, the same twisty dicky handle. Oh! What lovely cars they were. All through my childhood we had the Mark 2 and Mark 3 Ambassadors at home!
And those were the days of real chrome and first class metal work. Such nostalgic memories.
You could even buy Ambassadors with Indian made Isuzu diesel engines fitted.
andrew allen yes. 1800 ISZ Diesel. But the old ones were that BMC 1400 cc or Hindustan Motors engines. The 1800 or 2000 Diesel engines made a big difference in terms of both performance as well as power and fuel efficiency!
When I was a young boy, I always had to tell my dad if I noticed a Wolseley radiator badge after dark in the rear window.
Hehe, I'm sure your dad was just really keen on these cars, no other reason 😅
I love the fact the Wolseley badge stays level as you turn the steering wheel. Details…
I remember my postings as the R/T operator in a Met. Police Wolseley 6/110 in the 1960s docklands of East
London, with a driver who also drove for the Flying Squad on occasion. I recall the way he seemed to "twiddle"
its big steering wheel as he took us (the car and me!) through rapidly narrowing gaps on emergency calls
around busy noon-day streets, with me crouched over my notepad trying to scribble the necessaery entries
and keep my ear tuned to the radio speaker as we swayed (and sashayed!) on our way to some waiting
caller, with the front mounted bell (pre-siren days) being given an occasional ring-a-ding more in hope than expectation. Then came the 3.4 Jags. - and that's another story altogether!
What a great car! Love all the small details like the door handles, center of the steering wheel, and many more. And it stays still when turning! Great video review Matt, thanks.
Hello Mr Furiousdriving. I hope you don't mind a longish comment, but I've owned 2 of these, Series I and III and can add quite a bit. Differences acquired by the time of the Series III were rear suspension and gear shift as you noted. The Series III also had a wooden dashboard with crashpad at the top and glovebox, power brake booster under the floor, centre front armrests, a larger rear window and revised tail lights. The instrument panel on your test car seems to have been covered in vinyl. Originally this was a nicely patterned and attractive formica. The instrument numbers and needles do indeed flouresce. There is a glass shroud over the instrument light bulbs to make a sort of black light. I was a bit surprised that the 0 - 60 time is given as 18 seconds. I'd be sure that the fine tuning I gave my last one in terms of distributor curve and carbs had it more in the 14 - 15 second range. Also a good idea for these cars for modern use is to replace the 4.11 diff centre with a 3.9, as found in the Austin A95. On indicators and trafficators, which of these was wired in may have depended on the market the cars were sold in. On mine, I had the flashing indicators wired through the centre switch and had an extra switch wired to the trafficators for waving at people. The Riley Pathfinders differed in having the Riley twin cam engine, though the late ones acquired the C engine and became known as the Riley 2.6. The Rileys also have 16" wheels as opposed to 15" on the Wolseley, and larger cutouts in the wings to match. The Rileys also boasted a tachometer. As a result of overfrequent breakage of a rear axle locating arm in the coil suspension, the Rileys were oft referred to as Ditchfinders. 6/90's, and particularly the Series III are very very good cars, and I'd be delighted to own one again. Cheers.
Thanks, I do want to test a later series to compare the difference one day
I didn't think it was austere either. It seems like a fantastically built compact wafter.... Again the metal content wasn't mentioned. My father had a ZB MG Magnette.
I had the Riley Pathfinder for a while. It was a nice car and the gear lever between me and the door was a novelty, as was the tacho' Mine started misfiring for some reason and after having a proper look, I found that the piston crown on no 2 (think) had decided to part company with the skirt etc. I can't believe that it didn't make a sound, but it didn't. Anyway, I'm afraid it was scrap after that as I was a youngster in 1967 and skint.
@@oldbloke5277 I had that happen on a Zephyr once. It did make a noise in that case. I think I had it repaired, but yes, there were many cars in my youth that I couldn't afford to fix, but still wish I had today!
I have always wondered which bell housing pattern the C series engine had as it would appear that the same gearbox fitted onto both 4 and 6 engines, BMC boxes had from memory integrated bell housings, It would appear that the right hand floor shift which was on the later 6/90's would have attached to the same box on the 4 pot, in other words, did BMC adopt the Riley engine block bolt pattern when the C seriers Engine was designed?.
I used to have the smaller 4/44 about 25 years ago. The 6/90 was just about extinct then so it's amazing a few survive. Love the first gear whine, the flippy flappy wipers and those red seats!
The Pathfinder was also known as the ditchfinder, owing to the handling. I love these both. Such fun
Ditchfinder hahaha, Id not heard that before.
Ah, references to the Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre! Excellent...
If any one appreciates that it would be you!
@@furiousdriving, why yes, sir! Predictably...
Aah, Wolseleys....wonderful. Thank you for this most excellent video and drive. Some years back my then A90 Westminster with Alexander conversion was timed at 106. Fortunately I didn't loose my licence.
The positioning of the wing mirrors reminds me of British tanks in World War Two! It's great to see that there are still examples of post-war British cars on the road. So much character in vehicles like this!
This is the stuff! Well known for their role in Ealing comedies, like "Passport to Pimlico!"
Out of curiosity I looked it up, it appears to be a 1937 model with a PA system mounted on the roof.
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj But when I find the bloke what been grassin'......
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj That why I said a 1937 model in relation to Passport To Pimlico. But more importantly, when is a frock (Sorry DESIGNER GOWN) "Fromidad?"
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj Listen closely, I think it is "Fromidad" a fake French word to go with a fake French accent, and the joke is these Bayswater Babes go along with it to appear "sophisticated" "Yes madame, I am Joohells" HaHaHaHa!
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj I hold with my original assessment. "Positively formidable" works if one is discussing a tank, not a frilly designer dress. Part of Peter Sellers comedy is using "pigeon" French to pull the wool over this lady's eyes. The other part is if she was as sophisticated as she likes to think, she would know it is a load of malarkey. (BTW, I never got the word from subtitles, I heard it, knew it for what it was and starting laughing)
Have watched this video 3 times now. There is nothing that I don't like about the Wolesley. I prefare wood on the dashboard, but this still looks right. The red interior goes with the shiny black bodywork. The W on the steering wheel is absolutely gorgeous. The Wolseley Grill Lamp is so unique. I think if you could have had her for a couple of days you would have developed a very smooth driving style for this beauty. My only experience of Wolesley was a 1974 1800 that my Dad's friend drove. It was dark brown with lovely full wheel hubcaps and trims with the big W. A nice W on the steering wheel and it was extra special when Jim stayed till after dark and the light on the grille came on really well built and strong and and capacious compared to my Dad's Arrow Minx. Little did I know that it was front wheel drive too. You lucky Man.
Just my kind of thing, 50's six cylinder wholesomeness!
In these films with the camera actually in the interior, it really does give you the impression of going out in it!What a lovely atmosphere, and interior!
Lovely motor! Love the interior:the burgandy and black work well together. I even like the wiper action!
Hubnut would be proud of that wiper action...
My Dad's pride and joy in the 1950s was a pre war Wolseley, probably a 1936 21/6. As a young kid I remember the space, the smell of leather, acres of wood, and a feature my Dad kept pointing out to friends, it was fitted with four hydraulic jacks so if (when?) you had a flat tyre, you could simply jack up the offending wheel! They don't build them like that nowadays!! My Dad replaced it with an SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre with the spare wheel mounted on the left hand wing. Unfortunately my Mum, being all of 5 ft tall, couldn't drive it, even with the help of cushions so it went to be replaced by a more mundane but more modern Ford 100E. Happy days...
Definitely more classy than a Ford or Vauxhall! Amazing that this car is over 60 years old.
Wow, what a nice and stylish looking car, it has a very British character of its own!
My dad had the Wolsey 4/44. He loved it.
We are restoring one right now! Very similar to that car in the video, dashboard is different. I think they are super elegant!
Love it!!! The interior is particularly attractive; thanks for pointing out the details! I love attractive yet logical / functional designs like this. This Wolseley reminds me of "The Thin Blue Line".
So many of your videos have me watching with my heart in my mouth. The go pro's make it seem like your driving much faster than you probably are.
Made when Britain was still Great!
By the time this was built we had suffered under the malaise of Atlee, and progresdive Labour governments made sure our greatness snuffed it by the time this car was built.
Sounds gorgeous and feels strong.
i know it is kinda off topic but do anybody know of a good site to stream new movies online?
@@shebbs1 Great car though
@@tatumcollin5128 Have you heard of Kodi? It’s a program/app not a website but it’s good for stuff like that - in my opinion though extremely hard and confusing to set up, I mean it’s not really legal. I set it up twice over the years - I would just pay to watch stuff legit my friend, if you actually value your time/money (time is money). If it’s for political reasons like boycotting then it’s worth it, granted you could just wait and buy on DVD/Blu-ray later for cheap, as I do. If you have sky or something like that it can sometimes take many years for some movies to become available “for free”.
What a beautiful car! Love the interior and as ever a great demonstration. The front end does remind me of the London Taxi. 👍🏼
Thanks so much for covering this model.
My Dad had a 6/80 (like Grandad's) followed by a 6/90, a 6/110 (which was written off in an accident) and a 6/110 Mk II. I learned to drive and got my license in the 6/90.
Ah the light up badge, ooo trafficators, lovely 👍 Did expect a bell to start ringing though, so much more refined than a siren 😉
Radioactive glow in the dark stuff...radium? Can't beat a bit of radioactivity with your classic cars :D
On another note, I absolutely adore seeing old stuff like this. Very unique!
My dad had a 6/90 in 1952, cream colour which was not that common after the war years.
Then a 4/44 dark green colour in 1954 which I think had a walnut dash . Both were spacious inside and he raced a train at just over 90 mph in the 6/90! I still have his HMSO manual from 1960 titled 'Roadcraft'. On the cover is a police Wolseley 6/90 with a bell just over the front bumper, a police sign across the radiator and a radio antenna with loudspeaker on the roof.
Great test, very much enjoyed that. Yes it is a rare beast, but I've seen a few even down here in Oz. I forget the surviving numbers you mentioned, but I bet you've not seen its even rarer sibling the Riley 2.6? It was in production from 1957 to 1959. I owned one of these very rare cars (built in 1958) in the 1990s in London, it was two-tone (being a Riley) with a much plusher leather interior, a huge slab of timber right across the dash etc etc. I guess it was aimed at the buyer who was a step above the Wolseley owner being more expensive. It was nothing more than a 6/90 at the end of the day with all the extra trim, two-tone paint, different and very large moon like chrome hubcaps and the Riley grill. I enjoyed my ownership of it and will never forget my holiday in the Yorkshire Dales in it, I felt like I was in an episode of All Creatures Great and Small or Heartbeat driving it around. It always seemed to attract a crowd whenever I pulled up, usually the older folk who remembered it, some confusing it with the 6/90. I guess it was one of the first examples of BMC badge engineering and not considered a Riley by the purists due to its C-series engine etc. At least two examples made it to Australia in the late 50s apparently, of which one survives still. There is apparently a fairly healthy survival rate in NZ of the 6/90 and even the 2.6.
Splendid. It even has that distinctive sound of a British car of the period. I have to say that I liked it a great deal more that the modern big boxy-looking cars that you passed by.
Another splendid review of a wonderful old motor car. Love the speaker grille. Thanks.
I remember being able to tell a Wolseley in the dark by the whistling sound of the wind around the radiator badge. I don't think any other car did it quite like that.
So how many heard 'clang-a-lang-a-lang' in their head as soon as they saw it. Good review.
tremendous stuff Matt. I will admit that the older cars you review do appeal to this old gits over developed sense of nostalgia, but all your reviews are consistently full of facts and information and are therefore enjoyable, interesting and educational. You obviously do your homework, so thanks, your efforts are much appreciated. You mentioned the similarity of this car to the 'Riley Pathfinder' which some here may recall featured in a police orientated tv show called ' No Hiding Place' I clearly recall that all such Police vehicles of the day use to have loud bells which they used to ring when 'on a shout'. Just a point about the horn on the Wolseley, magnificent sound, why dont we have those on cars nowadays? And Formica dashboard ! must have been uber radical in 1955
So radical that my Mercedes 200d fintails dashboard is made of formica instead of the wood of the S models :)
What a nice car, love the style of the interior. I have also heard that story about the heater pipes.
Love this film. Reminds me of the 6/80 (ex police car SRO301) which was our first family car, about 60 years ago. It was the first car I ever drove (but only at an off road track - somewhere in Surrey!) I remember the long bonnet, which seemed to gently rise up as it pulled away, and the leather and wood luxury feel. It was very thirsty and seemed to use more oil than petrol. I recall my impoverished brother often wanting to borrow money to put in half a gallon - i.e. about 2 shillings (10p). Would love a 6/80 now!
Hi The back seat head room is like most cars of that era men wore hats and the ones who were in the back of the Wolseley would have worn trilby's. The second "W" switch could be the wrong switch and should have been "F" for fog lights. The gear change leaver at the righthand (for the mk2) side of the seat is a Riley idea as it was in the Pathfinder. Four on the tree is an Americanism at the time the Wolseley was built it was only a column change, while on the gears they were designed for 1950's roads and driving. One small thing the off side windscreen wiper was the wrong one it was to long. Sorry to be so pickey but I do enjoy your reports and hope you get the convertible Rover working well.
Great review Matt very interesting as usual. Thanks for the posting.
We picked up two 4/44 not yet a year ago, and one of them is coming close to restored. Such super cool, elegant cars! At least one of ours was a police car, here were we live in New Zealand. Yea, and there is a bit more to it than I anticipated, never having done up any car before, but my partner has ... panel beater and car painter of the old school.
I had a 4 forty it was amazing so quiet went round bends as if on rails even went through a wooden farm gate and did not get a scratch which was good I was hundreds of miles from home.
My old man had one. 4/44 that is. He bought it from the car yard owner practically new. I was not happy that my mom gave it away to a smooth talking stranger after he passed away.
@@colinlatham7905 Shame because they are a lovely car to drive and ride in. Only perceptions have changed some cars are always great cars.
Beautiful, wouldn't mind being chased by one of these! Forget triangle of doom, it's windshield wipers of doom, but I guess it's the 50's heritage!?
but is a cool car that would never been seen where I am otherwise...but you are right about the wipers...
Fantastic to see a 6/90! Great review.
No wood capping to doors and dash definitely suggests police spec. Non police cars also had front door armrests but I guess they got in the way when police drivers were opposite locking across Hyde Park Corner.
I may well be wrong, but I had an idea that the run out models only had the rear wrap around windows on the MGs. I certainly don't recall seeing any on the Wolseleys and Rileys. The MG Magnette was certainly the most attractive. The other thing to bear in mind is that modern plastic in the 1950s was still considered very 'modern' and 'exciting' - a type of luxury in a way.
Now you're talking Matt. What a wonderful motor car from my favourite era of motor cars. I'm sure Chief Inspector Lockheart was holding the camera in the back seat. Beautiful.
I used to drive a Wolseley in the late 70s and I would frequently get older drivers suddenly slow down when I came up behind them, and I live in Australia, force of habit I think!
Great vid thanks for sharing . My mate has one of these in his garage awaiting full restoration I hope he watches this and gets his --se into gear this should motivate him .
My dad had one of these when we lived in Beirut in the early 1960's. The gear shift was between the door and the seat..thought that was very cool!
Great car. Featured quite nicely in the '50's noir movie 'Hell is a City' with Stanley Baker. Lots of body roll! Cheers.
yes! I need to get a DVD copy of that
Lovely review, I’ve never seen once before so lots of interesting facts
That is a proper car what an interior
I love that radio speaker and the W bonnet ornament too as for the door handles in the door trim, the new Lincoln continental has that exact feature
Love this - great film. Also love the hearty & spirited driving in the rain.Well done. I own one of the surviving 6/90s and until recently used it as my daily driver - 220 miles in one day, 50,000 miles since 2012. Mine's a Series 3 (bigger brakes, semi-eliptics) but I have also owned a S1 like this one. The S1 is prettier...but S3 is the better driver. I can attest to handling / springs issue...it WAS suspension...coil-sprung rear-end grips TOO well, exacerbating understeer from heavy motor slung over front axle. When it looses grip in bend it feels like death is imminent. The S3 resolves this problem by fitting primitive cart springs at the back, causing the back-end of the big, powerful RWD car to break away BEFORE the front end, making the rear slip & slide like the Police Fords from "The Streets of San Francisco". Which is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better than understeer. Because, instead of ploughing straight ahead into a wall or a tree, you can apply throttle & some opposite lock and drift round the bend. Usually (in the dry) to a chorus of impressive howling tyres. - I love your commentary on the interior - I will check our Formica documentary - I agree with you the early plastic dash is much cooler than the Gentleman's Club wooden dash fitted to the late cars (like mine). As i said, S1 much prettier to look at - and a more sophisticated ride cruising round town - but as a Driver's car I'd always go for the S3. Here's a short film of my 6/90 driving through London's Docklands at night.
th-cam.com/video/5s5p_EQ5ac8/w-d-xo.html
Hi Matt,what a car,the whining while driving,for the year it's very clean and original, great video.
Beautiful car. This one, or its twin, was used in Father Brown, the first time I saw one. Really neat.
This style of motor looks so much more attractive than anything contemporary. The interior is like a living room, long journeys are a pleasure, I miss my old P4 side valve , the smell etc. Lovely car.
p4,s were not strictly side valves (overhead inlet , side exhaust ) Sorry to be pedantic!
@@peterhodes6708 you are 100% correct sir not pedantic just correct. 😎
I owned 2 Rover 90,s in the 1970,s ,drove to Holland & Germany in one of them never broke down in my ownership , never did more than 22 mpg either! Each one I paid £70 for!!
My father was in the RAF and when we returned to England from an overseas posting in the 1950s. He bought one of these cars band new.
It cost £2500 and the registration was OUY2
My mother had a fit because she said it cost more than a new house.
I didn't know about this very appealing car - thanks matt!
Glorious vehicle! Well done!
What a lovely car and a Shame that they’re so rare now.
my dad had one of these,ex Metpol,minus Police equipment.Up until 20 years ago,still had the rad badge and the 'flying w'.
What a cool car, reminds me of a Rolls, the model names are funny too. Great video Matt
No real strong Rolls-Royce influences with this car I believe. If you want to compare this car's aesthetics with a top-tier British marque, I honestly believe Bristol would be the one to do it.
Beautiful car! My Papa had a 6/90 when he met my Nana, very early 1960s
G'Day from down under, i have a series 1 car that was bought in UK by my late In-Laws, Joy & Peter Richardson, founders of the Wolseley Car Club Victoria.
that dashbord has striped formica behind the vinyl, one of our cars (we have 3 series 1 wrecks as well) has a striped formica "lid" for the tray area of the dash, two have a little bakelite faced ashtray on the panel under the dah (hiding the heater vent hoses), and none of ours has that handle on the front doors, they all have arm rests/grab handles, side mirrors we not supplied by Wolseley, they were fitted aftermarket to the customers preference, our good car has door mounted mirrors.
our 1961 Wolesely 6/99 has the fender mounted mirrors, i much prefer the door style as they can be seen and adjusted easier.
our 6/90 has an overdrive gearbox from the series 2&3 fitted, and the car simply purrs at speed, such a delight to drive.
a club member here is Australia gave me a complete manual on the modifications required by the UK police, stifferner brackets and plates etc. those knowing what to look for can spot a "fake" Police Wolseley fairly easily.
Cool car and it's a Portsmouth car RV on number plate, and im from Portsmouth, i wounder who bought that new
My dad had one of these when we were kids back in the '60s.Same colour too.Also a Humber Hawk (remember the reg:TET 979).
Blimey...Memories!
Very nice, thanks for posting.
The Riley Pathfinder was also the last true Riley with the famous Riley 4 cylinder engine. It always had the gear lever indented into the driver’s seat. It was excellent. I still have a Dinky model on the mantle piece to remind when I drove it to School occasionally in in Chichester!
Cool looking car, I like that rounded rear roofline with the small rear window.
10:45 "but by then it was too late for Palmer as he was forced out over the scandal".
Love it.
Wonderful! My Dad drove one on traffic duty.
Lovely Car and an excellent review 👍
So lovely. I saw a clip of a stock, knackered (saved from being scrapped) Ex police one absolutely hooning it. Quick as lightning especially for age.
Lovely. Just needs a big chrome bell on the front bumper 👮
Love the straight cut 1st gear whine!
Great video, but you always seem very aggressive with the column gear changes ! Years ago, our Neighbour had a Riley Pathfinder, with the right hand gear change- very odd. Keep up the good work, you are very good at what you do :-)
Thanks for video. I do like the the styling of the 6/90. Some aspects perhaps influenced by other designs. However, it all goes together nicely.
I find this car far more aesthetically pleasing than its successor - is that just me?
Those wipers are incredible.
We had one of them at home in the sixties in Ireland, the Woolsey were an Anglo Irish family that have a connection to the town of Tullow Co Carlow Ireland
My dad bought a 6/90 brand new in England in 1955. It IS black, brown interior with grey formica dash. Have it in my Garage doing some work on it...ok full running gear and engine resto. Parts are easy to get also. I have also got a Wolseley 12/48 Australian bodied Coupe 1936 model, and a 1948 Wolseley 10, and to top it off, a 1961 Wolseley 6/99.
I only saw one in my home town in South Australia and it had a polished wood dashboard,
My father had one in Canada. Since we drive on the right with controls on the left, the three on the tree was backwards, ie. first and second were near the dash and you had to pull through neutral gate to get into third and fourth.. Since we had two cars, a good one usually a Studebaker for my mother's job as an investigator for child welfare, and some beat up old refugee from the scrapyard my father used for his work on the railway. The Wolseley was one of these disposable relics.
Awesome, lovely British carriage. I would love that..
My brother had one of these in the 60s one very cold icy winter in West Ham he turned the little tap on the radiator to drain the water out over night and undone the radiator cap so it wouldn't freeze and crack the block. It must have clogged up because in the morning the bonnet was pushed up and when he lifted it up there was a pole of ice with the radiator cap sitting on top of it.
My father was a bit of a "wide boy" in the fifties. The 6/90 police car didn't bother him too much, he had a 57 Ford Fairlane V8. He used to max it out up the M1 before the 70 limit came about.
I Had a 1968 109" Landrover station wagon with the 6 cylinder 2.6 engine in it. Lovely smooth engine and ran like a sewing machine, only weak point was it had a tendency to burn out exhaust valves. Not mentioned in your review I don't think but it had Overhead Inlet and Side Exhaust valves.
Had a Wolseley 6/90 and then a Riley 2.6. Lovely cars.