Wolseley 4/44 - a British 1950s rare classic car!

Video Description

Buy this car, contact Dolan Classics - [email protected] Find out more about The Wolseley Register - https://www.wolseleyregister.co.uk Wolseley 4/44 Although introduced as a design in 1952, the 4/44 went on sale in 1953 with the strapline emblazoned across the brochure declaring the car was ‘gracefully styled for your motoring pleasure’ and what a pleasure it was, with leather seats and a walnut dash - polished aside from the top to prevent glare for the motorist at the wheel. The leather seats, decked out in what Wolseley deemed the finest English leather, were individually adjustable to front; so even though it resembles a bench seat arrangement, you and your passenger could set the distance to accomodate your height. The engine, a 1250cc unit, can feel a bit sluggish in today’s busy and impatient world - but will still get you to where you need to be. The 46bhp engine has a top speed of just over 70mph as confirmed by motor magazine on a test in the era, but many popular classics of the 50s and 60s are similarly sedate - so don’t let this put you off. The engine might feel familar to some as it’s a version of the XPAG engine used in the MG T type cars - giving on test at launch - an MPG of 27.6miles per imperial gallon. I’ve been reliably informed that on a good run you can still be getting mid 20s if you’re using E5 in the car today. The handling on a 4/44 as you’ll see when we’re out on the road is actually pretty decent, esepcially for the era. It’s rack and pinion steering and the front suspension is wishbone linkage with coil springs and semi-elliptic springs to rear. You might see this car and think of the beautiful MG Magnette, although released around the same time there are some differences. The engine is probably the biggest, as the Magnette, even the ZA was fitted with the 1.5 B Series engine and the Wolseley sat higher on the road. Allegedly this is because the Wolseley was seen as the classier brand, which is a level of small pettiness i can get behind, but its probably actually because the suspension on the MG is lower and was just designed like that. In terms of panel sharing, there are some shared bits like the roof, boot lid and front doors - but they are very much their own cars. The lifespan of the 4/44 was short and the car was replaced in 1956 by the Wolseley 15/50 - which then received the same B series engine as the Magnette to bring it in line - as the engine used in the 4/44 was a pre-BMC design.