The Wolseley 1500 is a Hidden Gem of a Classic Car
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- čas přidán 22. 04. 2023
- The Wolseley 1500 and Riley One-Point-Five have for long taken the back seat to their Morris Minor cousin when it comes to the limelight. But with Minor values now on the high side, maybe it's time for the regal side of BMC to go out onto the stage.
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Ed, your obsession with the history of the British motor industry is not unhealthy at all. It's wonderful. And for an old fart like me (I'm 64) it's great to see that there are still young people interested in classic cars. I love your videos, please go on just the way you do.
Even older fart here (69) and I agree totally.
Yeah but ... that war generation were a pretty nasty bunch, just as well they're all dead!
@@jimsimpson1006 An even older older fart 72....must be somebody older? The young fella does a great job.
@@barry7608 even older fart,73
@@barry7608 my brother and I have been Wolseley fanatics most of our driving lives. I wish I could show you my brother's 2 Wolseleys. One a 1953 6/80 and a 1926 Wolseley custom built boat tail tourer. I had the Austin version of the 1500, great little car.
The best bit you never mentioned, THE GRILL BADGE LIGHT.
Just got to say that your videos have improved tremendously over time.
No exaggeration today that it would easy to say better than most on TV.
Best of luck with your career,no doubt you will picked up by a mainstream company in the very near future.
Excellent work,thanks for these videos.👌
I just said the same thing lol (Better than anything on TV) I liv3 in the US, so compare it to The History Channel, TLC, Discovery Channel when they were at their peak. Well done historical entertainment.
Ed puts in the background work. Always a delight to watch and listen.
I was just thinking the same thing. His presentation has become smooth and professional, and the pacing of the camera cuts has gotten much crisper. Even that the long shot with the dog walking through it worked, almost as if the dog was sent in there on purpose.
- eloquent
- witty
- interesting car taste
Ed's channel more than ticks those three boxes! Nice to have him around on YT :)
His genuine love for these cars shines through.
Random animal showing up in a video is always a sign of a good omen...
I grew up in the US, I'm from Chile. So these foreign cars are so fascinating to me. Your videos are on par or better, more entertaining than anything on TV, streaming sites.
Cheers from Chile!
I had a 1500 as my daily driver for a couple of years back in the early seventies. Drove it in the harsh winter even for visiting skiresorts in the north 700 kms away from my home in Stockholm. I always rmembered it as a nice little car ,even on long trips,thanks to the gearing, 3.7:1, which means relaxed cruising at low revs. Alas, I have now a completely restored Mk 1, bringing a lot of memories and great fun.
Now you see why we older folks used to love our cars,and thought of them as part of the family. They were individual with unique personalities. Troublesome at times,but the mechanic in the garage knew his cars,every nut and bolt,and anything wrong was quickly and cheaply put right. Back on the road within hours. Replacement parts? All available from the dealer,off the shelf,and fitted in minutes. A reason for nostalgia? There you have it,plain to see. We have the memories. And are grateful.
Love the enthusiasm. Every time you drive a car, you end up selling me the car. I want that one 😂
What beautiful little cars - such a shame this one is ruined by having all the woodwork painted ! Years ago, our neighbours sister had a Pink Riley version of these. Both models are quite rare nowadays, but always look like happy little cars. Thanks for sharing this with us. Take care 🙂
Right you are, but to be fair, the wood underneath may have split or something - the paint looks like it's from the 1970s.
@@saxongreen78 That would be typical.
@@saxongreen78yes, my 1959 model had a beautiful walnut trim I remember
Every time I look at a Wolseley 1500 reminds me of my grandmother.
As a 12 year old in 1969, dad, mum myself with gran took a day trip to Portsmouth in our two tone black and red 1500, I was sitting in the back with gran.
As we drove around a roundabout her door flew open and she seemed to me to be falling out.
I quickly grabbed her to stop her falling out, she let out a scream as I grabbed her in my panic.
I only grabbed her ample bossom.
She often wondered what would have been more painful, being grabbed by her bossom or falling out of the car, it became a family joke.
I was mortified then and still blush about it now lol 😂 I just had to mention this story. Other than that it was a lovely medium sized car with a hint of luxury about it.
A 1957 with just 13000 miles was my first car when I passed my test in '74. My parents never owned a car and never had a licence, so I was the family driver. The car was a year younger than me and had been owned by a friend of my Grandmother. Its green and cream paintwork matched with the Leather/vinyl combo seats were a delight and you're right...the gearbox is a gem. I, and my friends went everywhere in it and, despite terrible mpg (often as low as 16 if you really tried to use your right foot) we would load it up and head off into the sun. It was written off one dark and rainy night, when an Austin 1800 Land Crab, came barrelling out of control down the centre, "overtaking" lane of the A41 around Watford. It hit us front on and we buried ourselves in it's door pillar. The Land Crab was bent like a banana and although the Wolseley didn't look too bad, it was written off. And seatbelts....it had none. ALWAYS GET THEM FITTED IN ANY CLASSIC....my Dad spent the night in hospital having dived headfirst into the dashboard.... He was lucky, it could well have been worse. I still miss it now........
Imagine running around in one of those with an MGB 1800 engine and a 5 speed gearbox these days, what a great little sports car it would be!!
I own a SUPERCHARGED 1622 Morris Major...it's completely NUTS!
The 3 main bearing 1800 bolts straight in common made on cambridges and oxfords.
The later 5 main bearing engine can be made to fit but is more work.
My Austin lancer had an M.G. 1600 with extractors and 2 hot dog mufflers to make it easy on the ears. It went like a bat out of hell.
I owned a maroon example about 20 years ago. It was quite capable of keeping up with then-current cars and was a joy to drive on most roads.
The first car I drove on the road was a morris minor. I had a Wosley 1500 a few years later and I loved it. Great review, bought back fond memories.
My friends had a 1500/1.5 when we was kids, an old MOT failure that their dad got them and drove it off-road on old mine tips in the 70’s, 4 of us, 3 boys and 1 girl , it honed my drift skills, heel and toe, and gear change…… blagging petrol was an issue, no X-Box bull for us back then 😂
The Wolseley 1500 was sold in Australia, but the badge engineered no frills Austin Lancer series 1 and Morris Major series 1 sold in greater numbers. The first car I owned was an Austin Lancer from 1958 which was 14 years old when I bought it. I loved it for all the reasons you have mentioned, plus it was simple to work and parts were plentiful. The weakness of the drivetrain was the differential, and a company in Melbourne used install an FC Holden diff to cure that problem.
I drove a morris major series 1 as a daily driver until the early 90's I loved that car and wish I never sold it ... mine was a little hotted up.. twin su's worked cam wider rims and agree the down side was the diff and axles ... the diff would drop a spider gear and snap your axle ...
The axle was way too soft...everything else was rock solid - great brakes, great steering. I own a Series II and an Elite...one learns to drive _gingerly_ (one snapped half shaft and one shattered spider gear in my history with the cars...I want to build a stronger unit, budget permitting.)
I think it always a great shame that this after-market improvements could not have made it to production for such vehicles.
I had two 1500sThe 2nd was a 1963 MKIII which was 10 year old when I bought it.
Spent fortune on it MGB engine, Lowered , Telescopic shocks, Koni/SPAX, Anti Roll Bar, Riley brakes with a servo, One off exhaust with 3 branch manifold, 6 inch wide Four Spoke Revolution Alloys. plus lots of other bits and pieces.
100 mph all the way to to the Costa del Sol in 1975, a Real Q Car
Packed full of useful information that I didnt know! This is better than most every other channel on CZcams....its actually better than any!! Really enjoyed watching how natural ur presenting style is to watchers :) Cute cars!!!
Charming video! My family had a Riley 1.5; it was blast. Elderly relatives in the back used to shout out 'Steady on, there isn't a fire!' as you zoomed (or so we thought then) up to 55 in third. Totally cute.
Darryl here from Australia. My first car in 1971 was a uniquely Australian Morris Major Elite. 1622 B series engine built in 1963. Very similar mechanically to the Wolsey . The body had little fins and two tone paint. A brilliant and reliable car
Followed an immaculate Riley 1.5 the other day through the peak district roads, I was amazed how nibble and quick it went through the bends.. Easily keeping up with modern cars.😊
bought a riley one point five in 1971. Cost £90 & 5 pounds for the Mot! Body work rotten, but it could shift! The brakes failed, £15 pounds for scrap!
In 1968/9, my mum had one, and used to run us toddlers around Rugby in it! She said she never "loved" a car, but really missed it when it succumbed to the deadly "rust worms"! It's the FIRST CAR my infant brain can remember riding in, along with my GREAT grandfather's old 1950's Hillman Minx! After my father came home from his travelling service engineering job, where he drove the new mini all day long, we then had 1100 and 1300 then a HUGE 1800 AND an even bigger 2200! ....until the mid 1970's! Then Fords took over!
And in Australia we had the Austin Lancer and Morris Major. Local built in Melbourne apparently! The Morris Major Elite has a longer wheelbase and a 1600cc motor - at least according to Wikipedia. Great video too!
Unfortunately, there was no BMC factory in Melbourne. All BMC cars were produced at BMC Australia's Victoria Park plant at Zetland in Sydney. It is now a housing estate with the streets named after the various BMC cars that were made there. The Morris Major Elite was a peppy little car with it's 1620cc engine. Australian engineers at Zetland helped to develop the 1620cc B Series engine and it was used in Australian BMC cars 2 years before it appeared in UK BMC cars.
@PaulinesPastimes There was an Austin factory in Melbourne prior to the merger of Austin and Morris, it closed, and moved its production to Zetland with merger. Leyland/Standard/Triumph were Melbourne based, known as AMI. AMI would be eventually brought out by Toyota.
@@pauljenks4901 Thank you, I stand corrected. Very interesting information.
@@pauljenks4901 the AMI company was separate and had no company connection with the West Melbourne Austin assembly plant. BMC having a Leyland and Triumph connection was a late sixties merger well after the short lived West Melbourne plant was closed around 1951 or so.
Standard Triumph, Mercedes Benz, Rambler and Toyota assembled at Australian owned and stock exchanged listed AMI based in Port Melbourne but nothing from the BMC era firm.
There is a great photo of the West Melbourne Austin plant in the State Library of Victoria online collection with the street address so the current use can be seen. Austin took over a local motor body builder before production shifted to Sydney arising from the formation of BMC.
The later Leyland era just accelerated the demise of BMC.
The West Melbourne Austin assembly plant can be seen by doing an image search for :
Austin 109 Dudley Street West Melbourne
As well as the older professional black and white photos , the current usage of the factory can be seen.
Adding BMC to the search there are some production interior shots as late as 1957. Lucky the professional industrial photographer, Lyle Fowler, was so prolific and high standard and that his vast collection made it to the State Library of Victoria and is mostly now online.
Enter Stage Right…… a dog determined to steal the show! Ed remains unphased and continues talking to camera!
Excellent……
Mike
I owned two Wolseley 1500s consecutively in the early seventies. It was just a shame they rusted out so badly. They would still hold their own on the road now, they were high geared enough to keep pace. The Riley version had several features over the Wolseley. The Riley had a nitrided crank, twin SU s, and a front antiroll bar. The reg on one of mine would probably be worth a good bit,13 FWL
Anti roll in 1964...
Yes , the number plate on this one is worth a few quid !
1960 models: No anti roll bar (I added to mine along with wide rims that filled the wheel arches) Riley twin 1.5" SU (Mine had flared intake trumpets), Wolseley single 1.25" Riley also had MGB diamond hatch honing to bores. I had my Riley 1.5 for over four years, Reg: 706 PPD. Mine was that same (Birch?) grey with jaguar opalescent metallic maroon lower side panels and gold coach line.
Ye, mine had rust problems so in the day I cut it out, genolighted, fibreglasses, filler painted. 6 months later it came back! Also replaced the rear axle myself from a scrape yard successfully. Can’t imagine doing that now 😂
Such a pretty car. I was surprised that you've never driven a Minor. The gearbox on mine is lovely. The gears snick in like butter.
Morris Major Pervert, here. The Minor and Magnette gearboxes are indeed the cat's whiskers - selector being all solid steel / nylon and housed in the top of the box makes it direct and positive, it also recieves oil splash from the gear train which makes it smooth.
If you've ever driven an old Aussie or US car with column shift (pressed steel tubes and dry linkages), our cars feel like prestige sports machines by comparison.
I have always loved these little saloons. If I had the storage facilities, and the finances, I would love to have one.
Great video of a beautiful car. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Wolseley 1500/ Riley 1.5 ever since my brother-in-law used to pick me and my late father up in his to take us to the Carlisle Utd home football games in the late 1960s. I can still remember the smell of that real leather all these years later and that beautiful red leather and vintage radio look of that walnut dash on this beautiful example bring that all back to me 50 plus years later!
The innovation and invention of English cars was pretty amazing - shame it wasn't matched by astute management and reliability. Nice video.
The Brits would've ruled the auto industry is they would've gotten their ish together.
So many cool cars came out of the UK all the way up until the 90's.
You could replace the first half of your statement with basically every British industry.
My dad had one of these back in the 70's when I was a youngster. I loved it, beautiful car, very quiet, lovely seats and wooden dash (not painted like this one). I still remember the reg no UGG 629, it rusted away unfortunately, you could see the road going past through the floor by the end.
In 1975 I drive my trusty Minor Traveller to Sennen cove with four adults and two kayaks. I knew nothing about brake fade when I set out, by the time we reached the mercifully long car park I I knew the terror of no brakes. Six inch drums were really not enough, I found that the Riley 9” drum and back plate fitted the holes in the king pin perfectly. I still have the original BMC parts list for the wolsley/ Riley
I bought the same brakes for my Minor, but never got around to actually fitting them before giving the car up for a Yugo 45
My dad had a Riley 1.5 in Florentine blue. Registration was 1 GTF.😮 Bought as a six month old demonstrator from Colmore Depot in Manchester. I loved chucking it about when I was 17 as it was so much more drivable than his previous Magnette ZA and later MG varitone. Great informative video. Many thanks
Well, my mother had two Riley 1.5s. These were Wolsey 1.5s only with twin carburettors, and, dare I say it, slightly more attractive interiors. I later learnt to dive in the Riley. We drove from Suffolk to Cornwall and back in 1960 for a wonderful holiday, and my poor mother did all the driving; I was nine. These were really only updated morris minors, but never mind, they were rather lovely.
Now I’ll watch it…
My first car was a Wolseley 1500 .It was already 12 years old when i bought it in the 70s .It was very reliable .Would love to have one again .I payed £100 for it around 1975 second hand .In later years i had a morris traveller estate another brilliant car .
Love the video. Reminds me of my youth where I brought one with my pocket money from an uncle for my parents. My mother passed her test in it and we sold it on to my cousin a few years later. Always recall the red leather and that interior smell. Gorgeous.
My father's first car was an Austin Seven in the late '40's, which he sold to fund a split cane fly rod. His next car was a Morris Minor, and that was followed by two Riley One-Point-Fives. I still remember the lovely smell of the leather! But one he had his first Saab 96 in 1967, he never owned anything else.
As an 18 year old Italian who came to learn English in Bournemouth, I was amazed to see so many lovely cars. I'm talking 70s. PS I'm also a motorcycle nut, Norton, Triumph et cetera - Then Honda came up with the CB 750 - Push button start no oil leaks... P.S. I owned a BSA for years that never let me stranded. Ciao.
I learned to drive on a Wolseley 1500. I had to double de-clutch because 2nd had no synchromesh left and 3rd very little. I doubt I could drive it as smoothly now, 50 plus years later. Great little car as the 1500 engine gave it quite good performance for its age.
A great engine. My memory was that first gear was non synchromesh and had to double de clutch.
An excellent review and history of the British Motor Industry. That gearbox whine and engine note ended up in my J reg 1300 ADO16.
You’re knocking it out of the park with these videos Ed. Great stuff!
Many BMC cars were great in the 1950s and 60s - they were exported all over the world. It was the 70s, when we joined the EEC, that the British motor industry was doomed, although it still struggled on for a couple more decades.
I bought one of these in 72 in Melbourne AUS and with my friend from Switzerland we rode it up the coast via Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle etc to Townsville.Then headed bush to Katherine and finally Darwin, where we ran out of money.
So I had to sell it at a loss to get bak to Melbourne via Alice and Adelaide to find work.
Good times. Brilliant little car. Your video gave me a serious nostalgia attack.
The only bother it gave us was restarting immediately after refuelling in the heat.
The carb needed to cool off a bit.
Useful-sized looking boot on that Wolseley.
Must admit if I was time-warped back 65 years, I might well buy one.
(I learnt to drive in my grandmother's Wolseley Hornet, so I guess that gives me a bit of "Memory Lane")
Hi Twin-Cam and thanks for the video. I notice you didn't brave the back seat. I recall these cars being called the world's only 4 door 2 seater! They sold in reasonable numbers here in Australia, though not as late as this car, so the tail lights on this one are a bit of an unsightly shock to Australian eyes. BMC Australia chose to morph them into the Austin Lancer and the Morris Major by extending the wheelbase and body by a little and adding tailfins, and in this guise they sold very well, culminating in the Morris Major Elite with 1.6 B series engine. There's a car you might like to google an image of. Cheers.
Good video Twincam....The Wolseley 1500 and Riley 1.5 desperately needed a front anti roll bar. They never got one but one is easily fitted. An auxiliary pair of telescopic dampers at the front transformed the handling. I had many Morris Minors, none of which had operational dampers. To top it off a set of modern tyres will complete the package. The axle half shafts had a strength akin to milk chocolate. These cars were unique in having a tall final drive - 3.7:1 - which gave it quite long legs. I fitted the 1489 to a Minor with the 3.7 diff, and it would do a genuine but rather scary 100mph
Isn't it too long to fit in the Minor, or is it only the later 5-bearing B series engine which doesn't fit?
I vaguely remember my grandparents' maroon and old english white Wolseley 1500 and arguing at the age of about 3 with my father that a Riley 1.5 parked nearly was in fact a Wolseley until the blue diamond badge on the radiator was pointed out! (He had a Riley RMA 1.5 at the time). It was interesting to see on the video the strange juxtaposition of the leather and wood in the interior with an unexpected amount of painted metal especially on the B pillars and cant rails above the doors!
Distant memories of my Grandparents Wolseley , charming period piece now . Loved the travelling rug on the back seat too .
In 1981, when all my peers were driving MK1 Escorts or Vauxhall Vivas, I bought as my first car a Wolsely 1500 MK3. The axle ratio was such that top speed was pretty much cruising speed. I always liked the separate starter button alonside the ignition key, modern cars aren't so 'modern' then are they. Separate compartment in the boot for the spare wheel so you didn't have to unload the boot to change a flat.
The model you have there is a 'Fleet' model designed for car hire firms and company cars. It has vinyl upholstery and a vinyl covered dash top as opposed to leather and a wooden dash top.
You absolutely have to drive a Riley RM series car. Superb torsion bar suspension with (I believe) double wishbones, rack and pinion steering and a twin camshaft engine. All this in 1946, in a car which looked like one of the high end coach built cars from the best of European body shops from the 1930’s.
They are excellent cars. My RMB is pretty fast but my smaller engined RME early style is a real joy. 2oomiles in a day no problem, no fatigue. Excellent Riley Club too.
I was amazed that the RMs had central change. Spoilt the image.
They caught on too late, with the Pathfinder.
It’s a very nice looking car. High quality chrome work. Beautiful grille and bumpers designs. Worse let’s were really classy cars. Quite the ‘Establishment’ car of those days. Appreciate that lovely gearbox whine. I am reminded powerfully of my Dad’s 1974 model Mark 2 Ambassador (the Indian Hindustan Motors manufactured Morris Oxford). Similar rounded shape. BMC 1489 cc engine. Capacious car. Huge boot. Big comfortable bench seats. Sun shade in front. Roof carrier. Column shift gears. Big steering with a big chrome horn ring. Lovely car. Sadly sold more than 26 years ago. Also reminded of the Fiat Delite and the Fiat Super Select in terms of size.
Heysham to Grenoble in 1991: Drove my Great Uncle's [?] one-owner from new Wolseley 1500 in maroon, to Grenoble for his Grandson's 21st. 'Forget about driving a flashy Porsche, when we turned up at camp sites ~ en route ~ we were treated like Royalty and fed free barbecue and beer by friendly Dutch campers! I'll never forget that trip! That little light on the grill attracted much curiosity as did the fact that it had been kept in mint condition from new. Driving to Dover on the first leg, I was at surprised at its comfortable motorway cruising speed! I believe it was a brilliant pocket-luxury car preceded many such cars by decades...
I've always liked how these looked, not too over the top but more stylish than a regular Morris Minor.
I was born in 1961 - growing up these were all over the place. When I got to my motoring career to begin sadly most were bangers but I always felt they were a cut above the rest - a bit like the classier Rootes models were.
Before I passed my test during a bad winter lifts were arranged through work and a guy who gave me a lift had the Woolsley Landcrab - the 6 cylinder auto model. I was super impressed by that car. Later on I got myself a Morris 1800 for a while - nowhere near as luxurious but of course not meant to be
Love it! Love it! Love it!
Ed, the return to your fantastic format which is so far ahead of another presentations by its enthusiasm, bubbling personality, erudition, brilliant research and quite stunning knowledge as, was as ever brilliant! I fear I am running out of hyperbole to express just how much I enjoyed this, as I did your superb Ford theses on its having lost its way, and all your presentations! Thank you, and I so, so look forward to more. Oh, and give your Jack Russell a stroke for me - I have the Parson Terrier version!
In my grossly misspent youth when my sadly late and good friend, John, borrowed his father's 1500 we and another friend had a long weekend touring southern Scotland. All there of us slept in it as well. Sadly I was given the space behind the front seats, with the most comfortable back seat rightly allocated to to John. So I spent a rathe uncomfortable few night doing battle with the transmission tunnel, though slightly numbed by several pints of ale! But hey ho they were super little cars, something you really exemplified. But I still wish I had taken my Wolseley 6/80 for more comfort!
Thanks again for truly memorable, enjoyable and informative auto-knowledge!
Rob
Back in the 1970's I spent a year in Scotland. While there I drove a Woolsly 16/60. What a cool car!
The detail in witch you describe the history of thease cars is 👌 I never new that the riley was so much more powerful
As someone fast approaching their 80th birthday I am pleased to say I took my driving test in a Wolseley 1500. I learned to drive in a very tired Bedford CA van. It was slow, clunky and the steering had about 6 inches of free play. I only had one lesson in the Wolseley before taking my test (which I passed) but it was a revelation. Precise light steering, lovely smooth engine, and a beautiful interior I absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing this insight into a car I had almost forgotten about. A lovely trip down memory lane.
Great video. My late father used to tell me of his love for a black Riley One Point Five he once owned I the 60's. He told me trips to the Lake Districts, & how well it drove, compared to a Ford Prefect he had around those years. I still have a couple pics of the Riley.
They are very popular at places like Goodwood too - fine sight flying down the straight
Living in the USA I very seldom run across these interesting little automobiles so I enjoy articles like this. We had an Austin A-40, four door, when I was a kid for awhile. Thought it was a really neat little car. Remember that the back doors weren't designed with large people in mind but, thought the crank start option was interesting. Had three different TR-3s but, before I had the income to properly care for them so had to let them go. Would love to have another one.
At 67 it’s great to hear a young fella so enthusiastic about those cars of my distant past!
Remember seeing loads of these as a youngster - but quite often they did seem to be driven as something of a flyer. Always liked the look of them. Oh! And Vanden Plas - hard 's', well done.👍
Great historic review Ed, an uncle had a new Riley 1.5 and always recall the 1.5 written fully in chrome script on each front wing and the car in its day was considered quite sporting .Like the in period Kodak Brownie 127 camera on the back window ledge !.
My father had a beautiful red coloured Riley 1.5 way back in the ‘60s when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Brilliant little car. Whilst this car is a Wolsely its general styling etc brings back so many wonderful memories. Great video.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! We lived in the UK in the late sixties and my dad had a '59 Riley One-Point-Five for most of the time we were there. Now that I've got my Frogeye Sprite on the road I wouldn't mind finding a Riley or Wolseley as my next project. That might be a bit of a challenge as there weren't many of either sold in Canada! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Ian.
Loved mine, two tone. Yukon Grey and Birch Grey. Reg No TTY 584. Loved the starting handle in the winter. My get out of jail card in snow. Red Leather . Only one word to describe it. GREAT. It was built on the Minor chassis.
I had one back in the 70s, and loved it.
Between 1966-1969, my Mum owned a 2nd hand Mk 3 Riley 1.5- registration "LCU 83", It was a sumptuous car after our basic Triumph Herald 1200. I loved the Riley, its pleasant body shape, chrome trim and with a two-tone paint job, red leather interior, walnut timber inserts, and big wire-spoked steering wheel. Its central radio speaker grill and dashboard all memorable to a 9 year old. I spent most journeys straddling the prop-shaft tunnel enjoying watching the gear changes and that view down the lovely bonnet. It looked classy and stayed in the family until her new husband- not my dad, wrote it off when he was drunk. It was replaced with a new Mini Clubman estate...to rust away inside five years.
a very knowlegable young chap!! well done on these great productions
Great vid, Ed. Brilliant stroke there, having the Minor on screen for reference all through the episode. A real treat with brekkie on a Sunday morning ! Well done!
I've commented before Ed about the pitiful state of management within the British car industry back in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
These were great little cars, admirably reviewed by your great channel. It's wonderful that a young fella like you (no patronising intended) is enthusiastic about cars from this era.
Many thanks.
My first classic car. Bought it for 1500 pounds in really good condition (it had been owned by a convent for most of its life - it still had to original paper logbook) and everybody loved it. I even got followed home once by a guy in new Alfa Romeo who offered to swap because he liked the car so much. And it was so solidly built: no rust anywhere and never had a problem apart from a broken spring on one of the pedals, easily fixed with a paperclip :)
Parts were a bit hard to find. The previous owner had replaced some of the chrome strips with wooden ones that he had painted silver. And I remember going on a Ryan Air flight with a windscreen in a potato bag which I found in a scrapyard somewhere far away. They wouldn't let me take it as hand luggage, but it survived.
My schoolmates mum owned one of those in the 60's great little car in its day. My cousin had a Morris Minor, with 4 passengers on board it wouldn't go up a steep hill. we had to get out.
Always did like this car, right from being a 6 yr old in the early 70's. It just seemed that little bit special amongst many much younger cars then. If I was an adult back in the late 60's, I would have favoured a second hand one of these over a new Ford Anglia.
A car with a nice amount of character and a bit of luxury is right up my street.
As a 12 year old, after my dad,s rusted out Anglia was finally scrapped I asked him why he hadn't offered to buy his windowed neighbours Wolsely 1500 ,ahh good point he replied, pity he'd already bought an Escort 1100 .☹️
I remember back in the 60's an uncle of mine had a Riley 1.5 in a burgundy/maroon colour.
That was by far the most popular colour then as I remember.
My parents had a Wolsley 1500 in the late 1960s - after the Rover, and before the Morris 1100 in ‘69. Very nice car. Thank you for sharing.
In my (much) younger days I had,at different times, two Minors and a Riley 1.5. In my opinion, the Riley was the BMW E30 of its day. I found the Minors handled somewhat better, mostly, I imagine, owing to their lighter weight. Thanks for another great video!
I've never even considered the 1500. I guess they were just a bit old fashioned when I was of an age to buy cars. I do still want an ADO16 1300GT or Vanden Plas though. Nice one as usual Ed. Thanks.
I owned a Wolseley 1500, and I thought that it was underpowered, and nothing special. After the car had gone, I bought a Hillman Super Minx 1500 (1960). I remember that the Hillman surpassed the Wolseley in every respect.
Cracking video lad! Was fascinated by the point about not bothering to re-body, I distinctly remember that but was too young and lived in a town with 50 cars so rarely saw much variety and you really demonstrated what that meant. I would say though that your point about dealer distinction, which I could not understand when Audi kicked VW out, was excellent. Now I realise that I thought that Audi kicking VW out was stupid, because my family were there for:- a Derby, Jetta, Polo, Golf, Golf, Golf, Golf and I drive a Passat in drag. (beautiful leather uber comfy walnut accented drag). Then I worked in South Kensington and realised that nobody likes to have poor people around them and they will pay through the nose for that. Its really so obvious in London now but I suppose that back in the 50's and 60's every town like now had segregated shopping. It even helps explain to me why it took the financial crisis of 2008 get get some people to go to Aldi and Lidl. 57 and never realised that some people would rather starve than go to Iceland.... 🤣💦💦💦
In 1969/70/71 I had one of the last Riley 1.5s produced, registered in April 1965 (EAY582C). It was Bermuda blue. As well as the twin carbs and different walnut dashboard with a rev counter in the Riley, it also had larger Girling drum brakes than the Wolseley (to cope with the extra twin-carb power presumably), and better quality seats, mine were all leather, blue and white. For its day it was a sporty car and very refined compared with most cars of the time, and it was a joy to drive, if a little cramped inside. I had it for a couple of years and then swapped it for a Rover 2000 P6, but I loved it when I had it, all the positive steering and excellent suspension of the Morris Minor plus a better image and a lot more power.
The Wolseley version was termed the 1500 Fleet Saloon. I had one in 1978 but it was a terrible rust bucket around the wheel arches ... Still very nice inside all leather & Walnut veneer.
I scrapped it for a Vauxhall Viva and used a Viva Sports engine , but that failed the new high speed and long journeys of the NEW MOTORWAYS.
On its last trip it mad Sekellmersdale on the way to love weekend in Blackpool.
A very clever sar salesman sold me what was to be my last pre 90s car, the Wolseley 18/85S Land Crab. Best front wheel holding ever even with 4 in the front and 6 in the back.
Magnificent! This was my Dad's first car, and then later his first classic car so I drove it quite often. He had a Riley one point five. Lovely car. Just so practical and nice in so many ways, and not expensive to own either.
Practical - It'll do just fine in modern traffic, and even motorways if you stay in the slow lane. 4 doors, four seats, all usable. Nice boot.
Reliable - keep up to date with maintenance and it will always get you there.
Handsome car - not drop-dead gorgeous, but very nice to look at.
Great vibes from other road users - it gets you there quickly because people let you out at junctions and are generally very nice to you.
Fuel economy - excellent, and meant I didn't get hate from all my hippie mates who also loved being in the thing.
Not a penis substitute - girls loved it. Seriously, I got lots of attention from ladies when driving this thing. You definitely aren't compensating in a riley one point five.
Easy to fix - only thing that ever went wrong was the Lucas fuel pump, and you just had to hit that with a spanner and it would kick into life.
My old man replaced it with a bristol 411 - that he never got running smoothly... that absolutely was compensating, and couldn't be depended upon. The riley was the much more practical classic.
Also - floor mounted headlight dip switch! All cars should have this, even today.
A fascinating interest I should think, and once broadened to motorcycles & general engineering, a truly astounding story of human endeavour.
Such a thing of beauty. One day I will own one of these.😊
It is good to see a young man who is so interested and so knowledgeable concerning the 'cars of my youth.' The gearbox IS lovely in the way it pulls with the engine and in the sounds it produces on B-roads.
Thanks James 🙂
It's very refreshing to see your enthusiasm for old English cars and your obvious passion for them! Sadly I remember them on the road😢. Keep up the great work.
Thank you for that charming video; especially for your analysis why Wolseley and Riley never consistently meet their own expectations. That is a real plus! Carry on. I cannot wait for the next portrait.
Of all the cars my family owned, I always remember our Wolseley 1500. Registered in Ireland. ZY 8008 was the reg no. A smashing motor car.
Great to watch...thanks! My first car was a Wolseley 1500 (9296 PX)...bought for £180 in 1980. Great car...until one of the half-shafts broke! But you could still get some spares off the shelf for them back then. My dad had one (LMX 355C) in the late '60s - early '70s. The dash in the Mk IIIs was more 'bland' than the earlier cars...
Great Video.I had one of these! Drove to Morayshire in mine. My aunt's Actually.She preferred me to drive,as did my dad, who also had one.
Nice touch with the little doug passing through.
I used to drive a Riley 1.5 back in the day...wish I still had it now!
I bought a second-hand Wolseley 1500 back in 1972. The Riley version tended to have been thrashed whereas the Wolseley had a plushness and a few more miles in it.
Many thanks for the video.
Good review Ed, i think these Wolsley 1500s and Riley 1.5s along with the Standard 8/10s are the most underated classic cars in the automotive community.
That Jack Russell walk on role is the winner! Nice touch...😂
I could almost smell it!
Ironically saw one today ... happily parked in a supermarket carpark! Have not seen one for 30 years!
My first car..absolutely loved it..Broke a few axles..Had twin 1. 3/4" Su's and a stage 4 Head and wide wheels with Pirellis and fitted my drum kit! Did have a ride in one with a twin cam Mg motor with Webers...good fun...We had seat belts retro fitted here in Australia. Thanks Ed
Always loved the Wolseley 1500 and Riley 1.5.Ed!Great classics id love to own ! Great detailed video,Thanks..
This particular model of car, can never fail to remind me of the Morris Major, a very Noddy car indeed, as an older Australian.
It pretty much is a Morris Major!
The Large Steering Wheel gave you something to hang on to during a crash till seat belts came along. A good friend had a Morris Minor woody wagon, we live by the beach, and it looked great with Surf Boards hanging out the back. That gearbox wine is part of the charm --- straight cut gears??? Ed, always a fun watch.....
My Uncle had a "lettuce" green Riley 1.5 litre from new and it ended up with my eldest sister finally reaching 150K miles before MOT test failure due to the extensive body rust. It had green and cream leather seats and door trim, the former always protected under transparent covers so that the interior always looked immaculate. It was used to tow an Enterprise dinghy on camping trips in the Lakes, Wales and Scotland in addition to being a daily commuter in N Manchester. The only BMC saloon car, of that era, that was more powerful was my Father's Austin Westminster with a much bigger engine but the body was like an upscaled version of the same styling. Cars with character that formed happy motoring memories of my childhood.