The Wolseley 4/50 and similar 6/80 were

Wolseley Motors Wolseley Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in early 1901 by the Vickers Armaments in conjunction with Herbert Austin. It initially made a full range, topped by large luxury cars, and dominated the market in the E ...

' first post-war automobiles. They were put into production in 1948 and were based on the

Morris Oxford MO Morris Oxford Series MO is an automobile produced by Morris Motors of the United Kingdom from 1948 to 1954. It was one of several models to carry the Morris Oxford name between 1913 and 1971. __TOC__ Saloon After the Second World War the 13.5 ...

and the

Morris Six MS The Morris Six Series MS is a six-cylinder midsize car from Morris Motors Limited which was produced from 1948 to 1953. Announced with Morris Motors' Minor, Oxford and Wolseley ranges on Tuesday 26 October 1948, it was Morris's first post-wa ...

respectively. The 4-cylinder 4/50 used a 1476 cc version of the 6/80 engine, while the 6/80 used a 2215 cc

straight-6 The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...

single overhead cam. The cars featured a round Morris rear end and upright Wolseley grille and were used extensively by the police at the time – the 6/80 particularly. These models were built at Morris's Cowley factory alongside the Oxford. They were replaced in 1953 and 1954 by the

Wolseley 4/44 The Wolseley 4/44 is an automobile which was introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1952 and manufactured from 1953 until 1956. It was designed under the Nuffield Organization but by the time it was released, Wolseley was part of BMC. ...

and 6/90.

Wolseley 4/50

A 4/50 tested by the British magazine ''

The Motor ''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 ...

'' in 1950 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0- in 30.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £703 including taxes. Sales volumes were only a third those of the car's six-cylinder sibling. The car was regarded as heavy, with "good use of the excellent gear-box" being needed to maintain a respectable pace. The Wolseley 4/50 was more upmarket and expensive than the

. The engine used was a 4-cylinder version of the 6/80. The pistons and doors were of very few common parts used in this range of cars. The snub-nose styling distinguishes it from the long elegant bonnet of the 6/80 re. File:X Wolseley 4-50 side.jpg, Wolseley 4/50 - side File:Wolseley 4-50 rear.jpg, Wolseley 4/50 - rear

Wolseley 6/80

To accommodate its larger six-cylinder engine, the 6/80 was longer than the 4/50. It also had larger brakes with drums compared with the ones of the 4/50. A 6/80 tested by the British magazine ''

'' in 1951 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 21.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £767 including taxes. An '' Autocar'' magazine road test of an apparently similar car managed a top speed of only and slightly slower acceleration on a windy day a couple of years earlier. The testers noted that "in keeping with he manufacturer'spolicy which has much to commend it to a discerning motorist, the Wolseley is quite high geared", which made for relaxed cruising at (by the standards of the time) speed, but a more urgent driving style involved extensive use of the gearbox. Standard equipment included a heater, a rear window blind and "twin roof lamps in the rear compartment". A second-hand car review published in England in 1960 observed that "even the most junior member of the family" would recognise the Wolseley 6/80 as the "Cops' Car" both on television, and on the streets. The car was reckoned to offer a good power-to-weight ratio in combination with steering and suspension sufficiently excellent to permit to be "thrown around without detriment to the car and with little discomfort to the occupants".

Gallery

File:Wolseley_6-80_side.jpg, Wolseley 6/80 - side File:Wolseley_6-80_rear.jpg, Wolseley 6/80 - rear

References

External links

Owner's club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolseley 4 50 1950s cars Cars introduced in 1948 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 4 50 Sedans