• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Wolseley RegisterWolseley Register Logo

The Club for Wolseley Car Owners and Enthusiasts

WOLSELEY REGISTER

The original club for Wolseley owners and enthusiasts!

Member login

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Join Now
  • The Register
    • Introducing The Register
      • Register Committee Members
      • Technical Advisers
      • Chairman: Graham Ryder
      • Wolseley Register’s Constitution and GDPR Policy
      • Register Accounts 2024
    • Membership List
    • Useful Links
    • Valuation Service
    • F Y Wolseley’s Grave
  • Wolseley Cars
    • Veteran and Edwardian Wolseley
    • Vintage
    • Post-Vintage
      • Hornet & Hornet Special
      • Other Six Cylinder Models
      • Nine & Wasp
      • Series II & III (inc. Nuffield Oxford Taxicab)
    • Nuffield & Early BMC
      • 4/50 & 6/80
      • 6/90
      • 4/44 & 15/50
    • BMC
      • 1500 Mark I – III
      • 15/60, 16/60 & 24/80
      • 6/99 & 6/110
      • Hornet, Crayford Hornet & 1000
    • Late Wolseley BMC & BLMC
      • 1100, 1300 & 11/55
      • 18/85 & Six
      • 18-22 (Wedge)
    • List of Recorded Wolseley Vehicles
    • Wolseley Car Production Notes
    • History of the LoRV
  • Wolseley Spares & Repair
    • Autojumble
    • Wolseley Spares
    • Trade Discounts
    • Recommended Traders
  • Wolseley Register Classifieds
    • Submit an Ad to Wolseley Register
    • Wolseley Register Public Adverts
  • Shop
    • Visit our shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Shop Account
    • Track your order
  • Forum
  • Library
    • Archive Centre
      • Register Manuals in Archive Centre
      • Spare Handbooks, Parts Lists & Workshop Manuals
      • Wolseley Archives – a plea from the President!
    • Wolseley Technical Literature
      • Original Factory Literature
      • Technical Advice Articles
      • Original Wolseley Patents
    • Wolseley Register Publications
      • Publication History
      • Wolseley Worlds
      • Newsletters
      • Past National Rallies
    • Miscellaneous Wolseley Items
      • Wolseley Images
      • Wolseley Articles
    • Reviews, Roadtests and Price Lists
    • Brochures & Catalogues
    • Wolseley Register Archives
    • Period Adverts for Wolseley
  • Events
    • Future National Events
      • Morris Vehicle Association Rally 2025
      • Wolseley Register 2025 National Rally
    • Future Regional Events
      • Midlands Region Programme for 2025
    • Previous National Events
      • Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show 2025
      • Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show 2024
      • Wolseley Register National Rally 2024
      • Wolseley Register 60th Anniversary Past Events
    • Other News
    • Long Service Awards
  • My Account
    • Personal Details
    • My Cars
    • Membership Renewal
  • Contact Us

Vintage

Vintage Wolseleys

by Robert Burrows, Founder of the Wolseley Register;
Anders Clausager, former Wolseley Register Historian and archivist to the BMIHT;
and with Peter Brierley and Colin Sayer contributing the 21/60 Messenger history.

After the great war, Wolseley resumed car production in 1919, at first still making the models of the immediate pre-war era, notably the 16/20 and 24/60hp types, but also the Stellite.  At the 1919 Motor Show, the proper post-war models were introduced: the Ten and Fifteen, both with new overhead camshaft engines, and the six-cylinder side-valve Twenty.  Deliveries began in earnest in 1920.

1921 green Wolseley Fifteen
1921 Fifteen A9

The company now had two large factories at their disposal: Adderley Park and Ward End and made a serious bid to become a true mass-producer of popular cars.  Alas, Wolseley faced stiff competition from Morris, Austin, Singer and Rover, and although several other new models were introduced, notably the Seven and the Fourteen, none was made in large enough numbers, and the company steadily lost money.

Wolseley 1922 10hp
1922 Ten E3
Wolseley 1923 Seven
1923 Seven H7
1923 blue Wolseley E3 Ten, 4 Seat Tourer
1923 Ten E3

1925 Wolseley E3 Ten Front View
1925 Ten E3
1925 Wolseley E3 Ten Rear View
1925 Ten E3
1925 Wolseley E3 Ten Interior
1925 Ten E3

Wolseley 1925 E4 11/22
1925 11/22 E4
1925 Wolseley 11/22 E4
1925 11/22 E4

1925 Wolseley 16/35 AC8
1925 16/35 AC8
1925 Wolseley 16/35 AC8
1925 16/35 AC8

Read about the  1925 Prince of Wales 16/35!

Vickers let Wolseley go bankrupt in 1926, and in 1927 Wolseley was bought by William Morris (later Lord Nuffield), who renamed the company Wolseley Motors, and in whose personal ownership Wolseley remained until 1935.

Wolseley 1927 E4 11/22
1927 11/22 E4
Wolseley 1927 16/45 E6
1927 16/45 E6

Wolseley 1929 16/45
1929 16/45 E6
Wolseley 1929 Straight Eight 21/60
1929 21/60 E8M

The last model of the original company was the ohc six-cylinder 2025cc 16/45 ‘Silent Six’, and this design formed the basis of many later models: the four-cylinder 1532cc 12/32; the six-cylinder 2025cc Viper; the eight-cylinder 4022cc Straight Eight; and two 21/60 six-cylinder 2677cc models. Of these two latter models, the County and the Messenger were introduced in 1929, although a 21/60 model was produced in the 1928 model year.

The Wolseley Messenger 21/60.     

The Wolseley Messenger six light saloon was produced between 1929 and 1931. It was specifically built as an export only model being the first British all-steel “semi-monocoque” bodied car, produced by the Pressed Steel Co Ltd (a partnership between Lord Nuffield, the Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company of America and an American Bank – J.H. Schroder Co.) This was radically different from the then normal ‘coach built’ bodies which were steel plates affixed to a wooden frame, sitting on the chassis – as on horse drawn coaches.  The Messenger steel sides were a single unit, bolted onto the side of the chassis, far more robust.

Wolseley Messenger 1930
1930 21/60 E7D Messenger

By British standards it was advanced in various other ways, too, having double filament dipping-bulb headlights, four speed gearbox, hydraulic brakes, laminated safety glass all around, hydraulic lever shock absorbers and a smooth OHC 2.7 litre six cylinder engine.

The Messenger and its “sister” 21/60 models (mainly the County) were the last vehicles to use this Wolseley designed engine before Wolseley adopted Morris designed engines in 1935.

The Messengers gained a deserved reputation for durability and good performance on the inhospitable poorly surfaced roads of the mainly Commonwealth export markets of the era.  It absolutely excelled as the main transport for the Prince of Wales’ 1930 East African safari, covering 30,000 car miles, much straight through the bush and only requiring 2 fan belts to be replaced.

Read about the Royal Safari!

There are about 6 or 7 known Messengers surviving around the world but still the hope that others might be located.

Wolseley Messenger
21/60 E7D Messenger

At the end of the 1920s, Wolseley activities were concentrated in the Ward End factory, and Adderley Park became the province of another Morris-owned company, Morris-Commercial Cars Ltd (this factory later served as BMC’s commercial vehicle factory until it was closed in 1971).  But Wolseley production remained modest for some years after 1927; only with the introduction of the famous Hornet in 1930 did Wolseley have a really successful car.

For Vintage Wolseley enquiries,
ask a question on the forum.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login for access.

Primary Sidebar

Wolseley Register

19 hours ago

Wolseley Register
Wolseleys at Tatton Park: Last Saturday 8 June, the North West group of the Wolseley Register were invited to join the Cambridge Oxford Owners Club and Landcrab Owners Club International on their stand which had a 1960s sales theme, hence the stickers on one of the windscreens. You can see from the ominous skies that they didn't stay dry! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

EVENTS NEWS!

  • Come and join the Register at the 2025 MVA Rally!
  • Read about our National Rally on 16-17 August and apply online to join us!  
  • See how we got on at the recent Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show 2025!

OTHER NEWS!

  • We have now listed all of our duplicated Wolseley manuals available to members, see the website Library for details.
  • Brand new 6/90 rubbers, not available in the UK for many years, now available! (Only a small number of each, so place your orders now). Rubber parts include: engine/gearbox mounts; front/bump stops; steering column bushes; front/rear suspension rubbers; brake servo grommets and gearstick lower ferrules.     Look at the appropriate website pages for pictures, and then contact the Spares Consultant!
  • Now in stock – Brand new bespoke solid steel exhaust clamps to fit 1500s, same as the original cast clamps! See the Engine Ancillaries page for more details,then contact the Spares Consultant!
  • Also in stock – Brand new 1500 Bonnet Bulkhead Seals. See the Body & External Trim – Post 1948 – 4/50, 6/80 to 1500 website page and contact the Spares Consultant!
  • Just obtained! A genuine NOS steel front o/s wing for the 1500! See the Body & External Trim – Post 1948 – 4/50, 6/80 to 1500 website page and contact the Spares Consultant!

Footer

Register Secretary

Anne Heywood
secretary@thewolseleyregister.com
10 Denbigh Close
Leyland
Lancashire PR25 4YY

Phone Contact

If you prefer to contact any of our officers by phone, please go to Contact us to find your required contact.

General Enquiries

enquiries@wolseleyregister.co.uk

Web Support

webmaster@wolseleyregister.co.uk

Classified Adverts

ads@wolseleyregister.co.uk

Spares

sparesconsultant@thewolseleyregister.com

Wolseley World

editor@thewolseleyregister.com

Online Shop

regalia@thewolseleyregister.com

All content © 2025 The Wolseley Register · Website by Northerwood

Cleantalk Pixel