The 25HP DHC is one of the most desirable and rarest of the Pre-War Wolseleys. The first example was conceived as a gift for Lord Nuffield and paid for by subscription of the Wolseley workforce who presented the car to Lord Nuffield in December 1937. The car was later put into limited series production and at most 154 were built. The Wolseley Register knows of just 18 survivors.
The 25 HP DHC represented the pinnacle of what the Nuffield organisation could achieve in the 1930s. It has a 3 ½ litre engine, developing 108bhp and is capable of 90mph. The body and interior were of superlative quality and the car has been favourably compared to the Bentley 3 ½ litre and the Alvis Speed 25.
An example of this model is now available. This is FLY 531, which was bought by Stuart Nell in 2013. Stuart was a connoisseur of fine cars and consigned his for a full professional restoration with the well-known Wolseley restorer, Bill Dalgetty. At Stuart’s untimely death last year, the restoration was still in progress and a new owner is now sought who will complete this work.
Stuart expected to pay something approaching £200,000 for his restoration, which reflects the standard and quality of the restoration. In excess of £120,000 has already been spent, and it is estimated that the remaining work, caried out to the same exacting standard, will cost £50,000 -70,000. With this completed, the new owner will undoubtedly have the finest 25HP DHC in existence and a car which we estimate will be worth £70,000 – 100,000.
We are seeking offers for the car in its current part-restored state and will give priority to someone who will finish the restoration as Stuart had intended, preferably, but not necessarily with Bill Dalgetty who knows the car intimately.
The car’s engine and gearbox have been fully re-built and the body completely restored. Internal woodwork, chrome and lights have been restored. The principal work remaining is the removal of the body from the chassis, for painting; restoration of the chassis and axles; re-assembly and trimming. The work done so far has been fully documented and photographed. This record and the car itself are available for inspection by interested parties.
For further details, please contact either John McCombie, Vice President (Phone 01592 345470; email jmcc56581@outlook.com) or Clive Button, former Chairman and author of the Profile publication on the 25HP DHC (Phone 01829 741197; email button5@btinternet.com) .
