Beschreibung
Highly Useable Wolseley 1500 Mk 3 in Lovely Condition.
This is a very reluctant sale. I bought Florence in May 2019 from a guy in his 80s who’d owned the car for the previous 10 years. I’d been on the lookout for a either a Wolseley or Riley 1500 that I could take to car shows with my dad for a bit of father and son time. We enjoyed some local journeys in the summer of 2019 and were looking forward to extending Florence’s use in 2020. When I bought Florence the brakes were best described as ‘gradual’, even with a firm right foot. So in order to make her more useable I decided to make some improvements and commissioned a classic car specialist in Bournemouth to carry out the work. (I have a comprehensive set of photographs documenting the work they carried out.) This resulted in a comprehensive upgrade to the braking system including fitting a servo, upgrading the electrical system by replacing the dynamo with an alternator, replacing various seals, a suspension overhaul and Waxoyling the underside. These recent upgrades have made a huge difference and Florence now drives really nicely. These cars have no syncro on 1st gear, so this needs to be engaged at a complete stop. Once underway, she goes through 2nd, 3rd & into 4th without any issues and will cruise happily all day at 50, with a conservative overtaking speed of 55 (or a little more). She always starts (literally) on the button without any problems.
More recently, Florence has had her clutch slave cylinder replaced and has had a partial respray to address the poor state of the paint on the roof, which I think was caused when the previous owner kept the car under a car port. The window glass was removed, the roof stripped back to bare metal then primed, colour matched in Trafalgar blue and resprayed by a specialist company in Poole.
Since buying Florence, Covid restrictions and having moved to Exeter just before the pandemic struck resulted in being remote from the Wolseley (she’s kept in Bournemouth parked under a cover on my parents drive), so Florence hasn’t had much use over the two years I’ve owned her. My wife and I have now decided to embark on a (Covid-permitting) 3-month European trip in 2022, for which we’re going to buy a campervan. This unfortunately means selling Florence and reinvesting the money in a vehicle we can actually sleep in!
Here’s a summary of useful information about Florence:
Registered in 1962. Historic vehicle status – Tax & MOT exempt
41, 027 miles.
Stainless steel exhaust
Good oil pressure
Original drivers handbook
Recent work:
Partial respray – roof and side pillars (July 2021)
New clutch slave cylinder (May 2021)
All lubricating points greased (May 2021)
New battery (May 2019)
Significant expenditure in October 2019:
Rear hubs stripped, bearings removed & new oil seals fitted. Half-shafts sealed, pinion oil seal.
Front suspension stripped & new torsion bar bushes fitted.
Front brakes stripped, fit new cylinders & shoes fitted. New brake servo fitted – braking much improved!
Nearside hub and drum etc. removed. New oil seals fitted. New handbrake boots.
Suspension adjusted.
New radiator hose.
Rectify main beam fault.
Dynamo replaced with alternator & wiring adjusted to suit
Full service inc. oil & filter, new points, plugs & distributer cap
Underneath waxoyled
Previous rebuild:
Florence was completely stripped and rebuilt in the 1990s by a previous owner including engine conversion for unleaded fuel, (handwritten letter on file confirming the refurbishment works).
I have a history file containing receipts for upgrade works under my ownership and lots of other service, repair and general maintenance documentation, together with MOT certificates, other historical information and a list of previous owners etc.
There are a handful of areas of very minor blistering on the bodywork edges as you’d expect for a car of this age, but overall the bodywork is in lovely condition and she’s structurally very solid underneath. As far as I’m aware all of the panels are original steel, not fibreglass. The interior generally in good condition. (There are some marks on the headlining.) I believe the carpets are original.
With all the improvements during my ownership, Florence is now a very useable classic that’s structurally sound and mechanically up together. I’ve spent some time researching online for a fair sale price and have found other Wolseley 1500’s in various conditions ranging in price from £5, 000, £5, 495, £6, 450, £7, 000, £7, 495, £7, 995 and £9, 750. Given the lovely condition of Florence, and the refurbishment work carried out in my ownership, (total in excess of £4, 000) I’ve tried to set a fair price that reflects the value of this Wolseley 1500 compared to others I’ve seen. I am however open to serious and sensible offers.
Please give me a call for more information or if you’d like to arrange a viewing.
Mark: the details below
