1969 Wolseley 1300 Mk 2

This Wolseley is living proof that if you garage it, use it sparingly in good weather and look after it, even a relatively rust-prone car can survive in perfect original condition for 50+ years: of course, very few ADO16s have benefited from such care.

The Wolseley 1300 Mk2 was the best of the Wolseley ADO16s, with luxurious trim, twin carbs, wood dash with the distinctive strip speedometer, rear centre armrest etc – for the Mk3 in 1971 the spec was noticeably cheapened. It had the same engine spec as the Vanden Plas Princess.

It is such a delight to see a 50 year old car with its original chrome and paint in such good order – and there’s a lot of chrome on a Wolseley! That distinctive grille badge still lights up with the sidelights, a unique Wolseley feature, and is supplemented by the Wolseley Register badge and period AA badge on the grille. This car could carry black and silver numberplates, but looks absolutely right with its early, pressed, reflective plates that were still a relatively new thing in 1969.

The chrome hubcaps, door mirrors and side trims sparkle in the sunlight – along with the door surrounds, door handles, petrol filler cap, front and rear screen rubber inserts, light surrounds, bumpers, grilles, numberplate plinth, wipers and badges – it is hard to fault this delightful little car. The panel fit is excellent and clearly original. There are a couple of tiny paint bubbles just where the side chrome trim meets the headlamp surround on the driver’s side, one just behind the front overrider on the same side and a few more at the base of the passenger side front wing, where it meets the sill.

The interior is stunning and even the driver’s seat barely looks used, its cushions still plump and its ridges and piping sharp (though there are a few small marks on the squab, some of which will probably clean off) – the other seats are even better. The unusual door trims and even the trimmed rear parcel shelf are almost spotless. The headlining is all original and almost perfect, with just a trace of staining at the top of the rear quarter panels. The period Britax Auto-Lok (inertia reel) seat belts remain perfectly functional and absolutely in keeping.

The veneered wood dash still has its as-new gloss and the distinctive strip speedometer, so much a feature of the ADO16 and sadly omitted on other upmarket models, looks like new. The dash top and surround, and the parcel shelf, are equally spotless.

Only the carpets and the brake pedal rubber show signs of wear, a threadbare section where the driver’s left foot rests, a little wear on the heelmat and alongside it, and especially between the heelmat and driver’s seat – and a poor fit around the gearstick. Though original, it would probably be worth fitting a new set of carpets. Under the carpets, there is a little surface rust in the driver’s footwell, but nothing to raise any immediate concerns.

The rear seats have clearly seen very little use, the carpet has just one small mark and the door shuts are perfect, apart from staining around the rubber seal on the passenger side.

In the boot, a little tidying would work wonders under the remarkably well preserved floor panel, with a bag for the loose tools and spare fanbelts. The spare tyre is old, and may well be the original from new; it appears to be a crossply, so not legal to use with the radials on the car, but it would be a shame to lose this original feature! With the car come two wooden boards covered with plaques from rallies the car attended through the 1990s and early 2000s.

The twin-carb 1300 engine produced a healthy 65bhp, only 5bhp below the highest output engine fitted to an ADO16, so this is still a lively little car that will easily keep pace with modern traffic. The engine bay looks more ‘used’ than the exterior – the Wolseley sticker is still present on the rocker cover but is a little rippled, one spark plug cap is non-matching and paint is flaking on some components like the radiator support, but it is fundamentally correct and almost all original. The underside of the bonnet has been preserved by a coat of underseal, except around the edges where a few small areas of surface rust on the inner skin would benefit from treatment.

Underneath, the vital structure is in excellent condition. Full original sills are fitted, not the nasty cover sills so often seen on these cars, and the structure has been well undersealed, though this is now becoming flaky in a few places (easily cleaned off and reapplied). The vital subframes, and their mountings, appear solid – the rear subframe has some surface rust which would benefit from rustproofing for the future.

Minor oil leaks have helped preserve the front end and there is scope for cosmetic improvement underneath and to the suspension if the buyer fancied entering the car in top concours competitions, though care should be taken to avoid losing its exceptional originality which will win prizes as it is. There’s a little damage to the front valance close to the towing eye, which could easily be tidied up. The tyres all have good tread and don’t appear to have perished significantly, no doubt due to the car being cherished and covered in a garage.

The front ride height is maybe just a smidgin low – easily corrected by a garage used to working on MGFs, which also enjoyed the Hydrolastic suspension.

First registered in Wallingford, Oxon in May 1969, this Wolseley has lived in the Thames valley ever since. Its first owner clocked up just 18,000 miles in 16 years before selling it to Mr & Mrs Leo Hill, who have kept it in the family ever since. Used by their daughter for some years, it reverted to their care and for decades came out only on high days and holidays, attending shows with the Wolseley Register of which its owners were keen members.

Its use gradually reduced over the years and its last MoT was carried out on 8 May 2006 when the mileage was 46,723. On Leo’s death it passed to his wife’s name but stayed in a very dry wooden garage until she passed away this year, leaving the car to her grandson. Her daughter writes, “My father, Leo Hill, bought me the Wolseley in 1982 as my first car when I was expecting our first baby.

He wanted me to have a solid reliable car. He purchased it from Mr Hawkins whom he had always known: Mr Hawkins was a well-respected businessman in Wallingford where my father worked. The car was owned by Mrs Hawkins and it was used only for driving around Wallingford and the local villages: she had owned it from new.

I lived in North Hinksey near Oxford and used it mostly to visit my parents in Dorchester on Thames.

It was decided in about 1997 that the car was too precious to be used as a family car and my father would take it to rallies and it was to become his retirement hobby.

He loved his weekends with his wife Jane and grandson Dan, travelling around the country showing off his pride and joy.”

Grandson Dan is in the motor industry and has gone through the car with a colleague who is very familiar with ADO16s. They report that the sills, wings, floors, heel boards and all other common points of corrosion are solid and original. The paint is also believed to be the original. On retrieving it from storage, Dan fitted new rear brake cylinders, master cylinder seals, rear brake pipes and flexible hoses, fuel lines, air filter, engine oil and filter and battery. Dan reports, “The clutch and brakes work great, the vehicle starts first time every time. It is a joy to drive and makes me smile and is surprisingly nippy with the twin carb engine.

“The vehicle has completed multiple times the London to Brighton classic runs; it’s been the winner of the Wolseley national show and was a well-travelled car at the local and national shows over its lifetime.

“I currently drive the vehicle daily in and out the workshop and also run round the village to the Post Office etc in it on a weekly basis to keep the wheels moving and would happily drive it further.”

It should be noted that the Wolseley has just passed its first MOT in 13yrs!

This is an excellent all-round family classic – children love the big windows and uninterrupted views from the back seats (rear seat belts can easily be added) and this car deserves to be used and enjoyed, while being preserved for future generations.

Minimal expenditure is needed to bring this car back into regular use – just a little time spent cleaning and rustproofing the rear subframe and the sill closing panels to protect them, injecting wax protection inside the sills and other box sections, and treating the traces or rust around the trim strip alongside the offside headlamp – plus, perhaps, a new carpet set to freshen up the interior.

What’s it worth? You could easily spend in excess of £10,000 trying to restore a scruffy example to anything close to the condition of this Wolseley – and it still wouldn’t be as good, and it wouldn’t be original. Consequently, if you can buy this one for anything less than that, it’s a steal…

Our estimate is £6750 – £9000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.