1. Old pictures of a white Wolseley 1500 saloon from the late 1950s.
Firstly, a pair of photos I found in an album, feature this little Wolseley registration number 546 DVT (a Stoke number). At the time of the 1500, Wolseley was part of the BMC empire, and the 1500 owed much of its running gear to other BMC saloons. The engine was the familiar B Series unit.
This early Wolseley 1500 must have been quite new when this photograph was taken, as there is no sign of corrosion on the bodywork, wheels or anywhere else. Unusually for a road car, this particular 1500 has rear tyres with a chunky 'Town & Country' style tread to them. The fronts look like normal crossplies.
The car is also immaculate in this picture, and may well have been taken on a day out somewhere in Staffordshire or Cheshire. The rest of the album's contents suggest that the owner of the album lived in the Stoke on Trent area, which ties in nicely with it's DVT registration no.
At the same time as the Wolseley (not Woolsy, Wolsey, Woolsey or Wolsley!) 1500, BMC offered the Riley One-Point-Five, which differed slightly in trim and, most importantly for the speed fiend, came with twin carbs bolted to the old B series, as opposed to the single carburettor on the Wolseley.
2. A two-tone Wolseley 1500.
This is the latest period shot of a Wolseley 1500 to turn up, again featuring an early example, but this time in smart two-tone finish. If only this had been a colour photo, and not black and white! Registered AJK 199, it originated in the Eastbourne area. A note on the rear of this photo says "Car on Clifton Moore". I think they meant to write Clifton Moor, which is a town located in North Yorkshire, near York. This car had been updated with a matching pair of Lucas fog/spot lamps, an AA members' badge, and a pair of "boomerang" type rear view mirrors. Later 1500s are identifiable by their larger front side/indicator lamps, and the use of A40 Farina-sourced lamp units at the rear.
3. Rear view of a parked 1500.
Although the scenery was the main subject of this photograph, fortunately there is enough of the parked car visible to identify it as a (Mk1) Wolseley 1500, registration 746 WHX. Although the car is London-registered, I think the setting is somewhere north of the border, in Scotland.
(Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.)
4. Filling up with Shell motor spirit, Granville Garage, c1964.
This excellent old photograph is shared here with the permission of the young chap seen filling up the Wolseley with Shell motor fuel, David H. King, who posted this onto Facebook recently. The photo dates to 1963/1964, the location is Granville Garage on Gosbecks Road, Colchester, Essex. The Wolseley 1500 is a Mk1 with the small rear lights and external boot hinges, and is registered 188 DAR which, on checking the AR registration series page, dates it to mid-1958, being first registered in Hertfordshire.
The hearts of all fans for retro petrol pumps will be gladdened by this image. A fine array of pumps are on display, for both Shell and Super Shell. The sales kiosk is adorned by a number of advertising signs, products from Michelin, Redex, and Senior Service are all in evidence - note the Redex dispenser between David and his customer. Clearly the garage was also a Morris Commercial vehicles sales agency, judging by the illuminated sign attached to the main building in the background. Thanks for ok'ing the photo's use on OCC David, great stuff. Another photo from the same garage has also been added to the Ford Anglia 105E photo page, image number seven.
The video below contains a wealth of Wolseley photos, including quite a few 1500s.
