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Wolseley 6/90 and the Riley Two Point Six.
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1386
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:20 pm    Post subject: Wolseley 6/90 and the Riley Two Point Six. Reply with quote

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Two cars from the 1950s have interested me for many years namely the Wolseley 6/90 and the Riley Two Point Six. I remember the black Wolseley 6/90s of the Caernarvonshire Police which often used to stop outside my father's chemist shop and I have a vague memory of sitting inside one one fine morning in about 1958.

There was a Riley Two Point Six also in the area which belonged to a MANWEB (the local electricity board) area manager in the early 1960s who often called at the shop. From memory it was a two tone maroon and grey with a sumptuous red leather interior and I recall wondering why the gear lever was on the right hand side by the driver unlike being in the middle in my father's Yukon Grey Wolseley 1500 and the A55 Austin Cambridge in Lavender and black which followed it.

There was a Wolseley 6/90 in today's local classic car show, a Series 3, I think, with the larger rear window which you can see in the first photo. The owner busy talking to other admirers of his car unfortunately as I would have liked to have a chat with him. This example is the first one I have seen for years but an earlier 6/80 and a 4/44 I see quite often as both are locally owned.

I have always admired the fine lines on these handsome cars and I wondered are there any members here who either own one or have any recollections or experiences of them.

I would be very interested to read of them.
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Penman



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4850
Location: Swindon, Wilts.

PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Wolseley 6/90 and the Riley Two Point Six. Reply with quote

Hi
Ellis wrote:

I recall wondering why the gear lever was on the right hand side by the driver unlike being in the middle in my father's Yukon Grey Wolseley 1500 and the A55 Austin Cambridge in Lavender and black which followed it.


So that they could have a sporty floor change, avoiding a column change, and yet still have a 3seater settee bench seat in the front.
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Last edited by Penman on Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:37 am; edited 3 times in total
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Rusty



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 272
Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

PostPosted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember when I was a young bloke working at the BMC distributors here in Western Australia, there was a 6 90 owned by a lovely elderly gentleman that used to come into the workshop for servicing regularly, at the time it would have been about 15 years old, and he loved that car. All the workshop staff enjoyed working on it because of his attitude to his pride and joy and the fact he was a really pleasant person. He called it the "black lady" and he was still driving it when I left the workshop about 1980.
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7211
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Wolseley 6/90 and the Riley Two Point Six. Reply with quote

Penman wrote:
Hi
So that they could have a sporty floor change, avoiding a column change, and yet still have a 3seater settee bench seat in the front.


I really liked the right hand change and also the right hand handbrake on Rootes cars but both could be a little snag catching trouser legs!

Peter
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Ashley



Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 1426
Location: Near Stroud, Glos

PostPosted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Didn't they used to call them Ditchfinders after the Pathfinder Riley. Apparently they were poor handling, which was a common mistake made by Brit car manfacturer's. our stuff lasted but didn't handle as nicely as Continental cars, jaguar excepted.
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