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Police 1950s Wolseleys ...
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SpiggyTopes



Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 43
Location: Portugal

PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:01 pm    Post subject: Police 1950s Wolseleys ... Reply with quote

Why did the Police choose them?

Were they so powerful?
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Riley Blue



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 1751
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It depended on the county force, some chose Wolseley whilst others chose Rileys or other makes.
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7213
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well all the hoods would have Jags but the Police probably recon'ed that more (cheaper) cars would cut them off more effectively.

Peter
Code:


Model    0-60     Top Speed   Date        Price (Inc Purchase Tax)

Wolseley
6/80     25.4       85.3      Feb 1951    £767
1500     24.8       76.7      Apr 1957    £758 
15/50    24.2       78.1      Jul 1958    £991
6/90 Aut 18.5       95.0      Sep 1958   £1433
15/60    25.6       76.6      Jan 1959    £991

Jaguar
MkV      14.7       90.7      Apr 1950    £1263
MkVII    13.6      102        Apr 1952    £1778
MkVIII   11.6      106.5      Jan 1957
MkIX Aut 11.3      114        Oct 1958    £2162
3.4 MkI   9.1      120        Jun 1958

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Last edited by peter scott on Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
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welder



Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Posts: 265
Location: North Warwickshire

PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't answer either question but can say that one of my earlier forms of transport was an ex-police Wolseley 6/80 and it went very well indeed!

Ian
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Keith D



Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Posts: 1165
Location: Upper Swan, Western Australia

PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the 1960's the Southend Constabulary (Essex) had a couple of Mk 2 Jaguars as pursuit cars. We were very proud of them! Very upmarket!

Keith
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Ellis



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

PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm afraid that I don't know the answer either but I do remember one sunny morning in about 1958 or 1959 sitting in the passenger seat of a Wolseley 6/90 Caernarfonshire Constabulary Police patrol car which was parked outside my father's shop.
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SpiggyTopes



Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 43
Location: Portugal

PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been watching "Scotland Yard" with Edgar Lustgarten and always studying the Wolseleys ..... they look a bit cumbersome and I wondered why the Police chose them ..

Cheers.
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mikeC



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 1808
Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire

PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SpiggyTopes wrote:
... I wondered why the Police chose them ..

Cheers.


They were a very good choice at the time; the RM Rileys were an aging design soon to be replaced by the Pathfinder, and the Jaguar Mk1 was still years way. The Wolseley was a handy size with good performance, and BMC was a well respected supplier who was prepared to adapt the model to Police requirements. By the time the Jaguar came on the market, the supply of Wolseleys was well established, although some forces replaced them with Ford Zephyrs - anyone remember Z Cars? There was always scope for the police to buy other cars for special duties - I remember being stopped by Manchester Force Sunbeam Tiger on one occasion!
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emmerson



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
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Location: South East Wales

PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lancashire used open top MGAs, and I've seen Daimler Darts too, but can't remember where.
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mikeC



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
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Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire

PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm pretty sure either Manchester or Lancashire had Darts.
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Riley Blue



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
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Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Met had Darts, they were based at the Hampton on Thames garage when I lived there (not in the garage!) in the late '50s, early '60s.
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David

1963 Riley 1.5
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Billf



Joined: 01 Jul 2011
Posts: 202
Location: North Cyprus.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When i was a young lad. Gretna (Scotland) Police had a Citroën Traction Avant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Traction_Avant
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/essex-mobile-police-in-action/query/wildcard
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emmerson



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
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Location: South East Wales

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

peter scott wrote:
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/essex-mobile-police-in-action/query/wildcard


Lovely isn't it?
I was going to say that today he'd have been hauled out of the car and beaten, but of course that couldn't happen. There are no road patrols now!
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