The Wolseleys of 1900–1905, which were actually designed by Herbert Austin (who would later found his own car-making concern), were the first wholly British cars to be mass-produced. (Earlier cars like the Victorian Daimlers were inspired by Daimler-Benz cars from Germany). Prototype Wolseleys were the pioneering tricars of 1896 and 1898, and the first four-wheeler voiturette followed in 1899. Examples of the four-wheeler competed successfully in the Automobile Club’s 1000 Miles trial of 1900, after which series production began in Birmingham.
The first Wolseley actually to go on sale was a single-cylinder model, which was speedily followed by others: twins and horizontally-aligned flat-four cylinder types, all with similar cylinder dimensions and valve gear details, and the same simple type of chassis and transmission. Although the engines were physically large, they were not, of course, very powerful. They were located under the front of the chassis, ahead and under the toe-board, with cooling radiators and accessories above them, and a chain-driven final drive to the rear axle, which, with the exception of the French Système Panhard was the accepted layout of the period.
Cylinder heads pointed forwards, towards the nose of the car, which helped to keep them cool. The first twin-cylinder Wolseley arrived in 1901, and was effectively a doubling up of the original single-cylinder power unit, eventually pushing out a creditable 12 bhp. The early cars used an ‘automatic’ or ‘atmospheric’ inlet valve in their engines, which was opened by suction when the cylinder drew in fuel/air mixture, and which was forced back on to its seat by compression and combustion. This was inefficient, and was supplanted by a mechanically-operated inlet valve on later types. |
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The transmission was complex – a Renolds chain drove from the clutch to a separate mid-mounted transmission, then through a four-speed gearbox, with twin chain drives to the rear wheels from the mid-mounted gearbox counter shaft, all the chains requiring regular (daily, ideally) attention and oiling.
The development of these cars came to an abrupt end in 1905, when Wolseley’s directors wanted to see new vertical engine models introduced. Herbert Austin refused to carry out their wishes and therefore walked out, but this might just have been a good excuse, as the original Austin-badged cars, which followed within a year, had vertical engines.
The last horizontal-engined Wolseley was built in 1906, and a series of more conventional, Siddeley-inspired cars succeeded them.
No fewer than 327 of all types were sold in 1901, rising to 800 in 1903. At the time this made Wolseley the most prolific of all British makes, a lead which it retained until the outbreak of the First World War a decade later. |
