The Wolsely 6/90 appeared in 1954 and was a grown up version of the 6/80 and also used the styling cues of the 4/44. The body was already used for the Riley Pathfinder, which had entered production in 1953. Therefore this is a classic example of some clever badge engineering and still maintaining a Wolsely look. Compared to the Riley, under the bonnet things were different. A new six cylinder OHV engine was introduced, with a capacity of 2639 cc, producing 96 BHP at 4500 revs. The potential of this engine was later shown when it was fitted in the Austin Healey 100M, but in the Wolseley it was laid out for comfy driving. Top speed was only 145 kph.
The first version broke heavily with English tradition by having a vinyl covered cash, but with the appearance of the Mk2 in 1956 the traditional wood took over again. In 1957 the Mk3 version was introduced, which was outwardly recognisable from a larger rear window. Production lasted until 1959 and can be broken down as follows
Mk1: 5776
Mk2: 1024
Mk3: 5052
These low production levels have turned this into a relatively rare car.
Shown is a well used example that served as a team car during the Classic LeMans 2006.
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I have always liked the way this car looks. Pretty elegant lines. Was this car ever brought officially to the US (as a left hand drive)? I saw 6/90 a couple of years ago on the street, and it was in LHD.
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