I had a 1960 Riley 1.5 and can confirm everything said in the video. It is pretty much the perfect small classic car. All the good features of the Minor with a bit more power to keep up with modern traffic.
Lovely to see this. When I was a very young boy a grey over cream example was the first car I can remember at home. Then my day bought a second one in old English white. And a Riley 1.5 in a sort of Maroon colour. When the white 1500 retired to my uncles farm yard due to rot, where it sat for a number of years until scrapped, it became a giant play car for me 😃 Oddly enough I was at the Bexhill classic car show recently and there was a 1500 there. The interior smell took me straight back to travelling in our 1500s, exactly the same smell and unmistakable about 45years later!
Never rated them when they were running around in the 70s. I suppose they were old cars by then. However, it was me who was not discerning enough. It's a fine model, building on the Minor's good points and making them better.
I thought the name was pronounced Wools-Lee. I had one as my daily back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was quite rusty. Nowadays you can purchase a lot of repair panels which oddly were scarce back then. It was reasonably fast but had poor brakes and seats were not great for long journeys.
Wolseley family right up to the mid 70’s . Dad had numerous 6/110’s an mom had two hornets. Beautiful quality cars that really had snob value to them back I that day
I had a 1957 one as my first car. I sold it after 6 years for the save £75 I paid for it. My Wally had spots and fogs, an alternator and went all across Europe. It had seat belts and normally four petrol pumps in a cardboard box in the boot to swap over when the next one stopped working. Not to forget the harry moss cassette player!
I remember travelling in my parents Wolseley 1500, GUR 754C in Maroon B. Really liked the illuminated grille badge as a 5 year old. Lived in Hertfordshire and many trips to Wales and Devon and I remember my Dad sericing it but no breakdowns so it must have been pretty reliable.
Good review as always, the 1500 is a very capable car and so long as your prepared to get your hands dirty it’s can be used regularily. I had a Wolseley 1300 back in the mid 2000’s and found it a reliable car, the rot around an in the rear subframe and sills is what finished mine off as they weren’t as valuable then as they are now, plus I had nowhere to store it.
I wonder if anyone was brave enough to stick a B series 1798cc in one of these or the Riley version! Double the power! Brakes etc would need an uprate as well, but it would have been a real Q car
Actually, on the continent you’d buy a Fiat 1100 or an Alfa Romeo Giulietta or a Lancia Appia, at the same period... of course, the badges didn’t light up on these.
Posh Morris Minor? More like sawn-off A55 (Mk1). Minor floorpan (as A40 farina) with A55 body panels.Typical BMC cost cutting. Don't matter really - cracking little motor. Senior Mistress at my School had a gorgeous powder blue one upgraded from her A35. Happy days!
I see that no attempt was made to sit in the back of the world's only 4 door 2 seater! For anyone's interest, these cars evolved rather more in Australia, with 1622cc and tailfins and longer wheelbase. Search for pics of the Morris Major Elite.
My mum's first car in 1973 dad paid £35 the garage wanted £30 for it as it was or another fiver for them to write a MOT for it they didn't look at it just wrote a certificate it had Micky mouse on the driver's door and mini on the passenger side eventually went for banger racing when mum got a Austin 1100
The Morris Minor certainly won the day, staying in production until 1971 with over 1.6 million sold, small wonder the Wolseley only stayed in production until 1965 and only selling 104,000 with the Riley doing even worse at just under 20,000! Can’t say I liked the look of it either, the Minor was a unique design, the Wolseley however was just an ungainly nondescript shape, kind of an in between not quite Morris Minor / Hillman Minx!
My Dad bought one of these and the only time it went into the garage was for a service. We travelled all round the country and it never broke down.
Underrated classic without a doubt, nice ones can still be picked up for very reasonable prices. I've had mine for 6 months and absolutely love it!
They're great cars for the money!
I had a 1960 Riley 1.5 and can confirm everything said in the video. It is pretty much the perfect small classic car. All the good features of the Minor with a bit more power to keep up with modern traffic.
My Dad had one of these in Australia. It was black and had the gorgeous wooden dash. Lovely car
Assembled in Sydney, they were a common sight for me growing up in Sydney in the 60's - 70's.
Lovely to see this. When I was a very young boy a grey over cream example was the first car I can remember at home. Then my day bought a second one in old English white. And a Riley 1.5 in a sort of Maroon colour. When the white 1500 retired to my uncles farm yard due to rot, where it sat for a number of years until scrapped, it became a giant play car for me 😃 Oddly enough I was at the Bexhill classic car show recently and there was a 1500 there. The interior smell took me straight back to travelling in our 1500s, exactly the same smell and unmistakable about 45years later!
We're good friends with the Bexhill100 club, glad their show has as much variety as always!
I loved that smell. My dad's Austin Cambridge had that aroma!!
Never rated them when they were running around in the 70s. I suppose they were old cars by then. However, it was me who was not discerning enough. It's a fine model, building on the Minor's good points and making them better.
Great review of a great British marque. Oh top marks for the houndstooth shirt too Phil!
This brought back some memories, thank you! My dad had a 59 Riley One-Point-Five when we lived in England in the mid to late sixties.
My late father had this model as his first car sometime in the mid 1960s. Very good car as I am led to believe.
I thought the name was pronounced Wools-Lee.
I had one as my daily back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was quite rusty. Nowadays you can purchase a lot of repair panels which oddly were scarce back then.
It was reasonably fast but had poor brakes and seats were not great for long journeys.
Wolseley family right up to the mid 70’s . Dad had numerous 6/110’s an mom had two hornets. Beautiful quality cars that really had snob value to them back I that day
First car I drove 54 year ago when I was 12 and another good video 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👏👏👏👏
I had a 1957 one as my first car. I sold it after 6 years for the save £75 I paid for it. My Wally had spots and fogs, an alternator and went all across Europe. It had seat belts and normally four petrol pumps in a cardboard box in the boot to swap over when the next one stopped working. Not to forget the harry moss cassette player!
Class!
What a lovely car, inside and out! Elegant, tasteful, classy.
Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it.
In Australia we got the Wolseley 24/80 which had the 6 cylinder “Blue Streak” engine. My first car in 1974.
Ooh, we'd love to drive one of those!
I remember travelling in my parents Wolseley 1500, GUR 754C in Maroon B. Really liked the illuminated grille badge as a 5 year old. Lived in Hertfordshire and many trips to Wales and Devon and I remember my Dad sericing it but no breakdowns so it must have been pretty reliable.
Good review as always, the 1500 is a very capable car and so long as your prepared to get your hands dirty it’s can be used regularily.
I had a Wolseley 1300 back in the mid 2000’s and found it a reliable car, the rot around an in the rear subframe and sills is what finished mine off as they weren’t as valuable then as they are now, plus I had nowhere to store it.
I wonder if anyone was brave enough to stick a B series 1798cc in one of these or the Riley version! Double the power! Brakes etc would need an uprate as well, but it would have been a real Q car
Great review and video. Interested to see the boot space.
Lovely little car!
1:30NZ Had one in west Australia . Loved it but it did not like the heat
My Grandfather had one in two-tone green.
Charming reminder of a gentler style of motoring. Would the 1622 engine be an easy upgrade?
Hard to say, we'd love to see maybe even a 1.8!
Would I buy this car, Yes,Yes,Yes.
So would I! -Phil
Nice car!
Actually, on the continent you’d buy a Fiat 1100 or an Alfa Romeo Giulietta or a Lancia Appia, at the same period... of course, the badges didn’t light up on these.
😂😂🤣
Posh Morris Minor? More like sawn-off A55 (Mk1). Minor floorpan (as A40 farina) with A55 body panels.Typical BMC cost cutting. Don't matter really - cracking little motor. Senior Mistress at my School had a gorgeous powder blue one upgraded from her A35. Happy days!
Vetture particolari
I see that no attempt was made to sit in the back of the world's only 4 door 2 seater! For anyone's interest, these cars evolved rather more in Australia, with 1622cc and tailfins and longer wheelbase. Search for pics of the Morris Major Elite.
My mum's first car in 1973 dad paid £35 the garage wanted £30 for it as it was or another fiver for them to write a MOT for it they didn't look at it just wrote a certificate it had Micky mouse on the driver's door and mini on the passenger side eventually went for banger racing when mum got a Austin 1100
This is the car the Morris Minor should have been from square one.
video good
We had one brand new in 1963……my father said it was the worst handling car he’d ever come across !
Nah gimme a late minor any day.
The Morris Minor certainly won the day, staying in production until 1971 with over 1.6 million sold, small wonder the Wolseley only stayed in production until 1965 and only selling 104,000 with the Riley doing even worse at just under 20,000!
Can’t say I liked the look of it either, the Minor was a unique design, the Wolseley however was just an ungainly nondescript shape, kind of an in between not quite Morris Minor / Hillman Minx!