Start with what the Wolseley Ten is: a 4-door saloon / 2-door drophead coupé with 1140 cc overhead valve four cylinder, built from 1939 to 1948, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The Wolseley Ten is a light car which was produced by Wolseley Motors Limited in 1939 and from 1945 to 1948. The ten horsepower class of cars was an important part of the market in 1930s Britain and Wolseley entered the sector with their 10/40 of 1936 based on the contemporary Morris Ten. Both Morris and Wolseley were part of the Nuffield Organization. The 10/40 ceased production in 1937 and it was not until February 1939 that Wolseley introduced the Ten as a replacement. The new car was again based on the Morris Ten, this time the 1938 Series M but with an important difference. Whereas the Morris car had a semi unitary construction, the Wolseley had a substantial steel section chassis with cruciform bracing. Many of the steel body pressings were shared.
To keep the weight down, the wheelbase at 90 in (2,300 mm) was 4 in (100 mm) shorter than the Morris. Suspension was not independent and used semi elliptic leaf springs all round. Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes were fitted. The 1140 cc engine designated XPJW was also slightly more powerful than the one in the Morris delivering 40 bhp (30 kW; 41 PS) as against 37 bhp (28 kW; 38 PS). As the car was intended to compete in the up-market sector, it was well equipped with leather upholstery, pile carpets and walnut trim. The seats were early users of Dunlopillo foam rubber, rather than traditional metal coil springs, possibly the first mass-produced car to use this new material. The steering column was adjustable for both angle and reach. At launch the car was priced at £215, £40 more than the Morris with the option of a built-
What is underneath
The engine is 1140 cc overhead valve four cylinder. Drive goes through a 4-speed manual. The wheelbase is 90 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the British Motor Corporation line-up the Wolseley Ten has a clear place: it replaced the Wolseley 10/40; it handed the line to the Wolseley 4/50; the factory was Ward End Works, Birmingham, UK.. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Lincoln Continental, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Bentley Mark V. Nearby in the British Motor Corporation catalogue sit the Austin 10 and the Austin 12.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Wolseley Ten has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.