THE RILEY ELF AND WOLSELEY HORNET AT SIXTY

19 facts about one of the most intriguing members of the Mini family:

1. The Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf debuted on the 12th of October 1961. Dick Burzi created their distinctive styling.
2. The Hornet was the first front-wheel-drive Wolseley; the second was the 1965 1100.
3. The British Motor Corporation originally intended to use the Imp name for the Riley.

1. The price of the Wolseley was £672 1s 5d, and the Riley cost £693 18s 11d. The latter featured a full-width facia with twin glove boxes.
2. The Elf and Hornet were eight inches longer than a standard Mini.
3. The Wolseley took its name from the pre-war six-cylinder lightweight sporting saloon.
4. Alec Issigonis was not impressed, complaining about “gimmicks”. Nor was the great motoring writer L J K Setright, who ranted about “those small-minded snobs who found the idea of a Mini intriguing but the name of Austin or Morris offensive and the evidence of austerity”.
5. The Mk. II versions of 1963 boasted a 998cc engine in response to complaints about the Elf/Hornet’s lack of power.
6. Autocar found the Hornet Mk. II to be “a very handy and likeable little car”.
7. Bill Boddy of Motor Sport regarded the Elf Mk. II as “a useful business executive’s town-car”.
8. Viking Performance Cars of Suffolk devised the extremely desirable Hornet Sport convertible, but production ran only from 1963 to 1964. One problem was that they cost £200 more than its Wolseley parent model.
9. In 1963 Speedwell Performance Conversions offered an ‘Executive Riley’ powered by a 1,150cc version of the A-Series engine with twin SU carburettors and a high-lift camshaft. The top speed was a formidable 107 mph, but the price was a steep £825.

1. As for the Riley, it was “a perfect dream of a car” and “Magnificent Motoring in Miniature”.
2. One Elf advertisement posed the vital question “Why do Riley owners look so dashed superior?”.
3. In 1966 Heinz commissioned Crayford Engineering to build 57 Wolseley Hornet Convertibles as prizes for their “Greatest Glow on Earth” soup competition.
4. In that same year the Mk. III featured reclining front seats, fresh air vents and a Cooper style remote control gear change instead of the earlier ‘magic wand’ lever.
5. The Mk. III’s winding windows were a ‘first’ for a British Mini, although they featured on Australian built models in 1965.
6. In 1967 BMC South Africa introduced the ‘Wolseley 1000’, which combined the Hornet nose with the standard Mini body. Two years later, it was succeeded by the ‘ 3’, which conversely blended the Mini nose with the Hornet’s body
7. In late 1969 the Mini Clubman replaced the Hornet/Elf after 28,455 Wolseleys and 30,912 Rileys.