SEVENTY YEARS OF THE WOLSELEY 4/44

In later life, the great designer Gerald Palmer reflected, “I had been to several Continental shows and had realised that some Italian styles were really wonderful. British styling, by comparison, was just pathetic”. So when the 4/44 made its bow at the 1952 London Motor Show, it caused a minor sensation. The outgoing 4/50 was an undeniably handsome machine, but the new Wolseley was a striking-looking saloon, with the famous radiator grille blending almost seamlessly with the subtle Lancia-inspired lines.

The origins of the 4/44 date from 1949, when the Nuffield Group asked Palmer to create bodywork for their “middle-class” saloons. They initially planned the new generation to commence with the replacement for the MG Y-Type saloon, which now looked somewhat dated. However, the 1952 merger with Austin two years later to form the British Motor Corporation inevitably resulted in policy changes. Leonard Lord, the chairman of BMC, decreed power for the new “Magnette ZA” would be from the 1.5-litre B-series engine, but his new unit was still under development. The solution was to launch the Wolseley first; it used a single-carburettor version of the long-established 1,250cc Morris XPAG engine.

Production commenced in March 1953, and at £997, the 4/44 represented well over a year’s wages for the average Briton. In many respects, the latest Wolseley presented the discerning motorist with a blend of ancient and modern. The starting handle bracket reassured traditionalists, as did the hide and timber trimmed cabin. As for performance, the engine ran out of steam at 73 mph, which was to be expected in a car of the pre-motorway age. Finally, and most importantly, the ‘Ghost Light’ radiator badge illuminated with the side lights.

And so the Wolseley looked set to rival the Lanchester LD10 or the Triumph Mayflower as archetypal retired-army officer transport for the early 1950s. Major Gowen of Fawlty Towers almost certainly owned a 4/44 at one point in his life, and he probably read Autocar’s report:

from the first moment of acquaintance an exceptional liking was formed for the Wolseley Four Forty-Four, which persisted throughout more than 1,000 miles of motoring. It can be suggested that for a hard-bitten tester to be thus impressed, and his impressions maintained in a wide variety of conditions of route and loading, the car concerned must have very decided merit. Thus, it is with this new Wolseley. It has more than a touch of quality in its road behaviour and in its appointments.

Yet, that styling denoted a significant change of direction for the marque. The 4/44 was the cornerstone for a dynasty of Palmer-designed MGs, Rileys and Wolseleys, which we will fully cover next year. But for now, let us celebrate, as BMC put it, a car “For those with an eye for beauty”. Not to mention “the many sensible and clever amenities”.