Wolseley 15/60

Wolseley 15/60 Wolseley 16/60
Production period:	1958-1971
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	limousine
Previous model:	Wolseley 15/50
Successor:	Wolseley 18/85

The Wolseley 15/60 was the first of the Pininfarina- designed mid- range cars that BMC brought out. It was introduced in December 1958 as the successor to the Wolseley 15/50 . The 15/60 was part of the BMC ADO9 family and shared its design with models from several other brands. All of these vehicles were revised in 1961. They got a bigger engine and other names. In this way, the 15/60 became the Wolseley 16/60 . It remained in production until April 24, 1971.

Wolseley 15/60

15/60 ( BMC ADO9 )
Wolseley 15/60 (1961)
Production period:	1958-1961
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.5 liters (38 kW)
Length:	4521 mm
Width:	1600 mm
Height:	1505 mm
Wheelbase :	2515 mm
Empty weight :	1118 kg

After BMC had already presented a model designed by Pininfarina with the Austin A40 Farina small car in 1958 , the British group also had the bodies of the next larger models designed in Italy. This model family was named ADO9. As before, the basic design with slight external changes was offered by various group brands. It all started with the Wolseley version, which was called 15/60 and replaced the previous 15/50. The Wolseley was positioned in the upper middle class with its leather seats and polished wooden dashboard; the car did not have a sporty note. The almost identical models Riley 4/68 (sporty-luxurious), Austin A55 Cambridge Mark II (base), MG Magnette Mark III (sporty) and Morris Oxford V (base) were submitted within a few months .

All five cars had a BMC-B four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 1,489 cm³, which achieved different outputs depending on the carburettor equipment. Wolseley 15/60, Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford were at the lower end of the power spectrum with their single SU carburettors and 52 bhp (38 kW). The front wheels were individually suspended from coil springs, the driven rear rigid axle was suspended from leaf springs. Girling's hydraulic drum brakes had a drum diameter of 229 mm. The wagons had horse steering .

The upholstery was covered with leather, and the individual front seats were close together so that a passenger could be taken in the middle. Despite the central gear lever, the vehicle offered space for six people. This was expressly pointed out in the advertising. The handbrake lever was placed between the driver's seat and the door frame. The back seat had a fold-out center armrest. Wood facing was used on the dashboard and in the door panels. A Smiths heater was standard. The cars were painted in one color or, on request, in two colors, whereby the two-tone paintwork took up American models and, according to observers, did not harmonize with the simplicity of the basic Italian design.

Later a license for this Farina construction was also given to Argentina , where Siam di Tella manufactured the Di Tella 1500 , the Di Tella Traveler and the Di Tella Argenta . Austin Cambridge CKD kits have been assembled in the Netherlands (Molenaar-Amersfoort), Rhodesia , New Zealand and Australia .

A test car from "The Motor" magazine reached a top speed of 123 km / h in 1959 and accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 25.6 seconds. The fuel consumption was 9.11 l / 100 km. The price of the test car, including taxes, was £ 991. A total of 24,579 copies of the Wolseley 15/60 were made. Customers also included many law enforcement agencies who preferred the Wolseley to other ADO9 versions.

Wolseley 16/60

16/60 ( ADO38 )
Wolseley 16/60
Production period:	1961-1971
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.6 liters (45 kW)
Length:	4432 mm
Width:	1613 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2546 mm
Empty weight :	1130 kg

Most of these cars remained unchanged until 1961, only the Di Tellas continued to be built for another four years. The models then got a slightly revised Farina body and were mostly renamed. They were now called Austin A60 Cambridge , MG Magnette Mk. IV , Morris Oxford VI , Riley 4/72 and Wolseley 16/60 . Most of the cars remained in production until 1968. The Wolseley did not have a rear-wheel drive successor and therefore remained until 1971.

The 16/60 models generally have a BMC-B four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 1,622 cm³. Again the Wolseley was the weakest model with 61 bhp (45 kW). A total of 63,082 Wolseley 16/60 were made.

Clubs

An enthusiastic and active owners club, the Cambridge-Oxford Owners' Club , takes care of these cars and their BMC siblings. His goal is to keep the cars running. It also offers advice, spare parts and a social forum for the owners.

literature

• Graham Robson: The Cars of BMC . Motor Racing Publications Ltd., 2nd edition 1999, ISBN 1899870415
• Michael Schäfer: Fish'n'Chips meets pasta. Wolseley 15/60. British Classic Cars, issue 3/2006, p. 84 ff.

Web links

Commons : Wolseley 15/60  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Wolseley 16/60  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Cambridge-Oxford Owners' Club (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Manwaring, LA: Observer Book of Automobiles , Frederic Warne, London 1960
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Culshaw & Horrobin: Complete Catalog of British Cars , Macmillan, London 1974, ISBN 0-333-16689-2
3. ↑ Steve Parissien: The Life of the Automobile: A New History of the Motor Car , Atlantic Books Ltd, 2013, ISBN 9781782390213 , p. 35.
4. ↑ Michael Schäfer: Fish'n'Chips meets Pasta. Wolseley 15/60. British Classic Cars, issue 3/2006, p. 88.
5. ↑ Michael Schäfer: Fish'n'Chips meets Pasta. Wolseley 15/60. British Classic Cars, issue 3/2006, p. 86.
6. ↑ The Wolseley Fiftenn-Sixty , The Motor, Issue 21 January 1959
7. ↑ Michael Schäfer: Fish'n'Chips meets Pasta. Wolseley 15/60. British Classic Cars, issue 3/2006, p. 86.