1921 Wolseley Ten Coupe

The British manufacturer Wolseley was established in Birmingham in 1896 at the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company. That same year, General Manager Herbert Austin built the company's first three-wheeled horseless carriage. In 1900, a production version followed; it had belt and chain drive and was powered by a single horizontal water-cooled cylinder, driving the rear wheels. Austin remained with Wolseley in 1905.

By 1914, Wolseley led the United Kingdom in automobile production by building 3,000 cars.

This example is a Wolseley Ten Coupe that was built in 1921 but was not actually registered until 1923. It has a leather-covered top that features a landaulet section at the rear, which could be folded. The paint is original and the vehicle has not been operated in several years. The engine is a single overhead cam four-cylinder engine displacing 1260cc and offering 10 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2014