UK’s rarest cars: 1958 Wolseley 6/90, one of only 50 left on British roads
This handsome saloon denoted intrinsic good taste and gave owners a sense of superiority; 500 found favour with the forces of law and order
5 February 2021 • 6:00am
The Series III 6/90 cost £1,276 7s; the owner says it s “rather underpriced for what it offers”
In the late 1950s, the presence of a 6/90 Series III on a driveway was proof that its owner was a lady or gentleman of substance. Every detail, from the imposing grille to the leather upholstery, bespoke taste, dignity and looking down on anyone who drove a Vauxhall Victor. Equally importantly, with the radiator badge illuminated at night, other road users might think your Wolseley belonged to the long arm of the law.
“TBP 178F.” Keith Madeley remembers the registration of the first car he ever bought. “It was a maroon Austin 1100,” he recalls. “I was about 23 and had just passed my driving test. Bradford-born Keith had moved from his job at Bellingham in south-east London where at 21 he became Britain’s youngest station master, to work at a larger station in Orpington, Kent. “In the first few years of my career I thought I didn’t need a car - I could travel free by train, but when children came along we needed a car.” He bought the vehicle secondhand. “It had problems and broke down a lot,” he says. “I had it for about six months and then I got a Vauxhall Viva for £1,000 new - I remember the registration for that as well, SLC 184L.