1969 WOLSELEY 1300 MARK II - 24K MILES FROM NEW, 1 FAMILY OWNED, ORIGINAL

In April. 1969 (47 years ago). Mrs Lily Gwendoline  Lowen of Golden Sands. Padstow. Cornwall purchased this Wolseley 1300 Mark II from her local dealer. She tootled about here and there. largely to the shops so I am told. before passing away in 1991. She then left the car to her nephew who. in turn. recently sold it to me. From new. it has covered a mere  24. 00 miles. And. when looking at the original BMC Passport to Service booklet. I notice that Mrs Lowen had covered just 11. 00 miles after ten years of ownership. Since 1991. her nephew has barely used it but has kept it tested and garage stored.

To turn up such a low mileage Wolseley 1300 is pretty damned rare. and so I will tell you what I can about it. Firstly. it is original. Now by that I mean to say that it has never been painted. The coachwork is undoubtedly the factory paintwork and you simply cannot replicate originality! The fine old girl has weathered slightly. mainly to her door bottoms although the "blebbing" to the paintwork has been made to look worse than it is due to the 2nd owner treating it with a rust preventative. Its probably done its job and stopped any progression and thus there are no holes and everything would sand down smoothly. But there is a sort of white look to said areas due to the product which has quite clearly been applied. I can notice just one small repair on the entire car and that is at the front of the nearside sill. Again. that can be left in situ and would flatten down easily enough.

Her interior is delightful and I would not be surprised if the light blue carpets were. in fact. the originals. The wooden dash is in super order as are the door cards and of course the seats themselves.

Now. when you look into the areas which have normally taken a hammering on these vehicles. what you see is total rot-free originality. By that I mean inside the front door pillars when the doors are wide open. Likewise. inside the rear doors when they are open. Those curved wheel arch areas which you step over the climb into the rear are perfect. The boot floor is original and perfect. The engine bay. though not cleaned up. still reveals all the original spot welds that run down the inner rain channels.

So what you lose on the roundabouts you gain on the swings. It has not been given a quick flash over with paint and the cosmetic imperfections are practically to be expected. But you have a Wolseley with less than 25. 00 miles on the clock (and it drives beautifully by the way with its 1275cc twin carb unit) and a history that tells us that it has been owned by aunt and nephew from new.

All right. paint it if you wish. That's no big deal. And then she will be worth twice as much as I am expecting to get for her!  A genuine. original and unmolested classic is what we have here. It deserves a loving home.

Oh. and in the glove box sits a tiny brown envelope with the original RAC telephone box key. You won't be using that - but it's a nice touch!

I accept all major debit/credit cards and a ten per cent deposit is required at the point of sale with the balance due within three days. I can also assist with delivery and so please ask for a quote. Thanks. Martin (07595-020282).

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