1934 Wolseley 9 Sliding Head

First registered:     1934
VIN Chassis Number: 2684112

This charming little Wolseley 9 in a lovely deep burgundy and black combination has an absolutely cracking interior, with soft leather pneumatic upholstery, and including a refurbished roof lining. All the interior fittings and lights are in perfect working order, right down to the quirky interior features, such as the unusual instrument panel. It has undergone a full engine rebuild and the car pulls very strongly, and when they launched these were quoted as being capable of 59mph. The car has a brand new dynamo and fuel pump.

The Wolsely 9 was marketed as a state-of-the-art luxury car. It's easiest to let them do the talking. In the brochure detailing the car's "salient features", the manufacturers proudly tell of the car's 'new type clutch...anti-friction withdrawal race...cushioned disc to take up the drive smoothly...the four-speed synchromesh gearbox...double-helical constant mesh and 3rd gear ensure perfect silence in 3rd and 4th gears with silent and foolproof gearchanging at any car speed, without any necessity for double-declutching...automatic ignition control...hydraulic brakes...large diameter steering wheel features flexible steel spring spikes to eliminate all steering shocks and to render the steering delightfully vibration-free."

Other important points include the electric windscreen wiper and trafficators, and 12V lighting and starting electrics, again ahead of its time.

This Wolseley also has a couple of special features which for us really set it head and shoulders above most cars from this era. The first is dip-and-switch headlights, electrically operated by a foot control. But best of all is a feature which has only in recent years reached the mainstream, and which the brochure says is "fascinating in its simplicity" - pedomatic starting, whereby "you switch on, and the engine starts at the first touch of the accelerator pedal...A great advantage of this arrangement is that should you accidentally stall the engine, even without being aware of it, it starts up again automatically as soon as you accelerate.

The coachwork remains in excellent order, with fine chromework and rubber trim, and the running boards and flared wheel arches are solid and with a deep jet black shine, setting off the rest of the car. Such features as the front-opening windscreen add to the enjoyment of the car.

A binder of receipts and paperwork and original marketing booklets and manuals in superb order accompanies this attractive and well-appointed luxury vehicle. Only 7000 or so of these Wolseley 9s were ever built, and naturally very few have survived, making this quite a rare car. As the front page of Wolseley's internal dealership brochure says, "Every 1934 Wolseley is a 'Special Feature' car."

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