This Wolseley 14/60 was bought by my great grandfather in England and then shipped to Varanasi (India) in 1947. It served him faithfully for years to come and has been in the family since then. My father has seen this car during its glorious days and also enjoyed traveling in it standing on the front seat with his head out of the sunroof.
In 1991, when our ancestral property in Varanasi was being sold, this car was also destined to be sold. However, there were no buyers giving the true value for it. The Wolseley had been grounded for approximately two decades and wasn't in working condition. When this happened, I was asked whether I would like to have the car and preserve it. I more than happily accepted the proposal. Subsequently, it was brought to Calcutta in a truck and as luck would have it, it arrived on my birthday. Unloading the car from the truck was a tough job but we somehow managed to do it successfully after a few hiccups. The condition of the car was evaluated. It was not in a very good shape. Many parts of the car were either missing or damaged. Unfortunately, the Wolseley Motor Company had wound up operations in 1975 and that made it very difficult to source spares. I had to get most of the parts fabricated in the workshop and also found a few from old car shops. The car was brought back to running condition by the end of the initial six months taking care that originality is maintained. I remember taking my family out for dinner to The Taj hotel in this car on the occasion of my father's birthday in September 1991. Interestingly, the original Wolseley logo was gifted to me by a spectator at the 1993 Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally. My Wolseley community friends were also of great help to me.
Since 1993, it has taken part in the Vintage and Classic car rallies/shows held in Calcutta and has won multiple trophies. Some of the accolades are the prestigious Statesman Cup, trophy for Best Overall Performance (maintenance & road section) by a British car, trophy for Best Performance by a Classic Car in the Road Section, the Preservation Cup and more trophies for maintenance and performance on the road section (Pictures can be viewed by going to the 'Photos' section of this website).
In February 2003, this Wolseley had struck stardom when Mr Shyam Benegal (a renowned film director of international fame) used it in one of his movies on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (an Indian freedom fighter). The car went for shooting to various locations and studios in and around Calcutta. An article published in one of our leading dailies can be found at:
www.telegraphindia.com/1030206/asp/calcutta/story_1642719.asp#
In 1991, when our ancestral property in Varanasi was being sold, this car was also destined to be sold. However, there were no buyers giving the true value for it. The Wolseley had been grounded for approximately two decades and wasn't in working condition. When this happened, I was asked whether I would like to have the car and preserve it. I more than happily accepted the proposal. Subsequently, it was brought to Calcutta in a truck and as luck would have it, it arrived on my birthday. Unloading the car from the truck was a tough job but we somehow managed to do it successfully after a few hiccups. The condition of the car was evaluated. It was not in a very good shape. Many parts of the car were either missing or damaged. Unfortunately, the Wolseley Motor Company had wound up operations in 1975 and that made it very difficult to source spares. I had to get most of the parts fabricated in the workshop and also found a few from old car shops. The car was brought back to running condition by the end of the initial six months taking care that originality is maintained. I remember taking my family out for dinner to The Taj hotel in this car on the occasion of my father's birthday in September 1991. Interestingly, the original Wolseley logo was gifted to me by a spectator at the 1993 Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally. My Wolseley community friends were also of great help to me.
Since 1993, it has taken part in the Vintage and Classic car rallies/shows held in Calcutta and has won multiple trophies. Some of the accolades are the prestigious Statesman Cup, trophy for Best Overall Performance (maintenance & road section) by a British car, trophy for Best Performance by a Classic Car in the Road Section, the Preservation Cup and more trophies for maintenance and performance on the road section (Pictures can be viewed by going to the 'Photos' section of this website).
In February 2003, this Wolseley had struck stardom when Mr Shyam Benegal (a renowned film director of international fame) used it in one of his movies on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (an Indian freedom fighter). The car went for shooting to various locations and studios in and around Calcutta. An article published in one of our leading dailies can be found at:
www.telegraphindia.com/1030206/asp/calcutta/story_1642719.asp#