1921 Wolseley 10 E3 Tourer
SOLD
Wolseley 10 E3 Two Seat Tourer
1921 | Two Seat Tourer with Dickey Seat | 1,267cc OHV | 3-speed | Bronze Green | SU carburettor
Equipment:
E3 series 2 seat tourer with dicky seat. 1,267cc OHV engine with 3spd manual transmission. Upgraded SU carburettor. 710 x 90 beaded-edge tyres. 12V electrics. Flashing indicators and additional tail lamps for safety. Folding hood complete with side screens. Various bits of history on file including buff logbook. Registered on 25th October 1921 in Warwick.
Description:
Britain's biggest motorcar manufacturer at the outbreak of WWI, Wolseley built Hispano-Suiza aero engines under licence during the hostilities before developing its own designs. Part of the Vickers Group, it did not want for funds and was able to unveil three new models of 10hp, 15hp and 20hp at the Olympia Motor Show during November 1919. Replacing the Pre-World War 1 E2 Stellite in 1920, the newly designed 10hp E3 and larger 15hp A9 both featured cutting-edge advances, with their overhead camshaft engines and electric starters. The E3 was driven through a three-speed plus reverse manual gearbox, and is quoted with a top speed of 54mph. A streamlined racer based on the Ten set 10 new records at Brooklands when the car ran for some 6 hours covering a distance of 514 miles at an average of just over 81 mph! The ‘Ten’ was offered in two or four seat configurations, with hard or ‘drop head’ rooves on the same basic chassis.
This little Wolseley, affectionately named ‘Nelly’, is a 1921 Two Seat Tourer which also features a single ‘dicky seat’ in the boot for carrying an extra passenger. She also has the standard features of electric start, 3-speed transmission and an overhead camshaft engine, which was very advanced at the time for a small motorcar. A distributors plaque affixed to the dash shows that it was originally supplied by FJ Crowhurst & Co. of Chippenham, and was first registered with the Warwickshire-issued number NX 1040 in October 1921. A buff logbook shows that by 1926 it was owned by a Mr Slatter of Stratford who moved south to Cambridge in about 1954. Shortly after this move, it was acquired by the Sharpe family to join their large and well-known collection of very original vintage cars.
50 years later, the collection was dispersed at a Christie’s in 2005 where it was acquired by a chap in Essex, the invoice showing that he paid £10,850. He fully recommissioned the Wolseley and fitted a new tyres and enjoyed it for the next 17 years, attending many shows and rallies. He also made a couple of minor modifications to the vehicle to improve driveability, including fitting an electric water pump and an SU carb in place of the original Zenith (which is included with the car). It also has some concessions to safety including a fuse box, an additional rear tail lamp (with brake light filaments in both), plus a pair of rear flashing indicators (in vintage housings) – The front indicators are a secondary filament in the front sidelamps.
Past MOTs show that the motorcar did about 3,000 miles during his ownership. The odometer currently showing 28,563 miles, which could well be correct, given that the car spent some 50 years on static display in the Sharpe Collection, but we can’t verify this for certain. More recently, another more local owner purchased Nelly in 2022 to join his small collection of original Vintage motors and was very lightly used since. He then sold the car via auction in late 2025 – The gentleman we acquired the car from had dreams of competing in VSCC car trials, however health issues soon caused him to decide it wasn’t a great idea!
Since the car hasn’t been used much in recent years, we have undertaken some light recommissioning work including changing all the oils (including the wet disc clutch), coolant, new spark plugs and greasing/oiling all the lubrication points. Turning on the fuel, flicking the magneto switch on, pulling out the choke and pressing down on the starter pedal by your heel, the little OHV engine fires straight into life. The engine could be said to be a bit past its youth now (we don’t think it’s really been apart!) so could probably do with a little bit of extra work to run a bit smoother, but good oil pressure shows and oil doesn’t disappear to quickly. Underway it pulls nicely and all three gears select correctly once you’ve got the ‘knack’ of double-declutching! A cruising speed of roughly 35mph is obtainable but it could do a perhaps nearer 45 if you were feeling more like Toad of Toad Hall! The cable operated rear brakes pull you up to a stop as they should do, and the steering is still nice and direct.
Externally, the car appears to be very original. The paintwork obviously shows quite a bit of ‘wear’ and there are a few marks/scratches etc (the worst is probably on the front wings where the bonnet has been lifted across them, and some areas on the edges where the paint has chipped off and touched in), but overall is in remarkable condition! The leather seat is certainly very old and has torn on the front edge of the cushion where the springs are, but definitely suits the patina and age of the car. The dicky seat (aka ‘mother-in-law’ seat!) is also aged but is in better condition due to being hidden away under the boot lid – it still makes for a thrilling ride for your friends! All the electrics work including all the lamps, electric horn and dynamo, the clock on the dash and oil pressure gauge work but the speedometer reads a bit slow.
All in all, this is a fantastic, well-loved little motor car that is absolutely ready to be preserved, enjoyed and improved and is certainly something a little different to the norm in the vintage car world. We’ve had great fun driving it around the local lanes and have also taken it on the local Christmas Lights vehicle run (which it drew much attention!), so if you’re interested, please get in touch - we’d be happy to help!
Price: £8,450
Please note, due to the age and nature of this vintage motorcar, we are unable to offer a warranty on this vehicle.