Wolseley 4/50
The Wolseley 4/50 and similar 6/80 were Wolseley Motors' first post-war automobiles. They were put into production in 1948 and were based on the Morris Oxford MO and the Morris Six MS respectively. The 4-cylinder 4/50 used a 1476 cc version of the 6/80 engine, while the 6/80 used a 2215 cc straight-6 single overhead cam.
The cars featured a round Morris rear end and upright Wolseley grille and were used extensively by the police at the time – the 6/80 particularly.
These models were built at Morris's Cowley factory alongside the Oxford. They were replaced in 1953 and 1954 by the Wolseley 4/44 and 6/90.
Wolseley 4/50
A 4/50 tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0- in 30.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £703 including taxes.Sales volumes were only a third those of the car's six-cylinder sibling. The car was regarded as heavy, with "good use of the excellent gear-box" being needed to maintain a respectable pace. The Wolseley 4/50 was more upmarket and expensive than the Morris Oxford MO. The engine used was a 4-cylinder version of the 6/80. The pistons and doors were of very few common parts used in this range of cars. The snub-nose styling distinguishes it from the long elegant bonnet of the 6/80 re.
Wolseley 6/80
To accommodate its larger six-cylinder engine, the 6/80 was longer than the 4/50. It also had larger brakes with drums compared with the ones of the 4/50.A 6/80 tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1951 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 21.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £767 including taxes. An Autocar magazine road test of an apparently similar car managed a top speed of only and slightly slower acceleration on a windy day a couple of years earlier. The testers noted that "in keeping with policy which has much to commend it to a discerning motorist, the Wolseley is quite high geared", which made for relaxed cruising at speed, but a more urgent driving style involved extensive use of the gearbox. Standard equipment included a heater, a rear window blind and "twin roof lamps in the rear compartment".
A second-hand car review published in England in 1960 observed that "even the most junior member of the family" would recognise the Wolseley 6/80 as the "Cops' Car" both on television, and on the streets. The car was reckoned to offer a good power-to-weight ratio in combination with steering and suspension sufficiently robust to permit it to be "thrown around without detriment to the car and with little discomfort to the occupants".