1975 WOLSELEY 2200 ‘WEDGE’
Nick looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, the Wolseley 2200 that has just re-surfaced after spending 23 years ‘lost’ in a Carlisle lock-up
hugely spacious interior, cosseted on the finest velour the 1970s could muster as you keep well up with modern (and inferior) traffic. The car itself proved to be totally reliable and ran beautifully once a tune-up revealed the ignition needed to be retarded and it had the wrong spark plugs. Otherwise, it never missed a beat.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
I absolutely loved it. It featured regularly in Popular Classics magazine, starred at the Bromley Pageant and even appeared on the cover of an Australian magazine, all of which helped to promote the Wedge cause. Unfortunately, I was hit by one of my sporadic financial crises having just bought a house and a Hartlepool Transport Bristol RE bus in addition to various other financial demands. Though the Wedge’s bodywork was in really good condition it needed a lower half re-spray so I decided that it should go to someone who could afford it. In the end, it went to a buyer from Carlisle but I never heard anything again despite my greatest efforts and appeals in print. However, the owner’s widow contacted the Leyland Princess Enthusiasts’ Club just last month asking if anyone would like to buy the car, which had been in a lock-up since 1999. The club’s Kev Davis took the car on and is now recommissioning it. The Wedge could not have gone to a better home and I am looking forward to being reunited with the car… which did get its re-spray in the end!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
Wedges are now rare, with early Morris, Austin and Wolseley models especially in penny numbers. You must join the club (Leylandprincess.co.uk), which is a true hive of Wedge expertise, enthusiasm and spares. Its members are positively obsessed as far as locating survivors is concerned. The cars are easy to work on, with loads of space beneath the bonnet and the engines are the unburstable B-series, the E-series from the Maxi and the later O-series. Check the bodywork thoroughly, from the air intake behind the front number plate to the bottom of the front wings, the footwells, door bottoms (especially the corners), the sills (especially where they meet the rear arches) and the area around the rear suspension mounts. A deflatedlooking Wedge may need its Hydragas suspension pumping up (some local garages can still do this or you can buy a pump yourself) or new displacers, which are still available. Check the condition of the driveshafts, too. Gearchanges are usually a bit notchy and most Wedges didn’t have power steering. Other than that, your biggest challenge is probably going to be actually finding one.