Wolseley

In August 1962 the Morris 1100 was launched. The range was expanded to include several rebadged versions: the MG 1100 (September 1962), the Austin 1100 (August 1963), the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 (October 1963) and finally the Wolseley 1100 and Riley Kestrel (September 1965). Code named ADO16 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project 16), the car was designed by Alec Issigonis. Following his success with the Mini, Issigonis set out to design a larger and more sophisticated car which incorporated more advanced features and innovations. Pininfarina, the Italian styling studio that had worked with BMC before on the Austin A40 Farina, was commissioned to style the car. The original models were distinctive for their use of a Hydrolastic suspension, inspired by the mechanically interconnected Citroen 2CV suspension. It was a highly succesful model, with 2.1 million units sold. In the UK it was the best-selling car from 1963 to 1966 and from 1968 to 1971.

See also: Austin 1100, 1300 / MG 1100, 1300 / Morris 1100, 1300 / Vanden Plas Princess

At the end of May 1967, BMC announced the fitting of a larger 1,275cc engine to the MG, Riley, Vanden Plas and Wolseley variants. The new car combined the 1,275c engine already familiar to drivers of the Mini Cooper S and Austin-Healey Sprite models with the 1100 transmission. Unusually for cars at this end of the market, domestic market waiting lists of several months accumulated for the 1300-engined cars during the closing months of 1967 and well into 1968.

Mark II versions of the MG, Riley, Vanden Plas and Wolseley were introduced in October 1968. The car received a boost in performance to 65 bhp and an all synchromesh gearbox.