Testing the 1933 Wolseley Hornet Saloon

Back in 1933 the new Wolseley Hornet cost a little under £200. Before you get all misty eyed, that was the average annual salary in the UK at the time. Today an average salary is around £30,000, which would get you a new Audi A3.

Like the Audi, the Hornet came in various shapes and styles, including four-door saloon, with bodies made of metal or fabric, two-door sports car or a coupe. You could even order from the Birmingham manufacturer a car with a bare chassis so you could go out and have some coach-built body panels applied as you wished. That doesn’t seem to be an option in the latest Audi catalogue.

In February 1933 Autocar Magazine got hold of the latest model to test, a four-door saloon with factory coachbuilt body. We may as well get this out of the way early. The journalist of the day was impressed by its character and charm. Casting about, he coined a word for it: ‘carsonality’. We’ll pause briefly there in silence while that hideous word goes off and quietly dies.

The Hornet was neither big nor heavy, standing on a wheelbase of 7ft 6.5ins. It was powered by a six-cylinder engine with overhead valves and a chain-driven camshaft. While that sounds promising, the power output of 12hp indicates it was a good thing it wasn’t a big car.

The four-speed gearbox was praised for its spread of cogs, offering progress that was ‘quiet at speeds and decidedly smooth. There is no fussiness with it and no sense of effort.’

Indeed, the tester reached the heady heights of 60mph over a timed mile and accelerated from 10mph to 30mph in just eight seconds, all in second gear. Remember there was no syncromesh, so a smooth gearbox was a boon when you had to double-declutch between shifts.

The light weight and lack of bulk meant the Hornet was an easy car to drive and, with the higher gearing, one that didn’t tire you over a longer journey either. The ‘wide half-elliptical springs, which are backed up by hydraulic shock absorbers’ offered a smooth and comforting handling and ride package, while the steering meant the driver didn’t need to grip the wheel in consternation every time there was a camber to the road.