Wolseley Motor Car In British India Era, 1911 Newspaper Page
A page from The Illustrated London News of March 18, 1911, shows a Wolseley Motor Car in British India. The Wolseley was once a prolific car used across colonial India. It was more of an upper-middle-class vehicle than a luxury car. The Wolseley first began commercial production in 1901.
It became one of the largest-selling motor vehicles in Britain. Over-expansion and an excessively wide range of models, in fact, put them in financial hardship. By 1927, it was sold to Morris Motors Limited. The car became a favorite with British Indians until the early 1950s, when the import of all foreign cars was discontinued. Because of a “make it in India” policy at that time.
India gave more importance to indigenously manufactured products than to imported ones. In the news picture, the Wolseley tourer is shown along with a bullock cart; the caption mentions “Vehicular Progression Ancient And Modern.” Today, the Wolseley is a vintage collector’s dream car. On the adjacent sides are two interesting pictures of two early aircraft from 1911. The first successful airplane flight took place in the USA in 1903. Which was only 11 years back from the date of this newspaper. Click image to enlarge.
Read more Nehru & the Story of Indian Automobiles.
Did you know- the India-made Standard Herald was once the sports car that youngsters gushed over in the 1970s-80s.
