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www.leylandprincess.co.uk
The
Ministerial Wolseley’s The
Labour Government, who was in power in the UK in 1975, ordered 20 black
Wolseley 2200 Automatic’s for use by government ministers for official
duties. All the Wolseley’s shared the same KYT registration letters, which
ran from 1P to 20P, and were registered in August 1975 and March 1976. These
cars appear quite often in footage of 10 Downing Street in the mid to late
‘70s.
This
particular Wolseley, KYT 5P, was registered to the Department of the
Environment from 1975 to 1982 and in the above picture, it can be seen behind
Chancellor Dennis Healey, parked at the end of Downing Street. In the other
pictures you can just see the bung on the front wing, above the bumper, which
was where a flag was displayed (does anyone know what the flag looked like?).
The official drivers shouldn’t have had much to complain about. With the super smooth straight–six 2200cc engine and a smooth automatic gearbox it was for ideal for negotiating the crowded roads of London. The interior space and comfort of the Wolseley was ideal for allowing stressed ministers to gather themselves before the next barrage of questions from the news hungry press. It is believed that all ministerial Wolseley’s were fitted with sorrel (brown) trim. It’s
easy to see why these cars were chosen for the task of ministerial transport;
they offered exactly the right amount of class, without being ostentatious.
This Wolseley now belongs to Jim Inshaw. Where are they now? Here is a list of all of the cars
registered and the dates of the last keeper change; all of these cars are
still listed by the DVLA. Have you seen one or do you know the whereabouts of
one? Email me with any information as I am keen to
find out what happened to these rare and historic Wolseley’s.
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