PROVENANCE IS EVERYTHING THIS 1958 WOLSELEY HAS IT IN SPADES Words and photos Lee Brehaut Our 1958 Wolseley 1500 (Wilma as it is known), was bought to use on Wolseley Club runs while our 6/90 Wolseley is being fully restored. It came with the original ownership papers which indicated it had been in the same family in Masterton from 1961 to 2000. We bought this car in 2016 and I have developed a strong attachment to it. Having the same car for such a long time indicated to me a similar emotional attachment by the original owner and so began my search several years ago to find the family of Myrtle Lee. I wanted them to know their old car was much loved and still on the road. My research came to a halt when I found a death notice which I felt was Myrtle’s. As time has gone by my interest in finding any relatives has been rekindled. An approach to the Wairarapa Times Age earlier this year resulted in an article being printed with a photo of the car and my email address. I F=fairly quickly received a response giving me Mrs Lee’s daughter’s name. This clue brought me to the possibility that this lady may be in a retirement home in Levin. I then emailed a number of retirement homes with as much information as I had available, including the newspaper article, asking if they had a person of this name and if so could they show her the article. Blow me down! I got a response within a couple of hours. A staff member at one of the rest homes saw my email and personally knew the Lee family and immediately alerted Mrs Lee’s granddaughter in Christchurch. Her email read “Good News! My grandmother Myrtle Lee owned your car and I still have a few old photos of it from when we were young children, as well as some stories. I will see if I can find them and send them to you. It is lovely to see the car so well loved - our Granny took such great care of it until it was sold.” Since receiving this email in March we have now travelled 1350 miles in the
Wolseley (spending only $300 on petrol), attending a bi-annual Wolseley rally in the Wairarapa. Our intention was to take a bigger car bought especially for that rally, but with unknown engine issues unable to be resolved in time, and the 6/90 project still a work in progress, it was Wilma’s time to shine. This then gave us an opportunity to meet up with Myrtle’s grandson Peter, in Masterton while on the rally, and granddaughter Julie in Christchurch on our way home to Oamaru. Between us all we now have all ownership records, a copy of the purchase docket, (bought in 1961 for £845), and early photos. We can now add photos of both grandchildren standing beside it and have heard stories of trips to the beach, picnics and memories of them travelling in their Granny’s car as children and of Grandad’s hats in the back window. We were told that over a period of time the car was garage stored and only brought out for a wash and a test drive to ensure the battery was still in good order. This being the case, we are now reasonably confident the mileage, having clicked over 100,000 miles on our trip, is original. A subsequent owner had the car reupholstered and painted in its original colour scheme. Looking into the future, the car will continue to be well loved, cared for and driven regularly for a good few years yet. From supermarket car parks and the like to sitting parked anywhere or just being driven, it draws great comments, thumbs up and waves, and reminds people of (often shared) happy memories of their own experiences with Wolseleys and in particular 1500s.
Mt Taranaki in background.
Lee and Julie Wenham.
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