UK’s rarest cars: 1958 Wolseley 6/90, one of only 50 left on British roads
This handsome saloon denoted intrinsic good taste and gave owners a sense of superiority; 500 found favour with the forces of law and order
5 February 2021 • 6:00am
The Series III 6/90 cost £1,276 7s; the owner says it s “rather underpriced for what it offers”
In the late 1950s, the presence of a 6/90 Series III on a driveway was proof that its owner was a lady or gentleman of substance. Every detail, from the imposing grille to the leather upholstery, bespoke taste, dignity and looking down on anyone who drove a Vauxhall Victor. Equally importantly, with the radiator badge illuminated at night, other road users might think your Wolseley belonged to the long arm of the law.
Jan. 29, 1891: W.M. Christian advertised in The Comet for âa good load of hay or fodder.â However, no address or other contact information was provided to the reader.
Jan. 29, 1900: The Journal and Tribune, a newspaper in Knoxville and with a dateline of Johnson City, reported, âCapt. Ike T. Jobe, formerly of the United States volunteer infantry was captured at daylight at the residence of Chas. J. Faw, near Piney Flats, Sullivan county (sic), by a special government detective, and Deputy CW. McCall, of Knoxville. Jobe recently escaped from the Columbus, Ohio, jail, charged with using penalty envelopes from the war (sic) department (sic). Efforts to secure bail are being made.â
The best directors always wanted Rosalind Knight in their casts. Photograph: Simon Annand/PA
In a career stretching over seven decades, the distinctive, cut-glass character actor Rosalind Knight, who has died aged 87, renewed her TV profile with younger audiences in two quirkily original comedy sitcoms: Jonathan Harvey’s Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999-2001) and Robert Popper’s Friday Night Dinner (in the second series, 2012).
She dressed down and mussed up her hair for Beryl Merit, a retired prostitute and landlady of the north London flat shared by Kathy Burke’s foul-mouthed Linda La Hughes and James Dreyfus’s acidulous actor; and reversed that process for Cynthia Goodman, aka “Horrible Grandma”, who aggressively stiffens the tone of the Friday night ritual hosted by her son (Paul Ritter) and his wife (Tamsin Greig).
The series of 350 special Minors were resplendent in lilac paintwork
On the 22nd of December 1960, the Morris Minor became the UK’s first car to sell one million units. To celebrate this momentous day, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) commissioned the nation’s first limited-edition model. 1 MHU, owned by Mike Alford, is the actual chassis number 1,000,000 and is resplendent in its ivory leather upholstery and black carpeting. Not to mention its eye-catching lilac paint scheme.
In the early 1960s, many Britons regarded such a colour scheme as bold, if not downright outrageous. The likes of the Ford Zodiac Mk2 and the Vauxhall Cresta PA might have indulged in such flamboyance, but the Minor was the epitome of all that was decent and sober.
Groundhog Day (1993) ★★★
Grown Ups (2010) ★
Paramount Thur. 10:30 a.m.
Paramount Thur. 6 p.m.
TCM Sat. 3:45 a.m.
Advertisement
EPIX Mon. 6:05 p.m.
Happy Feet (2006) ★★★
BBC America Wed. 12:04 p.m.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) ★★★
USA Fri. 11:55 a.m.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) ★★★
Syfy Wed. 8 p.m.
USA Fri. 6:35 p.m.
USA Sat. 2:10 p.m.
Advertisement
Syfy Thur. 2:28 p.m.
USA Sat. 8:30 p.m.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) ★★★
Syfy Wed. 11:29 p.m.
Syfy Thur. 11:26 a.m.
USA Sat. 5:40 p.m.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) ★★★
USA Fri. 3:35 p.m.
USA Sat. 11:10 a.m.