6/80 Racers

Whitsun Bank Holiday 1955

Showing an exciting degree of body roll, NNY 52 is pressed hard through a corner at Goodwood race track.

The driver appears to be a woman (apologies if it's not!) and the bonnet mascot is a leaping horse, so you might guess Pat Moss, but we think not.

Monte Carlo Rally 1951

All we know about this is that it is Blythswood Square, Glasgow, at the start of the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally, and A K Stevenson, secretary of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, starts off J L Finigan and co-driver E J Morris.

Other than providing this picture, the extensive 'Autocar' report makes no mention of the 6/80 whatsoever in any of its subsequent coverage, so we must fear the worst. We can picture the 6/80 deep in a greengrocer's shopfront at one of the Square's exits, a cascade of sprouts tumbling onto the pavement, potatoes and cauliflowers bouncing down the road...

This was in the days when the only things you needed to take part in the Monte Carlo rally were:

• your dad's car
• your passport
• a flask of tea
• a decent pair of woolly mittens
• a loud voice for shouting at foreigners

MAC 830
In Australia in the 1960s the man to beat in the 'sports sedans' was Barry Sharp, whose success was based on shoehorning big engines into cars they were never meant for. This Wolseley 6/80, which enjoyed many wins, was powered by an uprated BMC C-series engine (specifically, an Austin Healey unit). It could do a standing 1/4-mile in just over 16 seconds and was timed at 128mph.

Power output is about 160bhp and the engine features a Coventry Climax-spec cam, special forged pistons, Dufor big valves, 11.1 c/r, triple 1.5in SU carbs and a special exhaust manifold made by Barry Sharp himself.

The car is now owned by Terry Handley, and it is being restored.

Terry Writes: The Racing Wolseley 6/80 MAC830, EX Late Barry Sharp, owned by Terry Handley, is not and never was as the info on racing Wolseley page, this particular Wolseley 6/80 has always had a 6/80 engine as follows/ The Wolseley 6/80 Engine as pictured at Warwick Farm was firstly modified by Barry Sharp then by Terry Handley,produced 160 HP on Engine Dyno.
Coventry Climax Grind Cam, Special Forged Pistons, with 11-1 Comp, Special Big Valves made by Dufor, Triple 1.5" SU's, Exhaust Headers made by Barry Sharp.
The engine would spin to 8000 RPM and it stayed together.
The car was driven on the Road and would hold a Modified EH Holden of that time. 16.02 for the Standing quarter Mile and timed at 128 MPH.

The 6/80 as of May 2008 is nearly finished being restored just needing painting and refitting of the engine and driveline.

Barry Sharp had modified other Wolseley 6/80's and at least once fitted Austin Healey 6 Engines.

Regards
Terry Handley, Bathurst: tr7@spin.net.au