Series III 12hp
Agatha's Story
My first encounter with Agatha was at the impressionable age of 12 when on a visit back to my prep school I first spied her across the front driveway. Even then she had reached the mature age 19 and no she wasn't the Matron, she was in fact a very somber looking and straight laced Series 3 Wolseley 12/48 of 1946 vintage.
She had been given to the Headmaster by an old friend when she gave up driving. Agatha (the name by which she was known by her first owner) became the 'school car' and was used daily by the staff. In the days of 60's look alike styling Agatha had that something that caught my imagination.
Time passed and in 1968, again on a visit back to the school I saw that Agatha had been put to the back of the tractor shed. It seemed that she was awaiting being collected by the local garage to be taken away for scrap having been traded in against a new Hillman Hunter. Sacrilege thought I, so at the age of 17 I found I had purchased my first car for the princely sum of £50.
Agatha was in full running order though looking a little tatty round the edges so I ran her as my daily transport for several years during which time I took her to Holland and Germany twice. Admittedly on the second trip she blew a head gasket but having a spare set on board was only a 50 minute job to put a new one on and get going again. Perhaps I can now admit that the underfloor battery box was a very good place to store cigars on the return trip.
It wasn't long before the first company car came along so Agatha went in the garage in 1972 as a project to be worked on in a year or two. Well 40 years, marriage, two children and three house moves later I decided that it really was time to get round to giving the old girl a facelift.
In 2003 I took her to Mike Fisher of Walberswick, close to where I live on the Suffolk coast. Mike is an MG specialist operating out of a traditional small village street garage and an expert mechanical restorer. First out was the engine and gear box. Even though she had only covered a genuine 67000 miles in her life I felt it was best to have the engine stripped and rebuild with new bearings reground crank, rebored, new pistons etc, etc and of unleaded at the same time. It took over six months for the engine to come back but what a beauty it was.
Mike also overhauled the brakes, axles, fitted a new clutch and all the usual paraphernalia, I decided that having spent a not inconsiderable sum so far that it would be a shame to see it all go up in smoke so a new wiring loom was fabricated and fitted.
Work was being carried out at convenient times, so was taking perhaps a little longer than it should have. Whilst the mechanical renovation was going on I was scouring magazines, the internet, eBay (god bless it) and any other source for parts that were either beyond repair (running boards) or missing altogether (traffic indicators). New original pattern Avon tyres and a new exhaust pipe were found after a little bit of searching.
Finally the mechanics were done and it was time to bring her home. To fire her up for the first time in 40 years was exciting to say the least and yes with a bit of choke she did go first time sop well had the engine been set up by Mike. She drove home beautifully if a little more erratically than my Mercedes C Class!
Time wise we had now got to the autumn of 2006. I had been pointed in the direction of a traditional coachbuilder/paint sprayer by the name of Eric Sedgewick (he owns two Riley RMEs) who agreed to postpone his retirement to strip Agatha down to her frame and respray her original black cellulose. Before he could start it was necessary to repair the ravages of the dreaded rust moth which became apparent when the rear wings were taken off and to rebuild a pair of 10/40 running boards, which I had found on a foray to Birmingham, to fit. Craftsmen cannot be rushed but the end result was well worth the 9 month process.
Whilst in the body shop many pieces of chrome were sent off and duly came back as bright shiny things ready to be fitted back in place. I wont' say that the end was in sight because you never ever finish restoring a car, there is always something to tinker with. However Agatha was now looking something like she would have done some 60 years previously.
Attention was turned to opening up the Webasto sunroof that had been sealed in the 1950's. Another expert craftsman, coach trimmer Max Creasy of Ipswich rebuilt the partly rotted frame and re trimmed the sunroof ready to drop back into the car. Another very difficult job done by a true professional to a superb standard. Whilst this was going on I was busy refinishing the woodwork, getting the recalcitrant fuel gauge to work and trying to source carpet materiel. Once again a quick search round the good old internet web thingy lead me straight to the website of Coverdale Carpets. Brilliant service. One phone call established that they had patterns for a series 2 12/48 and they would cut a set and send them down for me to try out. They arrive first class next morning!! Having put new floor boards in during the renovation I was pretty sure the seat runners would not be in exactly the right place. So it turned out but after a few amendments to the patterns I sent them back to Coverdale with an order. 10 days and about £110 later I had a set of the most superb leather edged carpets you could wish for. Isn't it a shame that one doesn't get that sort of service from everyone.
Anyway all is very nearly complete. All I have to do now is polish from time to time, tinker when I feel like it and take her out (dry days only of course) for a pootle round the country lane and to the odd show etc.
What did it all cost I hear you ask, well and I hope my wife never reads this, a heck of a lot more than she thinks.
Was it worth it - Very definitely - Yes. Agatha is now back in her prime and admired wherever she goes and her next starring role will be at my sons' wedding in August.
Chris Burrell-Saward, Suffolk: cbs@flickandson.co.uk
