One of the ancient marques of motoring, Vauxhall’s history can be traced back to 1857, when Scottish engineer Alexander Wilson established a firm specializing in marine engines at the Vauxhall Iron Works. The first automobile to bear the Vauxhall name arrived in 1903; by the end of the decade, the firm was building a series of sporting models designed by a brilliant young engineer named Laurence Pomeroy. The most famous of these was the incomparable 30-98, which soon earned a reputation as England’s finest high-performance car. In 1922, Vauxhall comprehensively redesigned and updated the original E-Type 30-98, with the new cars renamed OE-Type. In all, just 313 examples of the revised overhead-valve OE-Type chassis were built, of which approximately 12 were delivered with the extremely sporting and elegant Wensum coachwork. This 30-98, chassis OE183, was completed in November 1924, originally fitted with engine OE178 (later replaced with OE148) and Wensum coachwork.

It also features the prettier “low radiator” design that distinguishes the earlier OE-Type models. First sold to John Black Esq. of Sussex, the Vauxhall remained in the hands of its original owner until the late 1950s, when it was sold to well-known sportsman Jack Broadhead. Completely restored in his ownership, the Wensum repeatedly won the VSCC Oulton Park Concours and was featured in the Profile Publications issue on the Vauxhall 30-98. Later owned by famed collector Reg Parker and described by historian Nic Portway as an “exemplary Wensum,” OE183 is arguably the finest surviving example of the legendary OE-Type 30-98.

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