Norton's Log - Diary of a Wolseley Hornet Special

We've all seen cars advertised with the phrase 'full service history', but we bet you've never seen anything like this before.

From the moment he ordered his new Wolseley Hornet Special in 1932, to the time he traded it in for an MG P-Type two years later, young enthusiast and amateur racing driver Norton Bracey kept meticulous records of every service, repair and new part fitted by his local Wolseley agent, Weybridge Automobiles Ltd of Surrey.

Living close to the Brooklands circuit, it was natural that young Norton would compete there in his sporting Hornet. He entered time trials and tests here, and all over the country, each time recording his race number, his times and any awards won in a competition diary. These carefully preserved documents must be among the most comprehensive for any 1930s competition car, covering Bracey's ownership period right down to the last oil change.

When this paperwork came to light in the late '90s, it was assumed that the car itself was long since scrapped. Another decade passed before it was discovered, quite by chance, in a dilapidated state, having been off the road since 1962. Over the last few years the car has been comprehensively rebuilt by the current owner and has now returned to compete several times at Brooklands.

You can read the full story in the latest issue of The Automobile, which is out now.