Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf (1961–1969)

The Elf and Hornet both shared a distinctive, "long-tailed" body shell which had special front panels to accommodate the two marques traditional, up-right grilles. The longer tail incorporated extended rear wings (with upright tail lamps and "fins") which provided a much larger boot area with a top hinged boot lid.

MKI Hornets were powered by the standard Mini 848cc A-Series engine which seemed slightly underpowered towards the end of the models life. Hornets were well equipped, the interior featuring extra sound proofing, quality seat coverings and Cooper instruments mounted in a walnut centre panel.

Built as more luxurious versions of the Mini, both the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf had longer, slightly finned rear wings and larger boots that gave the cars a more traditional “notchback” look. Front-end treatment, which incorporated each marque’s traditional upright grille design, also contributed to a less utilitarian appearance. The cars had larger-diameter chrome hubcaps than the Austin and Morris Minis, also additional chrome accents, bumper over riders and wood-veneer dashboards. The Riley was the more expensive version of the two cars. The name "Wolseley Hornet" was first used on a 1930s sports car, while the name "Elf" recalled the Riley Sprite and Imp sports cars, also of the 1930s. The full width dashboard was a differentiator between the Elf and Hornet. This better dashboard was the idea of Christopher Milner the Sales Manager for Riley.

Both cars went through three versions. Initially, they used the 848 cc engine, changing to a single carburetor version of the Cooper's 998 cc power unit in the Mark II in 1963. The MKIII facelift of 1966 brought wind-up windows and fresh-air fascia vents; also concealed door hinges two years before these were seen on the mainstream Mini. 30,912 Riley Elfs and 28,455 Wolseley Hornets were built.