Morris Minor Owners Club

I have been very interested in the history of the morris Minor ever since I owned one and the more I read into it the more I find!

Issigonis was clearly an increadle person and I never knew how close the Morris Minor came to being dropped!

But what I was wondering is, Has anyone tried to use a series MM and try to recreate the ORGINAL Mosquito that was 4inches tinner, lights under the grill etc...

Or has anyone had the ability and equiptment to build the legendary flat 4 engine that could have made the Morris Minor into an even bigger hit?

AndrewSkinner wrote:Or has anyone had the ability and equiptment to build the legendary flat 4 engine that could have made the Morris Minor into an even bigger hit?

I think Youngun said he has a spare one in his garage (it was used in the Jowett Javelin).

So from what I have heard on the internet, Will the Flat Four engine fit back into the morris again with little modifications? And will it fit into a morris that is 4inches thinner?

What has happened to the original Mosquito prototype? Is it in a museum?

The original Mosquito would be nice to see - but I fear it was scrapped. The engine wasn't a Jowett unit - although that is a flat four. But so is a Subaru engine - now that could be interesting - with the 4 wheel drive and turbo!!

AndrewSkinner wrote: Has anyone tried to use a series MM and try to recreate the ORGINAL Mosquito that was 4inches tinner, lights under the grill etc...

What a BRILLIANT idea - would love to see that

I believe that someone is doing exactly this, but I could be wrong.

I hope that whoever does this is a very skilled metalworker and knows exactly what they are doing or they could end up with a dangerous vehicle or at the very least needlessly wreck a rare classic! Its not as simple as cut 4" out and weld it back together!

Wow! that'd be a job in a half!
You'd need to cut the entire car in half twice top to tail. Not impossible but a little mad to be fair!
I say twice as you'd have to cut it each side of the middle and move each side inwards by the same amount. Cutting it straight down the middle would cause no end of trouble with the trans & dash!

I,m sure I,ve seen one that had been widened! by ten inches somewhere recently, a white saloon, Ive never noticed but the compound curve in the roof has a definate flat spot in the middle, which would make the sectioning easier! minors are a nightmare to chop properly.

chickenjohn wrote:I hope that whoever does this is a very skilled metalworker and knows exactly what they are doing or they could end up with a dangerous vehicle or at the very least needlessly wreck a rare classic! Its not as simple as cut 4" out and weld it back together!

Doesn't this go for all modified/customised Minors, whether they be MM's, Series II's or 1000's

Judge wrote:

chickenjohn wrote:I hope that whoever does this is a very skilled metalworker and knows exactly what they are doing or they could end up with a dangerous vehicle or at the very least needlessly wreck a rare classic! Its not as simple as cut 4" out and weld it back together!

Doesn't this go for all modified/customised Minors, whether they be MM's, Series II's or 1000's

Yes!

I've seen somewhere, either in a magazine or a web site, about a Minor that had been fitted with an aircooled VW engine.
I seem to remember it had a gearbox out of a WWII 4x4 Schwimmerwagen with the drive that normally would have gone to the front wheels then going to rear of the Minor.

Paul Humphries

Doesn't this go for all modified/customised Minors, whether they be MM's, Series II's or 1000's

nope - series 2's are still regularly scrapped due to the lack of people interested in restoring them, and tatty Minor 1000's are often given away free due to the abundance of them compared to the amount of people who want one
MM's do seem pretty rare, but is that because so many 'project cars' are languishing unloved in garages and sheds round the world? If someone modifies a car to USE it, then at least it's another one on the road instead of gathering dust.
I think it's rude to criticise someone for modding a car to use it - and equally I'd defend anyone for having a concours car that can't be used as a daily driver.

There was a widened Minor at the 2006 national - although I didn't like it, the owner did and he won best custom. Good for him.

I think you may have misunderstood my meaning Ray, and the original comment

What final gearbox would the mosquito of had IF the flat four engine was used? Is it the same as in the Jowett Javelin?

It would be increadible to be able to unearth the history of that mosquito prototype and find out where it actualy went? wether it be scrapped? in a musuem? in someones garage hidden away? who knows?

nope - series 2's are still regularly scrapped due to the lack of people interested in restoring them

I love the old series 2! I would save them all if I could. Unfortunately financial position and world location mean I can't really save any of them... A fifteen year-old living in America. Hm.
I agree with Ray on the subject of modding and using, and equally on concours cars- even though he might have committed a slight misunderstanding, a very important point has come out of it.

i know one minor was fitted with a flat four, but it was an early 1000

steve do you have a web address or pics/drawings of that car? was it the Flat Four that was made for the morris originaly?

AndrewSkinner wrote: It would be increadible to be able to unearth the history of that mosquito prototype and find out where it actualy went? wether it be scrapped? in a musuem? in someones garage hidden away? who knows?

I believe there were originally 8 mosqito prototypes made(7 saloons, 1 tourer), one of them was cut in half to work out how much they should widen it by, but surely at least 1 of the other 7 must still be around

The flat 4 was never made, and so never fitted. The Mosquito ran 800 and 1100 side valves through a 3 speed column change 'box. See Paul Skilleter's 'Morris Minor, the world's aupreme small car'.