Morris Minor Owners Club

Probably poking a wasps' nest with a sharp stick here, but.....

What do people consider to be the last proper Morris Minor, by which I mean Morris in the sense of company politics and design etc.?

My reckoning is that the Series II is the last real Morris in this sense because of the split windscreen, small rear window, boot lid motif, mottled steering wheel and chassis ID plate design which is basically the same as pre-war cars.

After the S.II the above distinguishing features were lost and the car became a general BMC product, with only the general body shape in common with earlier models.

I know the S.II used Austin-derived mechanical bits, so my reasoning is based purely on the fact that the car body is almost exactly the same as the Series MM.

Technically and historically, Austin were the innovative ones whilst Morris used tried-and-tested, even antiquated, technology. This distinction was maintained right until the end of the British Leyland era.

If anybody actually even cares then what say you?

Well using your logic really, surely only the series MM, as you say the s11 used austin derived bits.. However I dont think that logic really works, a minor stayed fairly true to its origins throughout production, the car was always fundamentally the same chassis/body shape and design, once they launched the full product range at least. Compare that to 'a fiesta' They are not the same car at all through the years, merely a name.. (As is the 'minor' I suppose for morris...)

JOWETTJAVELIN wrote:Probably poking a wasps' nest with a sharp stick here, but.....

Technically and historically, Austin were the innovative ones whilst Morris used tried-and-tested, even antiquated, technology. This distinction was maintained right until the end of the British Leyland era.

If anybody actually even cares then what say you?

Well, only really true from the late 60s onwards as deliberate BMC company policy as they tried to give each marque its own identity - the more 'radical' hydrolastic front drive cars tended to be Austins (Maxi, Allegro) whereas Morris was the conservative brand for the fleet buyer (Marina). Before that, you could argue that Morris was more advanced than Austin -(Minor v A30 for eg).

Issigonis was mad as hell when the lowlights had to be raised to accomodate American legislation.
So from the designers perspective that was the last of the true Minors.In my opinion he was wrong.

WRM on the other hand preferred the Morris Eight and drove one to the end of his days,if he had had his way the "poached egg" wouldnt have made it in to production.In my opinion he was wrong.

Austins late great Leonard Lord, the man who turned Morris around swore he would dismantle the Morris empire brick by brick when he left for Austin, so he would no doubt tell you the last proper Morris was the last model he helped design.
He was wrong.
Mine was the last great Morris ever built.

Issigonis was mad as hell when the lowlights had to be raised to accommodate American legislation

Quite right too, he was way ahead of the legislators, I bet modern headlights are just as low as lowlights.

MarkyB wrote:

Issigonis was mad as hell when the lowlights had to be raised to accommodate American legislation

Quite right too, he was way ahead of the legislators, I bet modern headlights are just as low as lowlights.

Yep, with my tongue now removed from my cheek I can say that I prefer the headlamps higher, but its only taste or aesthetics, it is perhaps as much about what we are familiar with,just as Mr Morris himself wasnt keen on the "Issy Wissy whatsisname" (as he once referred to him),designs.
The thing that brought Morris success was after all what removed him in the end,a fiercely independent spirit,he was no team player.
So perhaps the Last proper Morris is in the eye of the beholder.?

If isis's Flat four engine had gone into production and the Austin engine replaced it in 52 what would the last Proper Morris be?
Or if Jowetts flat four engine produced from 1936 - 1953 instead of being left to motoring history Austin took over.
The last Jowett would be 1953, and the last Proper Morris in my opinion would be the last Series MM with a morris motors sidevalve engine.

To me the S.II is a real old-style Morris because of the body design, which is similar to the Oxford MO and Six, the last proper Morris family line-up before the merger.

Jowett ceased car production in 1954 but the company carried on until sometime in the 60s at Howden Clough, Birstall.

Demand remained strong for the Javelin and Jupiter aswell as the rugged Bradford van, but the decision to make gearboxes in-house instead of having Meadows do it was a costly mistake.

In addition, Ford made things very difficult for Jowett when they bought out Briggs' Carbodies.

Early cars were very troublesome, with hydraulic tappets malfunctioning and cranks regularly breaking. The spark plugs were nearly always affected in wet weather.

I learned to drive in my dads javelin,from the word go his instructions regarding dangers on the road was No1 when you see a puddle slow down or stop and make sure you go round it when the road ahead is clear.Or get out afterwards and dry the plugs. Dosen't matter about any other hazzard,they will sort themselves out. wish I had the car now,love the look of them