MM Tourer - where it all began...

[Mark Wilson]

I've always said that the Minor's transmission whine is like the sound of the womb to me. The earliest car I can remember was my grandmother's Rose Taupe saloon from the mid fifties, but this weekend I found this while sorting through my parents' photographs. My Dad is looking very pleased, but it's not his car (he had to wait until 1959 before he had one of his own). It is my grandmother's earlier tourer, which I had heard mentioned, but had never seen a picture of before. I think this must have been early or late 1951, and as I was born in August that year this was almost certainly the car I will have travelled home from the maternity hospital in!

I'm no MM specialist, but I've noticed the lowlight wings, the short bonnet and the absence of a passenger side windscreen wiper - these were apparently an optional extra until October 1950. It probably didn't have a heater, either, so good job I was born in summer....

Anyone else have any earlier Morris memories?

Mark[frame][/frame]

[philthehill]

In 1956 my father decided to apply for a job in Gloucestershire. We lived just outside Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire at the time. My father considered that his pre war Ford eight was not up to the journey so he hired a car from the garage, on the Tenby Rd in Pembroke which turned out to be a Morris Minor tourer. It took us all the way there and back along the old A40 without incident.
The highlight of the trip for me as an 8 year old was stopping in a café in Brecon and having baked beans on toast. It was the first time I can remember ever having eaten baked beans. Scrumptious and every time I have baked beans on toast I am reminded of that café in Brecon
After we moved to Gloucestershire we did the return journey to Pembrokeshire to see family many times in the Ford eight mostly without incident. Once we did have the Ford eight head gasket blow on the hill at Lea Lines on the A40 coming home to Gloucestershire. The journey used to take us two days, sleeping overnight in the car which in those days was not allowed so father was always looking out for the policeman.
Before I retired I used to drive down to Castlemartin and back in a day for work via the M4 and think nothing of it. How times and travelling habits have changed.
Last time we went to Pembrokeshire we made a point of coming back via the old A40 and it was quite free of traffic and a pleasure to drive along. I pointed out to my wife all the places we used to stop in the Ford eight to eat and let the engine have a rest and cool down. Only thermo syphon cooling on the Ford eight in those days and the A40 was quite hilly in places.
My father was a die hard Ford enthusiast and had a whole series of Ford Pops until he wavered and bought a 1948 Wolseley 8 on which I learnt to drive. He then put the Wolseley in part exchange against a 4 door sage green Minor 1000 from Taylors Garage of Shipston On Stour which gave very good service. But eventually he went back to Fords purchasing a Ford Cortina 1200, the one with the 3 segment rear lights. You should have seen his face when he got it home only to find that it would not fit in the garage. Luckily he found a suitable garage near the house so it all turned out well in the end.
Happy days of motoring in much simpler times

[jagnut66]

And perhaps better times for England......................

[mike.perry]

Note the overcoat and scarf as the alternative to a car heater. It must have been a warm day as the driver is not wearing a hat or gloves.
Only one wiper blade, they did not waste money on extras in those days

[philthehill]

And the convertible roof instead of air conditioning.
They were a hardy lot back then; and petrol rationing had only been lifted in May 1950.

[Mark Wilson]

Having a roof over his head would have been a treat, he mainly travelled by bike in those days. Didn't do him too much harm, though - he was in good health for most of nearly ninety years.

[Chipper]

My first school which I attended in the 1970s, Heath House, in Weybridge, Surrey, was run by a pair of elderly ladies, and they had a Minor of some sort left rotting away at the back of the playground, the wheels half buried in the ground. This was pre 'Elf & Softy days, so kids were able to clamber about on/in it.

Apparently, John Lennon's son, Julian Lennon also went there.

[jagnut66]

This was pre 'Elf & Softy days,

Careful now, you'll upset the PC brigade and they'll report you to the Thought Police for 'individualism'!!

[warweezil]

In 1956 my father decided to apply for a job in Gloucestershire. We lived just outside Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire at the time. My father considered that his pre war Ford eight was not up to the journey so he hired a car from the garage, on the Tenby Rd in Pembroke which turned out to be a Morris Minor tourer. )

Which Tenby road tho? I have similar memories of an Anglia in the 60's also hired from a garage on the A4139 to Tenby, Its a little sad, I drive along the A477 and recall the line of the old road which has now finally been completely replaced with the opening of the new stretch of featureless sterile road that bypasses the picturesque section through the woods between Red Roses and LLandowror.

Had a few trips between Pembroke and Llanelli along the old A40/477 route around 1970 on an old 948 Moggy that dad owned when we lived in Llanelli, and a couple of years later, sat in a loose car seat which we used to pop into the back of the ex-SWALEC(?) van that his firm ran.

Happy days, the trips in the van would be illegal now... sadly

[philthehill]

The garage was on the A4139 just outside Pembroke and is possibly the one now occupied by Chilton Motors and if I remember correctly was run at that time (1950s) by the Matthias family.
Yes I agree that the A477 between Pembroke Dock and St Clears is now virtually sanitised with that great scar through the hill behind Kilgetty/Stepaside.http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kil ... edIndex=23
The ruins of Kilgetty iron works is well worth a visit if you are in the area.http://www.aditnow.co.uk/photographs/Ki ... ron-works/
The common at Kilgetty is now fenced off and I remember it all open and with old style travellers camps set up on it.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kil ... dIndex=140
I too always liked driving through the woods between Red Roses and Llanddower - with the deep gulley and stream on the south side of the road, past the old dark chapel with neat cemetery; and past the Old Mill Café. They had just started to tear up the fields for the new by pass route last time I was down in Pembrokeshire.
Thanks to google street view I have taken a sentimental journey on the A477 between Red Roses and Llanddowrer.
The A40 from St Clears to Haverfordwest is not too far behind in being sanitised. Last time I was down that way they had just opened the Roberson Wathern bypass.
In the past (over 40 years ago now) I drove my Minor many times down the old A40 and always enjoyed the ride and it was always driven at a very spirited pace .

[kennatt]

In 1965 I had a tourer,second car,first one being an austin 8, Can't remember the year but it must have been about a 51 or 52. can remember it having long gear lever. Had it about 2 months and one morning in the way to work,with a nice clean shirt spread over the passenger seat,went round a slight bent,shirt slid onto the floor,Being young and stupid,bent over to pick it off floor . When I looked up ,there in front of me was one of those old cast iron lamp posts,I had inadvertantly mounted the kerb. Hit post which broke into three sections,and I distinctly remember the fancy light with the spike on top spinning up into the air.The main section smashed the bonnet,and the head entered the soft top and impaled itself into the rear seat.The stump ripped the sump open spilling oil all over the road.
There was a phone box just at the side of the road,so I rang my uncle(Who had a garage) and he set off with the truck to get me off the road. As I saw him coming over the hill I heard the dredded Ringing of the fuz. A black austin with a blue light beat my uncle to the scene.It was a bit icy but instead of using that as an excuse, again being young and honest freely admitted what I had done.
Result... £3 fine for careless driving ,three points,and £2 for the police photos (Still have them somewhere)' no charge for the lamp post because they were in the process of changing over to newer lamps.
Second hand bonnet and sump,stitched up hood,which obviously now leaked like a sieve,my uncle charged me full price for the bits ,to teach me a lesson.I ran it for another year or so,wonder if a modern would be back on the road after that. Another strong memory of it is that Yes ,you can Sh..................g in the back of one happy days ehh .
So all in ,not the best introduction to moggies. had about 5 since that day

[Chipper]

Phew, you should count your blessings you lived to tell the tale; the lamp-post head could have impaled itself in your bonce.

[warweezil]

The garage was on the A4139 just outside Pembroke and is possibly the one now occupied by Chilton Motors and if I remember correctly was run at that time (1950s) by the Matthias family.

I was especially curious about this as in the mid 60's (until the 80's) it was part for the Ford dealership Lamphey Road Garages who had 3 sites around Pembroke town. I stripped a smashed 2 door minor at the rear of the place in '78 for a car I was fettling to sell on at the time - a 948cc 4 door if I recall correctly.The only parts of the old 477 left are the downhill at Llanteg (although the right/left bends at the bottom into the bridge that used to be the old county line has long since been sidelined by road "realignment" and the Broadmoor crossroads (now with traffic lights).

I used to like the run down from Kilgetty to Stepaside too, very picturesque in the summer, a little hair raising on an icy winter morning. The 40 into Haverfordwest has similarly been sanitised very recently, from just outside Slebech through Canaston bridge and on towards Whitland is all new road, should have been dualled if they were going to spend all that money on it given the amount of HGV traffic from the Irish ferry at Fishguard. So we have a straighter wider road that still suffers from congestion due to capacity issues.

There was more of a sense of adventure on the old roads - especially for a long journey in older cars, in the 60's my family traveled back to London several times in such beasts as a Humber Hawk and a Standard Ensign and on one slow and noisy occasion a J4 van, Wish I had those around now!

[smithskids]

I used to travel part of that road on the way to service trawler engines at Milford haven in the 70s and 80s, If we got them out ahead of time we used to be rewarded with a hundredweight block of frozen fish and had to rush back to our depot in Hull before it melted.In the 60s when I was in the MN we used to tie up to dishcharge oil at HMS Warrior in Pembroke Dock.

[philthehill]

HMS Warrior - now completely refurbished and based at Portsmouth.
I can remember her being berthed up under the oil tanks at Llanion, just upstream from Pembroke Ferry. I have a photo of her berthed there in the 1970s if I can find it.
Her purpose when at Pembroke Dock was to be the platform for huge oil pumps to pump heavy fuel oil up to the tanks above. To enable the pumps to be fitted her insides were gutted.
I have a very nice signed print of her in original condition by J.E. Wigston hanging on the wall in front of me.
I had many happy days playing on the beach at Burton opposite her when I was a young child.
I remember the trawlers at Milford Haven when it was a big fishing port. All gone now and the docks are mostly occupied by pleasure craft.

[Deux Chevaux]

Enjoying this thread. out of curiosity I've used an online inflation calculator for a 1950 MM Tourer that sold for £380, and that equates to £11800 today. And you didn't get a heater or passenger side wiper on the Minor! Lol

[philthehill]

Arnold(s) Hill on the A40 just east of Haverfordwest was a notorious accident spot and from recent reports continues to be so even thought it has been mostly sanitised.

[warweezil]

Arnolds hill is beyond the new road, however the accident was bound to happen when you get imbeciles that have no sense using the roads as a race track, I don't hang about but there are limits and these guys were well beyond it, and if media reports are to be believed some of the statements given are still being investigated so there could be more court time on this yet.

Where the Oil depot was in Pembroke Dock is now a business park with call centres etc. I remember the Warrior being moored at Pembroke Dock, I sued to pass it a couple of times a day when I worked on the old Tudor Prince pleasure boat in the mid 70's, after stealing the Sunderland Flying boat that was parked next to the Old Garrison Chapel in the former naval Dockyard, they came back a few years later for the Warrior too.

[warweezil]

Enjoying this thread. out of curiosity I've used an online inflation calculator for a 1950 MM Tourer that sold for £380, and that equates to £11800 today. And you didn't get a heater or passenger side wiper on the Minor! Lol

... and lets not get into the price of fuel back then, No speed cameras, hmmm the joys on modern motoring? I dont think so lol

[philthehill]

Llanion Barracks. Now the site of the council offices.
I used to catch the ferry from Neyland to Hobbs Point and used to pass the Llanion Barracks stables which were still in use then on the left of Pier Road when going to Pembroke Dock where I still have relatives.
The flying boats were still active when I lived near Burton and what a beautiful racket they created when taking off.