Morris Minor Owners Club

Earlier today, there was a fairly typical comment about modern car drivers....

without every Audi and Tesla driver getting steamed up,

Just how big an issue is this?
Is it a rush hour problem only with people desperate to get to or from work?

Despite Basil having a 1098cc engine, the mismatch with a 948 gearbox and 803 Diff (8/43) means he sits comfortably at around 50mph, perhaps 55, if I turn the music up a bit to drown out the engine screaming...
Admittedly, he only gets used on the occasional evening and at weekends, but we don't get problems with 'flashy' car drivers getting uptight.
The biggest problem we have is the BMW/Audi/Merc types sitting behind us, instead of overtaking on straight clear sections of Single carriageway A Road to keep traffic flowing faster...

If there's more than just the driver in the car, I can imagine there might be some conversation going on, along the lines of 'What's that?' ...
Only a few weeks ago there had been a BMW SUV behind me for a couple of miles, with another car behind them. Then a white Audi SUV came haring past from behind everyone... which prompted the BMW to decide they would take off after them... unfortunately, the BMW wasn't an unmarked Cop Car, because the Audi was really shifting....

What are other people's typical experiences....

The biggest problem we have is the BMW/Audi/Merc types sitting behind us.................

My experience Berni, is something of the polar opposite.

I too keep to an orally comfortable 50/55mph, wherever legally possible and hold my own in commuter-type traffic but I find that (and I'll generalize here) any vehicle of German origin, will overtake me JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN. Often, said Teutonic barge will then just sit there, knowing full well that I'm hardly likely to 'have the drop' on them any time soon. I get the impression drivers of 'moderns' can't bear the thought being behind a 60-odd-year-old banger!

Interesting to see what other's experience is. Could possibly differ, according to regions of the UK.

Yes, I sometimes get the feeling that some drivers just have to overtake, simply because they can't bear to be behind an old car, even if it means breaking the speed limit in order to do so. On the other hand, I do get let out of junctions quite often with a wave and a smile - probably the equivalent of helping an old lady across the road!

I started driving my Morris in 1989. I was 17 and my Morris was 20. Back then my car was most definitely viewed as an "old banger". Everybody and anybody would try to overtake me regardless of the marque of car. It used to annoy me a lot. I could be driving at the speed limit but it seemed that other drivers just took offence at being behind an old car and so they would overtake anyway.

My experience these days is completely different. People tend to give me a wide berth. They seem positively nervous to be anywhere near an old car as if it might explode at any moment. People let me out at junctions when they really don't have to and even give way at roundabouts when not strictly necessary. This might be due to the fact that I drive with the top down at any and every opportunity and I usually have a very large German Shepherd Dog in the back.

On faster roads I too will only do 50/55 mph and I fully expect to be overtaken on dual carriageways and motorways.

As it happens my modern car is an Audi and a quick one too (S3 310hp). I would not tar all drivers of fast German cars with the same brush. I abide by the speed limits and I really don't mind sitting behind a slower vehicle. I certainly would not overtake just for the sake of the fact that I can.

Stephen

I think as there are so many cars on the road I makes people drive badly.And there seems to be so many people driving poorly I adds up to hard work to drive around today

So many accidents too!

I couldn't agree more about the BMW/Audi/mercedes/VW opinion. Like most of you fine people I drive my mogster in my leisure time,at my pace and the cars capability. I believe these drivers have probably had there brains removed before buying the car and have read the morons version of the Highway code. The most noticeable aspect I find is the driver is young, probably a drug dealer or something similar,being chased by the police and our disgusting little car ( in there eyes I hasten to add) is in there way. Remember one thing though, if there was a line up of these idiots cars and one moggie in between I can guarantee which car would get more attention.dont let them rind us down(hard I know),we are better than them. Happy motoring people.

I would just like to add to my last post that I wouldn't tar all German car owners with the same brush it's the minority of idiots that causes the headaches. I am also a motor cycle owner and have lost count of the times these type of people have been dangerously close to my bikes rear end and also the amount of times I have been carved up by them to only be laughed at and the v sign given. So to end nothing personal to any of our decent German owning moggie fans,all I will say is you know who you are.

I think it more to do with speed/driver rather than make. I live in an area where most villages are 20mph and open roads are 40mph or 50mph. I get just as many tailgate and stupid overtakes when in my mitsubishi or the minor.

To add to the collection of idiot drivers,may I add some electric car owners,mostly young lads. The other day I was out on a run and as I got to the traffic lights and stopped a car shot thru at great speed must have been sixty mph easily with not a care in the world.When I reached the next lights lo and behold Mr idiot was stuck at them so it served no purpose speeding. I did however have a dashcam in the car and filmed all his moves. So beware of the electric brigade as they are the silent idiots.

Being beaten by a Morris Minor seems a red rag to a bull to some drivers. Many years ago my wife was driving our Morris and as we pulled up at the traffic lights, an open-top red Ferrari pulled up next to us full of young 'look-at-us-aren't-we-fabulous' types. My wife is always up for a challenge and so as a puff of steam silently came out of her ears, she quietly dipped the clutch, put the car in first gear and waited, knuckles whitening around the steering wheel. It was a familiar route, so the timing of the lights was well known to her. As soon as the amber light came on, we were off, racing over the line and got about 10 yards on the Ferrari. It reacted with a screaming engine and the worried young driver went hurtling past us with G-force acceleration. We laughed so much we nearly crashed, but the happy memory lives on, about 40 years later!!

The biggest issue is one of the most pleasant.
Getting out of the car park without someone stopping by for a natter,
" I had one years ago...........my dad owned one when we were kids, holidays were better then.................I would love to own one, are they difficult to maintain?......................that's lovely, did you do it up yourself ?".............etc.
And the most peculiar,
" can I put my head inside and sniff ?"
All that is worth the tailgaters, who I must say don't trouble me much.
One of the nicest rear window stickers I saw said,
" if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand"
That about sums us all up.

moggiethouable wrote: ↑Mon Jun 23, 2025 9:18 am The biggest issue is one of the most pleasant.
Getting out of the car park without someone stopping by for a natter,
" I had one years ago...........my dad owned one when we were kids, holidays were better then.................I would love to own one, are they difficult to maintain?......................that's lovely, did you do it up yourself ?".............etc.
And the most peculiar,
" can I put my head inside and sniff ?"
All that is worth the tailgaters, who I must say don't trouble me much.
One of the nicest rear window stickers I saw said,
" if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand"
That about sums us all up.

Yes, I get all of that as well......but I find some younger people don't even know what the car is! After parking my SII in a supermarket car park, I entered the store to be met by a young (Italian?) member of staff who said "I love your car!"
I replied "Thank you, do you know what it is?"
He said " Ah, don't tell me, let me think and I will tell you at the checkout."
So I asked him later if he had identified it yet and he said "Is it a Rolls Royce?"

it makes me laugh out loud. I can break every speed limit in the land. How many times has a more powerful motor rushed past me only to be waiting at the next set of lights.

King Kenny wrote: ↑Mon Jun 23, 2025 11:44 am I can break every speed limit in the land.

Did you do a V8 swap or something in your Minor?

It doesn’t have to be a V8 to exceed 70 mph !

My commute to and from work involves a stretch of two-lane about ten miles in length. Without FAIL, someone in a huge diesel pickup will ride right up on my rear bumper and start flashing his lights intending to pass.... against a constant flow of opposing traffic. I'm not driving the Moggy yet; I drive a '12 Jetta, very capable of a good turn of speed, but I seldom go over 65mph. The folks in FRONT of me aren't going any faster either, so I really have no idea where these speed demons think they're getting to any faster... (yes, I OFTEN finish up right beside them once we reach multi-lane roads)...
The ones who really puzzle me the most are those who actually pass against traffic.... suicidal? Homicidal? Just plain NUTS?
The drivers operating older vehicles tend to be very conservative in their driving; situational awareness is key!

Paladin1962 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 23, 2025 6:49 pm
The ones who really puzzle me the most are those who actually pass against traffic.... suicidal? Homicidal? Just plain NUTS?

They assume that they can accelerate out of trouble.

I am in the upstate New York and where I live the population has exploded since Sept 11, 2001...So for the past 24 years...the city folk from New York City have moved here in droves...and with that is their impatience and attitudes behind the wheel...yes they have to do at least 10 to 20 mph over the posted speed limit and old cars to them are something to pass and immediately slam on the brakes and turn into the next driveway...drives me crazy to the point that the last older car I drove on the roadways was a 1968 VW bug and it was like a had bulls eye on my back...it was a white knuckler every single time I drove it...

I am rebuilding a 1967 Datsun truck right now but I would love to tackle another Morris Minor but I need to be careful of where and when I attempt to drive it...building an resto mod has been in my thoughts too...something that will scoot and go when you hit the gas pedal...

I think the hardest part of owning an old car these days is driving it...

My 2 cents

MikeC

The DVSA have just announced the biggest safety recall in history. It involves direction indicators malfunction for the following car makers.
The list is by no means exhaustive, but includes - BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Landrover and Volvo.