Flat Four Engine Developed for the Morris Minor

Post by **theologystudent** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:00 pm

Does anyone have any details of the engine developed but not fitted to Morris Minors? I have known of this engine for a while and why it was not used in the Minor. I am further interested as for many years I have driven A Range Citroens which use air cooled flat twins and fours.

Does one of these engines still exist? Are there any drawings? Did a prototype get fitted with a flat four engine? I would like to know if anyone has any information on this engine.

Also has anyone fitted a horisontally opposed enginr e to a Morris Minor? There is plenty of room to fit and engine from a GS or Ami Super in a Minor. Has anyone fitted something from a Subaru in an Minor. A turbo charged engine from an Imprezza would make an interesting Q car out of a Morris Minor.

Post by **bigginger** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:31 pm

Best start scouring ebay for a copy of 'The Worls's Supreme Small Car, Morris Minor' by Paul Skilleter. It's got lots of the original drawings for that engine, of which, AFAIK, no examples still exist. It was never fitted for a number of reasons, including Morris Engines not wanting to make a new engine

Post by **bigginger** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:37 pm

It wasn't "due to development costs", it was due to (among other things) design problems and, as I say, reluctance on the part of the people who were supposed to make it so to do.

Sorry - there was a post before this one, but it's now gone (?)

Post by **Onne** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:14 pm

I'd like to fit a rotary engine in a mog. Just to let you know. It has been done before, but it's a light construction, made for RWD cars, and it takes up very little space

Wouldn't a flat four be a bit wide for the engine bay? Looking at old alfas and subarus, it seems to be a short block, but a tad wide for the minor engine bay.

Onne

Post by **bigginger** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:20 pm

Do shout if you ever start that one Onne, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'd love to help if you get round to it first

Post by **Scott** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:39 am

There's a Morris Minor in Tasmania (Australia) with a Subaru flat four.
I don't have any photos handy but it's a very neat fit.
It's not the turbo version. I think it's a 1600 or 1800cc.

Post by **wimor** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:48 am

You can find 15 pages details of the flat-four engine in the book “Morris Minor exploring the legend” from Jon Pressnell. ISBN 1 85960 429 3

Wimor

Post by **Onne** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:45 pm

As soon as I spot a Mazda RX7, I'll take the engine!

Onne

Post by **minor_hickup** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:12 pm

The wide engine bay in the morris minor was to accomadate the flat four engine that Issigonis designed. However he was never asked to design an engine as that was the job of Morris engines branch in Coventry. Issigonis and Jack Daniels (who co-designed the 'flat' four engine encouraged the engines branch to develop the engine however it never happened; although it stayed a serious proposition until late stages when a wide engine bay and low perimiter box members had been iretrievably built into the design. The Morris Minor was put into production with the Morris Series 'e''s 918cc side valve in-line 4.

However an earlier and far more unorthodox engine was tried, a horizontally opposed 2 stroke! This required a supercharger to supply the cylinders with fuel, it would not run smoothly below 1,000rpm and would only produce adequate torque above 2,500rpm. Apparently it gave off more fumes than a factory chimney and the fuel consumption was too high.

All this is in "The world's supreme small car" by Paul Skilleter and there is a sketch of the 'flat' four engine on page 29.