Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

Early cars had a painted section in the centre of the bumpers to cover the widening of the production car from the prototypes. This widening of 4 inches (102 mm) is also visible in the creases in the bonnet. Exports to the United States began in 1949 with the headlamps removed from within the grille to be mounted higher on the wings to meet safety regulations. These became standard on all Minors for 1951. When production of the first series ended, just over a quarter of a million had been sold with a surprising 30% being the convertible Tourer model.


A tourer tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 58.7 mph (94.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–50 mph (80 km/h) in 29.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 42 miles per imperial gallon (6.7 L/100 km; 35 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £382 including taxes.

Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

The original Minor MM series lasted from 1948–1953. It included a pair of 4-seat saloons, 2-door and 4-door, and a convertible 4-seat Tourer. The front torsion bar suspension was shared with the larger Morris Oxford, as was the almost-unibody construction. Although the Minor was originally designed to accept a flat-4 engine, with four distinctive gaps in the engine bay to accommodate it, late in the development stage it was replaced by a 918 cc (56.0 cu in) side-valve straight-4 producing 27.5 hp (21 kW) and 39 lbf·ft (53 N·m) of torque. This little engine pushed the Minor to just 64 mph (103 km/h) but delivered 40 miles per imperial gallon (7.1 L/100 km; 33 mpg-US).

Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

Internal politics inside BMC, the parent of Morris, may have led to the limited North American sales of the Minor.


Over 1.6 million of the lightweight, rear-wheel drive car were eventually produced, mainly in Cowley, Oxfordshire, and exported around the world, with many variants of the original model. Production continued in Birmingham, England until 1971 (for the commercial variants and estate only), and it remains a well loved and collected vehicle. The very last Morris Minor Classic Cars (commercial) was assembled at Stoke, Nelson New Zealand in 1974.

Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

Sir Alec Issigonis is famous for his creation of the Mini and a range of later cars for the British Motor Corporation (BMC), but he became known to the general public for designing the Morris Minor Classic Cars. It was conceived as a vehicle to combine many of the luxuries and conveniences of a good motor car with a price suitable for the working classes. The Morris Minor Classic Cars, when compared with competitor products in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, excelled as a roomy vehicle with superior cornering and handling characteristics.

Picture Of Morris Minor Classic Cars

The Morris Minor Classic Cars was a British motor car aimed at the family market. It was the work of a team led by Alec Issigonis, who would go on to design (and be knighted for) the successful Mini. The Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. The prototype had been known as the Morris Mosquito, and some later models were called Morris Minor 1000. It should not be confused with the earlier Morris Minor of 1928.


At launch there were two variants, the standard 2-door saloon, and the tourer (convertible). The 4-door saloon was introduced in 1950. The wood-framed estate called the Traveller, plus a panel van and a pick-up truck version were introduced later with the Series II upgrades in 1952. The Traveller was very popular, and remained in production until 1971, a year after the saloon had been discontinued.


According to one author, the car has frequently been described by writers as typifying “Englishness.”