Morris Minor

Morris Minor
Production period:	1928-1934 1948-1971
Class :	Small car
Body versions :	Touring car , limousine , station wagon , panel van , convertible sedan
Previous model:	Morris Eight
Successor:	Morris Marina

The Morris Minor is a small car manufactured by the Morris Motor Company around 1930 and from the late 1940s to the early 1970s.

Year by year

Minor (1928-1934)

Minor
Morris Minor (1928)
Production period:	1928-1934
Body versions :	Touring car , limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 0.85-0.9 liters (15-20 kW)
Length:	2997-3378 mm
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase :	1981-2311 mm
Empty weight :

The Morris Minor was made in two versions. From 1928 to 1932 it had an overhead camshaft engine , then a more conventional side-controlled engine until production was discontinued in 1934. Both had a displacement of 847 cm³.

The success of the Austin Seven , which appeared in 1922, encouraged Austin's competitors to offer similar designs. The minor was Morris's contribution to the small vehicle market. Although the company's main assembly plant was in Cowley, near Oxford, the new car was not built there. The chassis and drive were designed by a subsidiary, '' EG Wrigley '', a transmission manufacturer in Birmingham that Morris had bought after bankruptcy and renamed "Morris Commercial Cars". The engine was largely redesigned at Wolseley , a company owned personally by William Morris. It was much smaller than any engine Wolseley had made until then and had an overhead camshaft that was driven by a vertical shaft that also carried the armature of the alternator. The engine had a single SU carburetor and coil ignition. He made 20 bhp (15 kW) at 4,000 min ^-1 . The car was equipped with a 6-volt electrical system.

The chassis with a 1,981 mm wheelbase was built from U-profiles, all wheels were suspended from semi-elliptical springs and rigid axles. The car had cable-operated four-wheel brakes. Initially, a two-door sedan in mixed construction and a four-seater all-steel tourer were offered. The model was presented at the London Motor Show in 1928. The sedan cost £ 135 and the tourer £ 125. All-steel models and a station wagon were offered from 1930.

The engine was expensive to produce and often had to contend with oil in the generator, so that a simpler side-controlled motor was designed in 1931, the minutes almost the same performance, 19 bhp (14 kW) at 4,000 ^-1 developed. For some time, both versions were produced in parallel. The OHC machine survived until 1932 in the four-door model, which also got hydraulic brakes. The lower cost of manufacturing the new engine enabled the company to sell the Minor as a two-seater with simple fittings for the "magical" £ 100.

In 1932 the body was slightly revised and given a more rounded appearance. The petrol tank moved from the engine compartment just in front of the windshield to the rear of the car. An electric fuel pump was installed. In 1933, a four-speed gearbox replaced the previous three-speed gearbox in the more expensive models. In 1934 it was synchronized for the top two gears. All models now had hydraulic brakes.

The Minor was replaced by the Morris Eight in 1934 , which also sold well.

Minor MM (1948–1952)

Minor MM
Sedan built in 1949
Production period:	1948-1952
Body versions :	Limousine , convertible sedan
Engines:	Otto engine : 0.9 liters (20 kW)
Length:	3759 mm
Width:	1549 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2184 mm
Empty weight :	749 kg

The post-war version of the Morris Minor - which was originally supposed to be called "Mosquito" - was presented at the Earls Court Motor Show on September 20, 1948. It was the work of a team led by Sir Alec Issigonis who later designed the Mini . Sir Alec became famous for the Mini, but was rather proud of his participation in the Minor's design team. He believed that the Minor was a vehicle that combined many of the benefits and conveniences of a good car with an affordable price for the workers, while the Mini offered a spartan level of comfort where everything was reduced to the bare minimum. The Morris Minor was valued as a spacious car with good cornering stability and handling when compared to competitor vehicles in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s.

The original Minor MM was available as a two- and four-door sedan and a four-seat convertible sedan. The front suspension on double wishbones with torsion bar springs and the self-supporting body were similar to those of the Oxford MO . Originally planned four-cylinder boxer engines with 800 and 1,100 cm³ were discarded because there was not enough money to develop them and production would have been too expensive. Thus the side-controlled four-cylinder in-line engine of the predecessor Morris Eight was used. It had a displacement of 918 cm³, an output of 27.5 bhp (21 kW) and a torque of 53 Nm. The small machine allowed the Minor to reach a top speed of 103 km / h and needed 5.9 l / 100 km. Issigonis disapproved of the use of this pre-war construction.

Cabriolet built in 1949

Early models had a recess in the middle between the bumper halves, as the production model had been widened compared to the prototype - and because many "short" bumpers had already been produced, this little trick was used; later blades of the correct length were used. This widening of 4 "(10 cm) can still be found on all Morris Minor models as a central embossing on the bonnet. Export to the USA began in 1949, with the headlights moving from their previous low position in the radiator grille to the fenders from October 1950 This became the standard for all Morris Minor cars in 1951. By the time the first series ended, just over 1/4 million cars had been sold, 30% of which were convertibles.

Morris Minor Series II (1952–1956)

Minor Series II
Morris Minor Series II in Australia
Production period:	1952-1956
Body versions :	Sedan , station wagon , convertible sedan
Engines:	Otto engine : 0.8 liters (22 kW)
Length:	3760-3780 mm
Width:	1520-1550 mm
Height:	1510-1540 mm
Wheelbase :	2185 mm
Empty weight :	750-800 kg

Morris and the Austin Motor Company merged with the British Motor Corporation in 1952 . In the same year, the minor received the overhaul of the Austin A30 OHV engine with 803 cc.

In 1953 the station wagon was introduced, called the Traveler , as well as the panel van and the pick-up . The Traveler has a " woody " (wooden) structure with two rear doors. The convertible and sedans continued to be built.

The new machine felt more powerful, although all measured values were worse than those of the previously installed engines. Accelerating from 0 to 100 km / h in 54 seconds was still modest, as was 101 km / h top speed. The fuel consumption rose to 6.5 l / 100 km.

The grille was changed in October 1954 and the vehicle received a new dashboard with a central speedometer. By the end of production in 1956, around 318,000 Series II Minors had been built.

Engines

1952–1956 - 803 cm³ A-Series R4, 30 bhp (22 kW) at 4,800 min ⁻¹ , 54 Nm at 2,400 min ⁻¹

Four-door model year 1953

Morris Minor 1000 (1956-1971)

Minor 1000 ( ADO59 )
Minor 1000 sedan
Production period:	1956-1971
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon , panel van , convertible sedan
Engines:	Petrol engines : 0.95–1.1 liters (27–35 kW)
Length:	3759 mm
Width:	1549 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2184 mm
Empty weight :	762 kg

Minor 1000 sedan

Minor station wagon

Minor panel van

The car was revised again in 1956 and got the engine of the Austin A35 with 948 cc. The new engine was much more robust due to the reinforced crankshaft; the also improved transmission (with a short gear lever) was better graduated and easier to shift. The split windshield was replaced by a curved one made in one piece. In addition, the rear window has been enlarged. A luxury version on a minor chassis, but with a larger B-series BMC engine, was sold as the Riley 1.5 or Wolseley 1500 from early 1957. Many minor enthusiasts consider the Minor 1000 to be the most balanced model. The later 1,098 cm³ engine never achieved the smoothness, durability and economy of the 948.

In 1960 the Minor became the first British car, more than a million of which had been sold. On December 22nd, 1960 the one millionth minor was produced. A series of 350 two-door sedans with purple paintwork and white interiors were built for the occasion. On the sides of the bonnet and on the trunk lid one could read the type designation "Minor 1,000,000" (instead of the usual "Minor 1000").

The Minor 1000 got an even bigger machine with 1098 cc displacement in 1962 (like the late Austin A35 models). It now reached a top speed of 124 km / h and consumed 6.2 l / 100 km. Other changes included a redesigned dashboard for the 1965 model year (a glove compartment with a lid for the front passenger, one without a lid for the driver), a new heater, and new taillights and flashing lights. The car still looked a bit old-fashioned and the production figures fell - the success of competitors from outside (e.g. Ford Cortina ) and own company ( BMC ADO16 ) influenced the sales figures. Production of the convertible sedan ceased in 1969, and that of the sedans in the following year. 1971 was the last year for the Traveler and the delivery vans. A total of 850,000 Minor 1000s were made.

The successor was the Morris Marina , which was manufactured on the bands in Cowley. The chassis was essentially taken over, so the Marina was the last new vehicle model with lever shock absorbers on the front axle. The management of the BLMC saw in the marina a competitor of the successful Ford model Cortina (which was constructed conservatively in many respects) that could be produced more cheaply. This came at the expense of the innovative (in its prime) Morris Minor.

Engines

1956–1962: 948 cm³ A-Series R4, 37 bhp (28 kW) at 4,750 min ⁻¹ , 68 Nm at 2,500 min ⁻¹
1962-1971: 1,098 cc A-Series R4, 48 hp (35 kW) at 5,100 min ^-1 . 81 Nm at 2500 min ^-1

In the USA

The minor's success in the US , its main export market, was modest. The cause may have been the company policy of the British Motor Corporation , under whose direction Morris models have been produced since 1952. After all, over 1.6 million pieces of the model were produced in the factory in Cowley (Oxfordshire) and exported in various versions around the world. Production ran until 1971 and even after that it remained a popular vehicle and collector's item. The Minor also became a popular hot rod base in the United States because the "transatlantic" style was similar to that of a Chevrolet model from the late 1940s. The Minor was a light, rear-wheel drive vehicle, so there was the option of installing Rover K-series engines or Fiat DOHC engines.

Classic car scene

Morris Minor models are popular in the classic car scene. The prices are cheap and the supply of spare parts is considered good. The engine originally installed is sometimes replaced by other units.

Web links

Commons : Morris Minor - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .

literature

H. Cowley: Body Service Parts List. Morris Minor 1000. 2-Door and 4-Door Saloon, Tourer and Traveler. BMC Service Limited , Oxford (1966) (workshop manual with sketches of all body parts)
H. Cowley: Mechanical Service Parts List. Morris Minor 1000. 2-Door and 4-Door Saloon, Tourer and Traveler. BMC Service Limited , Oxford (1966) (workshop manual with sketches of all engine parts and other mechanical parts)
JH Haynes: Morris Minor 1000. Owner Workshop Manual. All models 1956 to 1971. 948 cc (57 cu in) - 1098 cc (67 cu in) , JH Haynes and Company Limited (1971), (1975), (1986), (1987). (English-language combination of workshop manual with sketches and photos with instructions for use and restoration)