Owner  Alan Dawes

The Morris Minor was a well established and respected small, family sized car, which contested for the title of “the world’s supreme small car” for over 3 decades of production history in the form of several renowned variants.

The Minor offered several technical innovations at a budget price which characterized its public appeal. The Minor, which was known as the Mosquito during development was originally planned to be powered by an air-cooled, horizontally-opposed 800cc four-cylinder engine. For a number of reasons, including the relaxation of Government legislation which had taxed larger-capacity engines, production models were actually fitted with the reliable old 918cc side valve unit.

The Minor’s several variants boasted of numerous innovative features such as:

The mono-construction body.

Independent front suspension.

Seating arrangements, with all passengers seated within the wheelbase.

Superb, pin-sharp rack-and-pinion steering.

In 1956 Morris Minor fans were  thrilled by the introduction of the Morris Minor 1000, powered by an improved A-series engine of 948cc S4 OHV. The new engine gave the 1000 the capability of higher cruising speeds and generally more flexible drivability.

In 1962 what would be the last of the Morris Minor / 1000 series derivatives arrived on the scene, the (1098cc) Morris 1000. The new 1000 introduced some worthwhile improvements, the biggest change of coarse being the new, larger capacity engine and the new dashboard layout.