Split screen Morris Minor
Morris Minor
This article refers to the motor car manufactured by the Morris Motor Company and its successors from 1948 to 1971. For the Morris Minor manufactured by the Morris Motor Company from 1928 to 1933, see Morris Minor (1928)
Production 1948-1971; 1,368,291 produced
Predecessor Morris Eight
Successor Morris 1100, Morris Marina
Class Compact
Layout FR layout
Wheelbase 86 in (2184 mm)
Length 148 in (3759 mm)
Width 60 in (1524 mm)
Height 60 in (1524 mm)
Curb weight 1,708 lb (775 kg) (4 door saloon)
Fuel capacity 5 imp gal (23 L; 6 US gal)[2]
(1957)
6.5 imp gal (30 L; 8 US gal)
(later)
Designer Sir Alec Issigonis
The Morris Minor is a popular 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.”
History
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. 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, when compared with competitor products in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, excelled as a roomy vehicle with superior cornering/handling characteristics.
Manapouri, New Zealand
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 through to 1971 (for the commercial variants and estate only), and it remains a well loved and collected vehicle. The very last Morris Minor (commercial) was assembled at Stoke, Nelson New Zealand in 1974.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Split screen Morris Minor
Morris Minor
This article refers to the motor car manufactured by the Morris Motor Company and its successors from 1948 to 1971. For the Morris Minor manufactured by the Morris Motor Company from 1928 to 1933, see Morris Minor (1928)
Production 1948-1971; 1,368,291 produced
Predecessor Morris Eight
Successor Morris 1100, Morris Marina
Class Compact
Layout FR layout
Wheelbase 86 in (2184 mm)
Length 148 in (3759 mm)
Width 60 in (1524 mm)
Height 60 in (1524 mm)
Curb weight 1,708 lb (775 kg) (4 door saloon)
Fuel capacity 5 imp gal (23 L; 6 US gal)[2]
(1957)
6.5 imp gal (30 L; 8 US gal)
(later)
Designer Sir Alec Issigonis
The Morris Minor is a popular 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.”
History
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. 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, when compared with competitor products in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, excelled as a roomy vehicle with superior cornering/handling characteristics.
Manapouri, New Zealand
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 through to 1971 (for the commercial variants and estate only), and it remains a well loved and collected vehicle. The very last Morris Minor (commercial) was assembled at Stoke, Nelson New Zealand in 1974.
(Source: Wikipedia)