Still driving the Morris Minor 1000 in which he passed his driving test in 1976, Greg Hoar explores the history of this British classic as it celebrates its 75th anniversary and shares happy memories from Grandma’s 1967 acquisition.
In September 1967, my grandmother bought a brand new two door Morris Minor, affectionally referred to by lovers of this car as a Moggie. It cost her £628 5s 3d, inclusive of purchase tax, road fund licence, number plates, wing mirrors, automatic front seat belts and under-seal. With the number plate GTM 482F, it was nicknamed Grandma’s Tiny Morris, as the family had been involved with larger Morris Oxford estates and a pre-war Morris 10. We all enjoyed the parp-parp, Noddy-style, of the horn going under a railway bridge and the burbling exhaust. It was a fun experience and still is.
With Grandma’s eyesight and health declining, by the sizzling summer of 1976 I was allowed (with L plates) to drive her Moggie around quiet country lanes, the baking tarmac absorbing my kangaroo starts until the clutch control became smoother. Passing my driving test first-time, I drove to school on occasions and even enjoyed a road trip to Cornwall the following summer.
Taking up term-time residence at the Dorset Institute of Higher Education students’ car park for the next few years, GTM found no issues with parking or traffic concerns on the then unmodified Wallisdown Road. The car’s admirable roadholding ability was more than tested over a weekend in February 1978 when heavy snow left revellers marooned in Bournemouth’s town hall. Having driven carefully through the winter wonderland of the New Forest, in the wake of a snow plough, I arrived at Wallisdown, on time, to find the college closed (as it was for several days) due to the inhospitable weather.
Sales and Service
The British Motor Corporation (BMC) dealer handbook of 1960 listed 38 official Morris outlets for the Dorset area, including main distributors, Westover’s in Bournemouth (pre-1974 this was part of Hampshire), and Stickland Garages at Gillingham. 14 were selected to be BMC Service Sign holders offering additional breakdown and servicing support including Badger Garages at Blandford and Tilleys in Dorchester and Weymouth.
As a school leaver at the start of the 1960s, Roy Terry found work at Auto Cars in Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, an official Morris stocking trader. ‘One of my jobs was to cycle over to Westover’s to collect spare parts that has been ordered,’ he says. ‘This included collecting a Morris Minor gearbox which I balanced precariously under my arm and on the handlebars for the return journey up Bath Hill.’
He also recalls admiring the Morris Minor Million in pride of place in Westover’s showroom. A limited edition of 350 pastel lilac-coloured saloons, complete with ivory white leather interior with black piping, were delivered to the country’s main dealers to mark the sale of over 1,000,00 Morris Minors from 1948 to 1960.
The earliest service records we have for GTM show a short service in 1969 at £4 7s 5d.
From the mid-1980s, Dibbens in Wimborne, a Morris dealer from way back, and still supporting the former British Leyland network, served us well. They were well versed in the A series engine and could acquire spares from local sources of old stock.
Grandma’s Tiny Morris celebrated its 50th birthday in 2017 with a thorough re-build. It continues to attract smiles and a wave or two when out on the road, and even gifts. Towards the end of the pandemic, GTM visited Milton Abbas. When parking in the main street, a gentleman appeared from one of the thatched houses and marched towards the car with a large bag. ‘Ah, I’ve been waiting for one like yours to come along,’ he smiled, handing over a selection of Morris Minor door and front grille fittings he had stored. We have acquired headlamps and hubcaps in a similar fashion!
Speed and Reliability
Colehill resident Stuart Laybourne recalls a university sponsored road trip in 1969 across Europe to Czechoslovakia - then under Eastern Bloc control - and after the Prague Spring, had a demonstrable Russian military presence. ‘I drove a four-year-old Morris Minor 1000 through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland returning via Austria, clocking up more than 4,700 miles.’ The vehicle had been well prepared and carried two spare wheels, a spare petrol pump, plugs, points and carburettor. The sole modification was the use of a wire wool air filter insert which was regularly cleaned with petrol enroute. ‘The main performance issue was with pinking from the poor-quality Russian petrol, the only type available,’ he says. ‘This was alleviated by a small adjustment to the timing mechanism. The spare parts were all returned unused.’
With the later 1098cc engine, our Morris copes with contemporary traffic speeds although it is comfortable cruising at something less than the national speed limit. In one regrettable incident, while thundering along the Southbourne Overcliff Drive early one morning in1979, a police sergeant pulled me over with claims of 47mph in an urban zone. Initially disputing that the vehicle was capable of such a feat, it remains my only recorded traffic violation.
Adaptable family car
Sir Alec Issigonis’s last-minute decision to increase the width of the Morris Minor design by four inches, a change that can still be seen by the central band that runs down the bonnet, means the car can easily accommodate four adults or a young family. The record for ours is eight full-sized adults, with one poor soul folded up in the boot (travelling on private land obviously). Over the decades, GTM has transported a new-born home from Poole Maternity Hospital, provided the means for family camping trips with a supplementary roof rack and, with the removal of the front passenger seat, carried a double bass and passengers.
75th Anniversary and beyond...
With over 1.6 million Minors produced between 1948 and 1971, there are many who have either owned a Moggie or have memories of these vehicles. When returning to car parks in Wareham, Weymouth or Wimborne, a shadow will often appear over a shoulder and a voice will say: ‘I used to have one of those...my dad had the wooden one...I learnt to drive in one like this.’ There was even a request to sit inside and ‘smell the interior to remember what it was like.’
A national rally held at Chateau Impney in Worcestershire, organised by the Morris Minor Owners Club (MMOC) in July, has been the national focus for celebrations of the Minor’s 75th anniversary. This year MMOC is raising funds for Marie Curie, which provides care and support through terminal illness, which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023. Miranda, a special Morris Minor restored by the club and finished in bright yellow (a nod towards the charity’s daffodil emblem), has been touring the country appearing at Morris and other historic vehicle events including Moggy Fest hosted by the Dorset branch of the Owners Club.
According to Laurie Blewer, Chair of the Dorset MMOC, the future of our beloved Morris Minor is looking bright. ‘Dorset is one of the largest branches in the country with over 170 members. We host monthly club nights, attend many shows and hold a large stock of spare parts,’ he says. ‘We also have a thriving Young Members section who will hopefully carry on the preservation.’
We will certainly continue to cherish GTM for many years to come. After all, Grandma’s Tiny Morris is an important part of our family’s history.
Dorset Morris Owners Club dorsetmmoc.co.uk
