MORRIS MINOR 1000 BLUE - EX POLICE PANDA CAR

 Welcome to this auction for a 1968 Morris Minor two door saloon in bright blue with red interior.

This car is a genuine ex-police panda car. which has been the subject of what appears to me to be a pretty extensive home restoration. nad is now presented to the market in excellent mechanical and structural order. I have owned several of these motor cars and I am an active member of the excellent Morris Minor Owners Club. so please buy with confidence.

Morris Minors are an great first classic - they are simple and robust. easy to work on. and offer just about unrivalled spare parts support. with literally everything being available nowadays - even complete body sides! They are also charming to drive. Don't expect dragster acceleration - they just sort of gather momentum. but they have a charm and ease to all the controls that is infectious and they are also very good on fuel - essential in these modern times. Naturally. this example is also tax exempt further reducing running costs. The car has a valid MOT certificate until 31 October this year. which was flown through with no advisories.

This Minor was first registered in June 1968. so it is just approaching its 45th birthday. This is a rare and original police vehicle and still has the zipped headliner (for access to the panda roof light) and the wires terminating on the rear parcel shelf for the rear "Police Stop" sign. which would have been mounted to the rear window on rubber suckers. The original police lamps and paraphernalia crops up on eBay or through the Club from time to time. so you could in due course return it to its original police spec if you wished. The police cars were supplied by BMC in "standard" trim. which itself is rare - the vast majority of Minors were supplied as "deluxe" models. "Standard" models only have one ashtray and one sun visor (for the driver). and they originally had rubber matting as opposed to carpets on the floor. A heater was optional. but this car is equipped with one and it works well.

Regrettably there is no history whatsoever with this car. What I have managed to find out is that it was discharged from the police in the Cambridgeshire area and. like all ex-police vehicles. disposed of by auction in the mid-1970's. when it was purchased by a retired gentleman who planned to restore it at home. basically as a hobby. Unfortunately. the poor chap did not finish it until some 30-odd years later. by which time he was too elderly and infirm to drive it. It then languished in his dry garage for about three years until it was purchased by a known classic Ford trader in the Cambridge area last year. and from whom I purchased the car earlier this year.

The Morris has been comprehensively refurbished and is in truly excellent condition underneath and in the engine bay area. The structure is outstanding (believe me - I have seen some awful Minors) and the mechanics are similarly first class. with new bushes. brakes. exhaust and ignition parts. The brakes in particular are among the best I have ever encountered on a Minor. The car starts and runs beautifully and provides smooth progress. Being the later 1098cc engine it has more oomph than the older Minors and has no trouble keeping up with modern traffic. The car cruises comfortably and economically at 55-60mph. The interior is in the original red vinyl. and inertia reel front seat belts are fitted but they appear very period indeed. and I would say are from the 1980's. They work fine. The original rubber matting has long since gone. so the footwell just have soundproofing felt and rubber over-mats fitted at present. A carpet set would transform the car. as the seats and door cards are in very good order.

The one downside of the car is that it has been hand painted and there are brush marks clearly visible in the paint. The finish is passable and tidy but ultimately. the car could use a respray. With that in mind. I have purchased a full set of new window rubbers and these are included with the car.

So there you are - a well preserved solid Minor in excellent mechanical order which you can jump into and drive and improve the paintwork as you go. Viewings are welcomed - the car is located in Bromley on the Kent/southeast London border approximately 10 miles from junctions 3 and 4 of the M25 motorway. To organise a viewing please use the "Contact the seller" link above. Finally. the formal bit. I have not messed you about and I don't expect you to mess me around. My feedback speaks for itself so buy with confidence. Thanks for looking.

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