MORRIS MINOR 1931 2-seat tourer (£100 model)

The Morris Minor was introduced in 1928 to compete with the Austin Seven. which had captured the small-car market.

William Morris called the Minor a “big car in miniature”. comparing its ladder-back chassis. semi-elliptical springs etc to the cycle-car design of the Seven. It also had a sporty overhead cam engine  (The first mass-produced MG. the “M-type” Midget. was a Minor in fancy clothes).

But the Minor was more expensive than the Seven. many owners found the ohc engine difficult to maintain. & sales were disappointing.

So in 1931 Morris introduced a cheap new two-seater body and a new side-valve engine. The sv engine was simple & robust. and at 19bhp the output was only one horse less than the cammy engine. He also pared back on production costs with the simple body only available in grey. painted rather than chromed radiator shell & windscreen surround. a simple radiator cap rather than decorative calormeter. man-made upholstery rather than leather. no spare wheel mounting (spare wheel in the small luggage area behind the seat) and other minor cost-cuttings.

This enabled him to market it as Britain's first £100 car.

With significant alterations. including a single-seat lightweight body & supercharger. a £100 Minor was driven round Brooklands at over 100 mph. then with the supercharger removed & the carburation leaned it drove round again for  over 100 miles on a gallon of petrol. Morris then advertised it as the £100 car that does 100mph & 100 mpg. So VW weren't first in the motor industry to be accused of false advertising!! 

But marketing a £100 car turned out to be counter-productive – nobody wanted to drive a car that their friends & neighbours knew was the cheapest on the market. So in 1932 he significantly up-graded & jacked up the price. making the £100 model a rare beast.

I bought The Pram in 1967. For many years she was my only car. an every-day driver. She took me to France. to Germany. to Italy. and up most of the Swiss & Austrian Alpine passes. Back in those days I also hill-climbed her. with a remarkable lack of success. Restored her on the kitchen table about 7 years ago. not concours but very presentable and all the parts that wear replaced or re-furb'ed such as valves & guides & seats. brake cam bushes & linings. clutch linings. spring shackles & bushes. king-pins & bushes. wheel-bearings. prop-couplings. track rod ends. excellent carb. rebuild by Burlen. s/s exhaust etc. etc.   She's continued to perform almost problem-free since that restoration. including easy starting. good oil pressure. no smoke. no over-heating. and good road handling. Purrs along all day at 40mph though acceleration is disappointing. with 0 to 60 taking 85 years & counting.

She's very correct though not entirely original - the skinning is in aluminium rather than steel. correct but not the original engine (I've gone through 3 of them over the years ). the wiper is electric not vacuum. And I switched to the later 4-speed box because it's more driveable  - there's a big gap between 2nd & 3rd on the original 3-speed – but the sale includes the correct 3-speed box. and  prop-shaft & handbrake to suit.

Also included in the sale a selection of spares. fat history file. log-books (unfortunately only continuation ones. not the first one). workshop manual. owners'

owners' manual etc.

I shall be sad to part company with The Pram. but age and health have caught up with me. so I have rallied her less and less each year. and it's now time to call it a day.

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