Morris Minor and 1000: books - history and technology

Morris Minor : 70 years on the road

The postwar Morris Minor, designed by Alec Issigonis, was one of the most popular British Cars. 2018 marks 70 years since the first Minors rolled off the production lines at Cowley in Oxfordshire.

In this celebratory publication Ray Newell looks in detail at the development of the wide range of models produced during a production run that spanned twenty two years in the UK.
Using mainly contemporary materials covering four decades, he transports the reader back to an era when the pace of life was much slower and the marketing of the vehicles was considerably different to the slick advertising of today.

The worldwide appeal of this trendsetting vehicle is examined in the context of the `export or die' mentality that dominated postwar Britain, as are the innovative production methods used to ensure that `Morris Motors Ltd' lived up to its `quality first' reputation.

Variations from standard specifications are considered with reference to mechanical uprating, different body styles and the use of modern accessories to enhance further the comfort and styling of what was dubbed `The World's Supreme Small Car.' Issigonis sketches of the prototype cars, sales brochures, promotional materials, and rare and unusual photographs make this a fascinating book.
The continuing appeal of the car voted Britain's most popular classic in 2016 is examined, as are the factors which continue to attract a new generation of 21st century owners.

Morris Minor 1000 - Brooklands Road Test Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the Morris Minor 1000 models from the years 1956-1973.

• The articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

Click here to know more about the Brooklands Portfolio books

Original Morris Minor - The Restorer's Guide to All Saloon, Tourer, Convertible, Traveller and Light Commercial Models

This is the essential companion to the Morris Minor. Its aim is to reveal, in words and colour photographs, how the many versions of the Minor, from early 'low-headlamp' 918cc saloon to late 1098cc traveller, altered in detail through the course of production.
Untrained eyes may only spot whether or not a Morris Minor has a split windscreen, but an amazing number of specification changes, large and small, occurred over the years.

The completely authentic specification which the most discerning enthusiasts now demand can be elusive because so many Minors have been altered over the years, often by impecunious owners trying simply to keep ageing cars on the road for minimum cost.
But help is at hand in Original Morris Minor for all owners, restorers and enthusiasts who want a bible on originality. Drawing from factory production records, parts lists and catalogues, as well as the accumulated knowledge of respected restorers and dedicated enthusiasts, this book provides the most exhaustive production survey of the Morris Minor ever published.

Accompanying the authoritative text are over 250 specially commissioned colour photographs showing every permutation of Morris Minor specification in remarkable detail. Painstaking selection of cars of the highest quality and authenticity ensures that the photographs in this book provide a valuable reference source.

All models are covered: each of the four series (with 918cc, 803cc, 948cc and 1098cc engines) has its own chapter, the various body styles (two/four door saloon, tourer/convertible and traveller) are illustrated in fine detail, and even the light commercial van and pick-up variants have their own section. Indispensable for all owners, restorers, buyers and enthusiasts.

Morris Minor Traveller - The Complete Companion

For 60 years the Morris Minor Traveller has been a familiar feature of rural and small-town Britain. Unpretentious, uncomplaining, half-timbered in an age of sleek pressed steel, Travellers were to be seen everywhere, laden with schoolchildren, dogs, or jumble for the jumble sale, buzzing bravely along at no great speed.

Ray Newell begins by providing in-depth descriptions of all the 803cc, 948cc and 1098cc Traveller models, with details of production and specification changes. Following a chapter on building the Traveller, he ranges through such fascinating topics as the Danish-built 1000 Combi, military, naval and police Travellers, one-offs and variations, and commercial Traveller conversions - even a hearse. Especially intriguing is the stretched three-door 'Shooting Brake', first converted in the late 1950s, whose recent restoration is covered in words and pictures.

Countless Traveller owners have had to face - with a sinking heart - the need for replacement of the timber framework of the body, a major undertaking. A unique and outstanding feature of this book are the chapters by specialist Steve Foreman devoted to this task, set out in step-by-step format with 150 accompanying photographs and covering dismantling and replacement as well as restoration and partial replacement.

The final section of the book deals with upgrades available to bring the Minor's performance, braking and suspension up to more modern standards. These include engine replacements, five-speed gearboxes and disc brakes as well as less radical modifications.

With some 450 colour and black-and-white illustrations in all, including specially commissioned photography of outstanding examples of the cars, this is truly the owner's complete companion to the Minor Traveller.

Morris Minor

At its launch in 1948 the Morris Minor was an exciting and fresh concept, with radical engineering and daring 'American' styling.
Morris Motors had given a young engineer named Alec Issigonis his first chance to head up a design team and, though he would become most famous for the Mini ten years later, the Morris Minor was just as innovative in its time.

Manufactured for twenty-three years, some 1.6 million would be made before production ended in 1972. Behind the Minor's success as the first British car to reach 1 million sold, however, there was a fierce battle to get it into production in the face of opposition from the company's founder and chairman, Lord Nuffield.
Sold as an estate car, a convertible and a van, and used in motor racing and rallying, the versatile Morris Minor was much loved as a production car and has retained its popularity as a classic, with many clubs devoted to keeping it on the road.

Using period illustrations from the BMC archive, Gillian Bardsley tells the story of this iconic British car.

This book is part of the Britain's Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain's past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Morris Minor in all its variety.

Morris Minor: The Official Photo Album

An evocative pictorial journey telling the story of Britain's emblematic Morris Min. Drawing on the unparalleled archives of the original constructor, held by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, "Morris Minor: The Official Photo Album" features the very best of period photography, accompanied by in-depth information from an acknowledged Morris expert - complete with fresh research on many aspects of the car's history. It will be essential reading for any enthusiast of the much-loved Minor.

Morris Minor: The Biography - Sixty Years of Britain's Favourite Car

The split screen, the indicators poking up like perspex orange fingers, the notoriously rust-prone floors, the pootling exhaust note... just some of the much-loved characteristics of the Morris Minor or Morris 1000. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis back in 1948, this bulbous little creation was Britain's first mass-appeal car. By 1972 some 1.6 million were built.

There were variants like the Morris Traveller (timber-framed estate) and the Morris Million (painted pink). For thousands of newly marrieds, or penurious students, it was their first car. It was also the kind of car in which the district nurse did her rounds.

Martin Wainwright (who proposed to his wife over the gearstick of a Morris Minor) gives us a quirky and fascinating history of this quintessentially British car. You'll find everything from the post-70s vogue for restoring and rebuilding Morris Minors, to the alarming habit of their bonnets to open at speed and entirely obscure your vision.

Morris Minor - MM & Series II - Brooklands Road Test Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the Morris Minor MM and Series II models from the years 1948-1956. Describes the models with splitted backlight: Saloon, Tourer, Traveller, Pick-up and Van.

• The articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

Click here to know more about the Brooklands Portfolio books

The Morris Minor

Well over half a century after it first appeared in 1948, the Morris Minor has become a much-loved classic car. It is as popular now as when in production. During the Second World War, when Alec Issigonis and his team began to design a prototype small car for the post-war era, few could have foreseen that it would become the first British car to sell a million or that the revolutionary design features would stand the test of time so well.

This book traces the evolution of the Minor through the different phases of its development to its demise in the 1970s.

Morris Minor & 1000 - Saloons, Travellers & Convertibles (1952-1971) - The Essential Buyer's Guide

The Morris Minor regularly tops the polls in the Classic Car press as Britain's most popular classic car. The owner's Club boasts 10,000 members in the UK. Other clubs worldwide have thriving memberships, too.
Don't buy a Morris Minor without buying this book first! Having this book in your pocket is just like having a real marque expert by your side. Benefit from Ray Newell's years of Morris Minor ownership: learn how to spot a bad car quickly and how to assess a promising one like a professional. Get the right car at the right price!
Packed with good advice from running costs, through paperwork, vital statistics, valuation and the Morris Minor community, to will it fit in your garage and with your lifestyle?