Morris Minor

Morris Minor
Morris Minor MM 2-door saloon
Overview
Manufacturer	Morris
Production	1948–71; 1,368,291 produced
Assembly	Cowley, Oxford, England Malacca, Malaysia Australia New Zealand
Designer	Sir Alec Issigonis
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact car
Layout	FR layout
Dimensions
Wheelbase	86 in (2,184 mm)
Length	148 in (3,759 mm)
Width	60 in (1,524 mm)
Height	60 in (1,524 mm)
Curb weight	1,708 lb (775 kg) (four-door saloon)
Chronology
Predecessor	Morris Eight
Successor	Morris Marina

Morris Minor MM
Morris Minor MM 2-door Saloon
Overview
Production	1948–53; 250,962 produced
Assembly	Oxford, England Victoria Park, Australia
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door saloon 4-door saloon 2-door tourer
Powertrain
Engine	918 cc Morris Sidevalve I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	86 in (2,184 mm)
Length	148 in (3,759 mm)

Morris Minor Series II
Morris Minor Series II four-door saloon
Overview
Production	1952–56 269,838 produced
Assembly	Oxford, England Birmingham, England Victoria Park, Australia
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door saloon 4-door saloon 2-door convertible 2-door estate
Powertrain
Engine	803 cc A-series I4

Morris Minor 1000
1960 Morris Minor 1000 2-door saloon
Overview
Production	1956–71; 847,491 produced
Assembly	Oxford, England Birmingham, England Victoria Park, Australia
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door saloon 4-door saloon 2-door convertible 2-door estate
Powertrain
Engine	948 cc A-series I4 1,098 cc A-series I4

Morris Quarter Ton Van & Pick-up
Morris 6cwt Van
Overview
Also called	Morris 6cwt/8cwt Van & Pick up Austin 6cwt/8cwt Van & Pick up
Production	1953–73
Assembly	England Australia New Zealand Denmark
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door van 2-door pickup
Powertrain
Engine	803 cc A-series I4 948 cc A-series I4 1,098 cc A-series I4

The Morris Minor is a British car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in three series: the MM (1948 to 1953), the Series II (1952 to 1956) and finally the 1000 series (1956 to 1971).

Initially available as a two-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range was expanded to include a four-door saloon in 1950, a wood-framed estate (the Traveller) from October 1953 and panel van and pick-up truck variants from May 1953. It was the first British car to sell over one million examples and is considered a classic example of automotive design, as well as typifying "Englishness".

The Minor was conceived in 1941. Although the Nuffield Organization was heavily involved in war work and there was a governmental ban on civilian car production, Morris Motors' vice chairman, Miles Thomas, wanted to prepare the ground for new products to be launched as soon as the war was over. Vic Oak, the company's chief engineer, had already brought to Thomas' attention a promising junior engineer, Alec Issigonis. Issigonis had been employed at Morris since 1935 and specialist in suspension design but he had frequently impressed Oak with his advanced ideas about car design in general. Issigonis had come to Oak's particular attention with his work on the new Morris Ten, which was in development during 1936/7. This was the first Morris to use unitary construction and was conceived with independent front suspension. Issigonis designed a coil-sprung wishbone system which was later dropped on cost grounds. Although the design would later be used on the MG Y-type and many other post-war MGs the Morris Ten entered production with a front beam axle. Despite his brief being to focus on the Ten's suspension Issigonis had also drawn up a rack and pinion steering system for the car. Like his suspension design this was not adopted but would resurface in the post-war years on the MG Y-type, but these ideas proved that he was the perfect candidate to lead the design work on a new advanced small car.

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Wikipedia