Morris Twelve

Morris Twelve Four or 12
Badges of a March 1939 registered series III saloon
Overview
Manufacturer	Morris Motors Limited

Morris Twelve Four
Twelve Four six-light saloon registered December 1934
Overview
Manufacturer	Morris Motors Limited
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door 4-seater saloon with a "fixed head" or "sliding head" aka "sunshine roof" Chassis only (for own coachwork)
Layout	front engine rear wheel drive
Platform	separate chassis frame with X stiffening members
Powertrain
Engine	1548cc side-valve in-line four cylinder
Transmission	four-speed gearbox with syncromesh; single plate clutch with cork inserts lubricated from the crankcase; Spicer tubular propeller shaft with needle type universal joints takes the drive to the silent spiral bevel final drive. The back axle is of the three-quarter floating type
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,590.8 mm (102.0 in) 8' 6" track 1,219.2 mm (48.0 in) 4' 0"
Length	3,962.4 mm (156.0 in)
Width	1,562.1 mm (61.5 in)
Height	1,701.8 mm (67.0 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Morris Cowley
Successor	series II

Morris 12 series II
series II six-light saloon 1935 with Magna (wire) wheels
Overview
Manufacturer	Morris Motors Limited
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door 4-seater saloon with a "fixed head" or "sliding head" aka "sunshine roof" 2-door Special coupé Chassis only (for own coachwork)
Layout	front engine rear wheel drive
Platform	body and chassis together form a rigid structure incorporating the body flooring as part of the chassis structure
Related	Morris Ten
Powertrain
Engine	1548cc side valve inline four cylinder
Transmission	three-speed gearbox with syncromesh on 2nd and top gears; single plate clutch with cork inserts lubricated from the crankcase; Spicer tubular propeller shaft with needle type universal joints takes the drive to the silent spiral bevel final drive. The back axle is of the three-quarter floating type Four-speed gearbox optional from November 1936 Four-speed box standardised end February 1937
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,540 mm (100.0 in) 8' 4" track 1,270 mm (50.0 in) 4' 2"
Length	4,191 mm (165.0 in)
Width	1,549.4 mm (61.0 in)
Height	1,625.6 mm (64.0 in) Special coupé 1,600 mm (63.0 in)
Kerb weight	2,296 kg (5,062 lb) 20 cwt 2 qr
Chronology
Predecessor	Twelve
Successor	series III

Morris 12 series III
12/4 series III six-light saloon, windscreen ajar registered December 1937
Overview
Manufacturer	Morris Motors Limited
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door 4-seater saloon with a "fixed head" or "sliding head" aka "sunshine roof" Chassis only (for own coachwork)
Platform	double box section frame the second box within the body structure and bolted to the frame, box section scuttle
Powertrain
Engine	1548cc overhead valve inline four cylinder
Transmission	four-speed gearbox with syncromesh on 2, 3 and 4th gears; single dry-plate clutch; Spicer tubular propeller shaft with needle type universal joints takes the drive to the silent spiral bevel final drive. The back axle is three-quarter floating with a one-piece banjo
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,438 mm (96.0 in) 8' 0" track 1,270 mm (50.0 in) 4' 2"
Length	4,064 mm (160.0 in) 160"
Width	not supplied
Height	1,651 mm (65.0 in) 65"
Kerb weight	1,130.4 kg (2,492 lb) 22¼ cwt
Chronology
Successor	Morris Oxford MO announced 1948

Morris Twelve is a model of Morris car introduced without fanfare in the autumn of 1934 as little more than a larger engined Morris Ten Four for which just another £5 was asked. The chassis and body were of the slow-selling longer wheelbase Ten Six. The engine though awarded a tax rating of 11.98 hp had a cubic capacity of 1548cc compared with Morris's 1292cc (10 hp) Ten Four and 1378cc (12.09 hp) Ten Six.

This resulted from the vagaries of the Treasury's tax rating formula which took no account of the length of the engine's stroke. Very long stroke engines such as were given the Twelve provided good low speed torque at the expense of reliability at higher rpm. Such engines were unable to make full use of better fuels and the improved engine breathing techniques that were coming available. Morris briefly promoted the series II car with the note that it performed just like a 14 horsepower car but that brought about a clash from the summer of 1936 when Morris began to supply a six-cylinder 1818cc Morris Fourteen.

While both this new Twelve and the Ten variant Ten Six models appeared in the Morris catalogue for 1935 the slow selling Ten Six was soon dropped. The Twelve remained in production until war intervened and was replaced after the war by the 1476cc but 13½ horsepower Morris Oxford MO.

Each new model showed further integration of the structure of chassis and body. The post-war replacement, Morris Oxford MO, was close to full unitary construction.

The Morris Twelve Four appeared in the autumn of 1934, probably overshadowed by the promotion of the new model Morris Eight. It was also after three years when it had been sold as a Morris Cowley. When named Cowley it had been available with the Oxford's 1802cc engine as well as the 1548cc engine.

This Twelve shared much with Morris's 1292cc Ten Four and 1378cc Ten Six using the Ten Four gearbox and ratios but with wider wheels and larger section tyres than either of the smaller-engined cars and it used, with modifications, the wheelbase of the Ten Six which was six inches more than the Ten Four. The wheelbase was almost an inch longer than the Ten Six. It also had a fuel tank which held a gallon more than either of the other cars.

Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted on all four wheels, the handbrake on the rear wheels using a mechanical linkage. Suspension was by long semi-elliptic springs at front and rear with Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers. Steering was by Bishop cam.

Series II was announced on Friday 17 May 1935 along with a new Ten Four as a kind of extra note tagged to the main Ten Four display advertisement - "You can have a twelve horsepower model for £5 extra".