My parents took my wife and I on a tour of southern England back in 2009, and one of the big takeaways from the journey is that I am a sucker for Morris Minors. You don’t see them every day over there, just as you don’t see a ’69 Camaro every day in the States, but you see enough of them to know that they are well-loved for a reason: they’re just cute. Barn Finds reader Curvette sent us a link to this one on craigslist in Kelowna, British Columbia. It has a 1275cc version of the popular BMC A-Series four for a little extra power, and it comes with some extra parts (including a spare engine), all for an asking price of $12,500 (Canadian, I assume).
The Minor “1000,” such as this 1960 model, would have originally come with the 37-horsepower 948cc A-Series four, so the 1275 is a big step up. The engine itself came from a 1968 Midget, and it not only has the twin SU carburetors but also a header, and its 65 horsepower rating represents a 76 percent increase in power over the original engine. Not bad. Unfortunately, the seller is reticent about details such as any transmission or rear axle gearing upgrades, so that might be worth a message if you find yourself in western Canada and are interested in the car.
Morris Minors came from the factory with a four-speed manual transmission, so at least there’s that. The interior of this convertible appears to have been reupholstered with a cheery seafoam green material that complements the black paint well. The car will come with a new biscuit-colored convertible top that will need to be installed; one can only imagine that the current top is fairly ragged, because all the pictures of the Minor show it with the top down.
The seller shows a few pictures of the undercarriage, but they are not comprehensive. Still, what it does show is solid, and there’s nothing about the car to indicate that it’s a rust bucket. It does have its share of “scrapes, bumps, and bruises,” which endears it to me all the more; I’ve always been a sucker for a car with imperfections.
In addition to all the cuteness and the “racy” engine, the Minor comes with an array of manuals (including one for a Datsun transmission adapter kit – you think it’s been done?) and apparently gets 40 miles per gallon. I don’t know that I’ll ever own a Minor (it may be a little small for my comfort in the land of the freeways where everyone’s in a hurry), but this one looks like a practical classic you can enjoy without worrying that it’s a little too precious to take it anywhere. This one’s been for sale for several days, so maybe you can get a bit of a bargain, although $12,500 Canadian doesn’t seem too far out of line. Besides, if you’re an Anglophile, how can you put a price on a legend that just happens to be about the cutest thing on wheels?
That’s really a neat experience being able to go on a tour of Southern England, and looking these Morris Minors. I’ve mentioned before my wife and I like to watch British TV and some of the shows we watch have Morris sedans and even a wagon or two. And I must admit, I like the lines on them. Although I’m with you Adam, driving this on Route 80 in traffic would be a rather white knuckle experience for sure. ( does anyone even say that anymore???? Another favorite saying of mine is “Pinky control”…. You know, for those moments where you need a little finesse????) Anyways. I like this little Morris. Great find Curvette. I enjoyed your write up Aaron.
A Minor with the “Big Engine”!
@Angliagt…. Dont you mean a “Minor” with a “Major” engine ???? Lol.
Got time working on these cars and they are dog simple. One of them was a 1275 powered pickup with modified suspension used as an autocrosser. Very fast and good on the freeway.Brokered the sale from the owner’s widow to a friend who is doing a complete rebuild on it. Nice drivers and fun.
Forgot… My high school biology teacher, all 5 feet of her, had a pea green convertible which really put her in the “cool” category by us kids.
I had an Austin Mini Moke with the 1275 engine installed and 12″ wheels, drove it on the South African motorways and kept up with, and passed lots of modern cars.
I know a guy who’s about 6’10” who swears that he fits
in a Minor.
When buying a vehicle,he’s concerned weather or not
he’ll fit in it.I normally don’t have that problem.
When 1,000 c.c’s just isn’t enough
Love the license plate.
$12500 Canadian is about $9100 US. A lot of fun here and you’ll not see another one at the Dairy Queen.
These were great little cars, had a fantastically long production run (1948-1971? I think). Designed by Alec Issigonis, in his pre-Mini days, with a fairly rigid unibody and “wheel at each corner” layout they have surprisingly good handling. Growing up in the UK as a kid, these were everywhere and still have a very loyal following as an inexpensive, practical classic car. There are some excellent specialists in the UK supporting these cars, and I see that Moss Motors (the leading classic Austin/MG/Triumph parts supplier in the US) cater for Minors.
The 1275 makes sense as it’s pretty much a straight swap – though I would be cautious about adding too much power without also looking at things like brakes, suspension and axle upgrades to match.
This would make a fun summer convertible as long as your trips are pretty local. not really the car for the open highway in the US.
I’m not sure about the prices for these in the US ? This car does appear to need a little TLC, bungee cord holding the battery ? Eeeek !! The interior looks good though, new seat covers and door trims maybe?
I was an instructor at an SCCA driver’s school in the mid-70’s as was my old friend and hot shoe David McCullough (RIP). There weren’t many small bore guys and we only had one student each, so David and I turned it into a team teaching opportunity. For the on-track session with the students, we hopped in David’s hot-rod Morris with all Spridget gear, massaged 1275, rib case gearbox, disc brakes, re-valved shocks, sway bars and fat tires. Even with four people in it, the Morris screamed, and as he was showing the correct lines thru a couple of corners, I was once again impressed with the handling of the “family sedan” (not to mention David’s flawlessly smooth driving style). These can be fun cars, and if you throw the right parts at it, seriously, quick cars.
This rag-top Minor is a good start to a modified Morris that can be a hoot to drive, and easy to maintain.
There is a company here in the UK that sells a conversion kit to change a hard top Minor into a convertible. I have seen one in South Africa that has been completed and it’s very difficult to see if it was originally a hard top car.
Watch out for rust on these–all fixable, but expensive and Kelowna is snow country. Also see if a rib case transmission was installed with the 1275–probably was. The smooth case that comes with the 948 can’t handle the 1275.
Also if it still has the original gearbox it will have to have the original small clutch. One can hope that the Datsun upgrade has been carried out
I owned a ’61 saloon with an 1100 engine (sourced from a ’67) and Sprite disk brake conversion. That was a great little car.