A Morris Minor is one of those quintessential, small British cars that were spied motoring around all over the place at one time. And why not, offered between 1948 and 1972, approximately 1.6 M total were built comprising three different series. Our subject car is a 1958 Minor 1000 and is referred to by the seller as a survivor with a claimed 7,700 original miles – that’s intriguing! Located in Woodstock, Illinois and discovered by Peter L, this Morris is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,800.
Narrowing things down a bit, the Minor 1000 was in production from 1956 until 1971, and 800+K were assembled in the U.K., New Zealand, and Australia. Body styles included two-door sedans, convertibles and station wagons (estates), and a four-door sedan. While this example looks keen and is called a survivor, it has been repainted and still contains its original parts. It presents well and is very intact – the front bumper was removed for towing and should be included in the sale. It should probably have hubcaps too but no mention is made of their absence.
Names usually mean something and in this case, the 1000 designation references a 37 HP, 948 CC (almost 1000) in-line, four-cylinder engine working its hardest via a four-speed manual transmission. While sounding underpowered, this 1,700 lb. sedan could reach 73 MPH according to a factory boast claim. Unfortunately, this Minor has been minimized further by virtue of its inoperative engine. The seller states, “It doesn’t start but turns over freely“. The 7,700 mileage recording is exactly that, it’s a recording via an odometer display and there is no further authentication provided. Didn’t know Accel made spark plug wires for a Morris…
The interior is a bit minor too in its minimalism. It’s in decent condition with its black vinyl upholstery appearing to be free from rips, tears, or cracks though that steering wheel cover has seen better days. The instrument binnacles in the dashboard are oddly placed with a radio directly in front of the driver while the big, round speedometer is placed center stage – I guess the passenger can let the driver know when a speed runs gets up to that vaunted 73 MPH top speed. All-in-all, it’s similar to a VW Beetle (other than the speedo/radio switcheroo) in its layout and simplicity.
As Morris Minors go, this 1958 series 1000 is a very nice example in spite of the fact that things like the engine, and its surrounds, appear to have experienced more than only 7,700 miles; the interior too. The non-running, but turning over, aspect of the engine is a little troubling but not a show-stopping event – it’s probably old fuel related, etc. Price? It doesn’t seem to be too off the mark for what this Morris purports to be and how it shows. OK, a show of hands please for anyone who has owned a Morris Minor; what was the driving experience/ownership like?
7,700 miles? I-don’t-think-so, with an interior that worn and an engine compartment that corroded?? Someone slapped a cheap coat of pain on a non-running Minor and expects someone else to swallow that claim.
The motor is not painted in its original color.
@Wes Staatz ….. you read his post wrong…
Terry said paint Minor ( the car body) , not the motor
That’s been painted; if it had been white, it’d be the creamier-coloured Old English White.
Mogs’re alright. Amost fast enough, handle well enough, reasonably practical, spares are readily available – and you can stick Midget gubbins in them very easily to make them fast enough!
I always thought the Minor was a neat car, kind of reminded me of Terry Thomas in a bowler hat. Terry Thomas being the “standard” British actor we knew of. As with all these small European cars, clearly not designed for the wide open spaces of America, but in most movies filmed in Europe,it seemed the Morris Minor was the standard for the masses, whatever Fiat didn’t take, that is. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to go 75 mph in this all day, but a putt-putt over to Wallymart on t’other side of town, be a hoot. In the cold, not so much, as Brits aren’t exactly known for their heaters, or the stumbing SU(‘s) in the cold but I can attest, that motor, a smaller version of my MGB motor, will spin forever, and while not practical here, the Europeans are masters at using small amounts of fuel. Something us Yanks never had to deal with,,,but we will. Great find.
Actually, that’s an A series engine, not a B series. So, Sprite or Midget not MGA or MGB.
You left out a body style; the pickup truck. It had a large short bed. My friend has had one for years with a 1275 dual carb engine and a Datsun 5 speed.
The speedo etc are in the center of the dash because these were made in both right and left hand drive versions, and this arrangement accommodated both.
Another attribute is interior room. The high roof line gives lots of head room. I worked on many of these in the 1960’s and they weren’t that slow around town. One customer had a 1954 with a flathead, that was slow.
I’d imagine the center mounted gauge, in a similar vein as a Mini, is to streamline the process of RHD and LHD. With the gauge in the middle, one can just plop the steering wheel on either side without having to reconfigure the dash too much, depending on where the car’s target market was. I rode in a 2006 Mini Cooper the other day and it still had a large, center mounted cluster for the same reason.
There was also a van in the lineup -they were used by the Post Office,
Back in the late 1950’s my dad brought home a4-door black Morris Minor. Every kid in the neighborhood learned how to drive it! I waited my turn like the rest. What a ball we had. Turn signals were between the front and rear doors and flipped out when in use. I might be wrong but I thought it had running boards. We had the car packed inside and out. A few weeks later and he brought home a second one! This one was red with a big white circle on the doors! Let the races begin! My poor mom.Imagine seeing 6 or 7 kids girls too , IN and ON each car racing around a lot 75’x100′ full speed! Thanks again for the memories, Dad!
My family owned a series of MM’s in NZ, finally ending up with the first Mini, and I’ve driven a Morrie1000 for many hundreds of miles. The 1000 was a really nice car, lots of room, much more peppy than its predecessors, and the first with a short throw sporty gearshift. The engine compartment tells us that this car has come a lot further than 7700 miles, it all looks original but probably needs a rebore by now. The power and 75 mph top speed were perfectly fine for the environment of the times, 50 mph speed limits and roads to match. Desperately trying to remember what was in front of the driver, maybe a lidless glovebox.
I have never seen one of these in person the pictures of them always remind me of something I seen in the Looney toon cartoons growing up
I’ve owned many Minors, have owned my present ’67 since `1999. Ben Spanner is right; they are very roomy inside and easier to get into and out of than a Beetle. They are reliable and easy to work on except for that blasted master brake cylinder embedded in the frame rail.
I disagree with Howard about the heater; mine will roast me out of the car if I put it on “high”.
I’d forgotten about the bloody master cylinder!
My 1960 was great except for the frame rusting away to the point where a bottle jack punched through both bottom and top, allowing Morry to drop very quickly. Oh, and the right side I bolt for the torsion bar to pull through the frame rail, forcing me to make very gentle right hand turns and FRISKY left hand turns. And the ABS (never could get the brakes powerful enough to lock the wheels despite replacing every component). And needing to clean at least one ground connection every two weeks to keep the lights working. Engine ran great, the rest of the car so-so.
I’ve had a few! They are hugely fun hobby car, not for cross country travel tho’! You’ll get a lot of high fives, women think they are ‘cute’ kids luv’ ’em too. Inexpensive and easy to work on, parts available!
My first trip from Iowa to Arizona occurred when I was about eleven. My parents, me and my sister and a 150 pound Bull Mastiff in a Morris Minor convertible. A trip I’ll never forget. Going through the Salt River Canyon was a real thrill in that little car
Growing up in England I remember these cars being driven mostly by librarians or proctologists, never really an interesting car, looks more like 77 k miles on this one- different colored valve cover and cylinder head👍😀🇬🇧🏴
Fun car with the mods I made. Riley 1.5 engine with four speed gearbox and overdrive. Widened banded 5.5J wheels and rear spring lowering blocks. in the late 60’s when I was in mid teens, locally it was the dogs doo dahs. Moved from that to a MK1 Mini Cooper S which I transplanted everything into the shell of a Mini pickup. Oh what fun we had.
As a few have mentioned above these are great little cars. Handle surprisingly well and can take more power easily.
Engine is simple and loads of room to work on under the bonnet, (you will bash your head on the bonnet catch but you only ever do it once!)
Mine is 1275 Healey Sprite engined and Ford Type 9 ‘box plus disc brakes etc. Great fun. Same colour as the one in the article, and as someone already said is Old English White.
If given the chance they will rust horrendously, here in the UK they have all been through at least one lot of welding, (floors, sills, chassis leg, cross members etc.) This one looks pretty good underneath.
Had my 1st one in the mid to late 60s’ Great fun with a Riley 1.5 engine, 4 speed gearbox with overdrive, steel banded wheels, lowering blocks on the rear spring. The local crew thought it was the dogs bull***s. Next car was a rotten Mini Cooper S which I gutted and transferred all the running gear, engine gearbox, brakes etc to a mini pickup truck. Man was that fun.
had 1 way back..it had a bad starter so i used the hand crank most of the time
Actually, that’s an A series engine, not a B series. So, Sprite or Midget not MGA or MGB.
I inherited my first tourer in 69. It had a dead engine and a tree growing in the rear footwell. I put a 1098 sprite lump in, with the old single carb. Later went back to the dual carb and exhaust that exited wrong. Vacuum cleaner hose and duct tape held it together. Later pulled a few out of scrap yards. Tried putting a 1275? Into a 1960 sedan. Turned out the first motion shaft was a bit longer. Had the crank drill to allow but the shop neglected to use a tapered bit and nicked an oil passage. Oil all over. Used a dental pick to find the problem. Learned to enjoy the master cylinder replacements, the mystery black box for three used on a dual Filomena bulb. Once, my car would run until I took my foot off the brake. Loved the glove boxes. Loved the front suspension, enjoyed the knee action shocks with better oil.
I bought a 1960 Minor in 1968 and with two friends drove from Sydney to Perth, 2650 miles in three days. On the return journey at 40deg Celsius, the fan belt was slipping on the fan blade pulley, it overheated and blew a hole in a piston. We were in the middle of nowhere but managed to get to a village where we ordered the parts needed from Adelaide which were dropped of that night by a Greyhound bus. Next day, dropped the sump, fitted the new piston, and off we went. We were young then! I’ve just purchased another Minor, same year same colour but this one has a seized engine. It hasn’t arrived yet, I wonder if it’s the same one from 64 years ago!