When this 1960 Morris Minor rolled off the production line it represented part of the third series of the venerable little Morris that debuted in 1956. The Series III Morris Minor was a far cry from the original series which saw the light of day in 1948. Interestingly, in December 1960 the Morris Minor was the first British car to sell 1,000,000 units. Our feature car (which was built in that year) is listed for sale here on eBay. Situated in San Antonio, Texas, it is offered with a clear title. The owner has set a BIN of $5,000 but there is the option to make an offer.
This photo is a perfect example of why you should never let yourself get distracted by shiny paint. The seller refers to this little Morris as restored. To me that should mean that there are no rust holes for me to find, like the ones that you can see here. I know that these are not structural per se, but they simply shouldn’t be present on a restored car.
The interior once again is loaded with contradictions. The seats and the door trims look really nice, with the seats now apparently upholstered in leather. The dash is virtually complete, but as you can see it is quite scratched for a dash in a restored car. The heater has substantial over-spray on it and the whole dash just looks dusty and dirty. The ashtray is also missing, and I’m not sure what switch is supposed to fill that hole in the dash.
The disappointments just keep coming. This is the 948cc BMC A-Series engine, backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. The seller states that the car runs well, and that it has new brakes and new tires. Once again things just look untidy for a restored car. To me the whole presentation of the car just reeks of the car getting a quick coat of paint and then being rushed onto the market without being detailed. Lack of a battery and air cleaner don’t tend to build confidence in the little Morris moving any distance under its own power, and the state of the wiring is simply not how it left the factory.
Even this last shot of the tray just reinforces the impression of things dome in a hurry. This is so disappointing because I actually like the Morris Minor. They are cars with a quirky character that is so totally out of character with the American cars of the same era. They aren’t fast and they aren’t flashy. When I saw the first photos of this little car it seemed to be so filled with promise. In life there will always be some disappointments, and for me this is one of them.
Definitely a quick repaint and flip proposition, Adam.
I thought the overspray on the rear license plate was a nice touch… ;-)
This one’s very much a Caveat Emptor proposition.
I actually went and looked at this truck. Brakes- locked up. Fuel tank rotted. Frame rusted. And HE got insulted that the price should reflect those issues!! Said he would raise the price if I tried to bargain him down. Loaded my trailer ramps up and took a long 5 hour drive home.
I’d call this find a “Major Minor”. Cool, but same thing, my motorcycle has a bigger motor. Perfect for back alley’s of London, I-80, not so much. Can’t be many in this here country. I always wonder how these got here. I’ve never seen one on the road.
They were imported, stateside, in limited numbers, Howard. Rootes sold Hillman Huskies and Ford sold 100E and 105E Anglia Vans, too.
A lot were sold in SoCal and I remember seeing them around L.A.
Not in Wisconsin, but residents there used to bleed red, white and blue, (and north of Highway 8, northern third of the state still do) we missed out on a lot of cool foreign cars.
“Restored”…what a joke!
Make offer
Well weld the floors after cutting rust out and get the air cleaner and battery on it and we’ll talk mr flipping badly
Restored? I think the seller needs a dictionary, in a hurry! A good MM pick-up is a lovely vehicle, just not this one! The cars in the background are far more interesting so the ad is not a complete waste of time.
I love these and if I were younger and could hold on to it for ten or fifteen years I’d bite the bullet and wade in, but this pig, while rare, just has far too much lipstick on her for me. Perhaps for someone with more time and a heftier discretionary income profile.
If you think his restoration claims on this one are laughable, you should look at his auction for the blue woody MM behind it, it’s even scruffier and has title issues. Oy………………….
My friend has a 1962. It has a later 1275 motor, a Datsun 5 speed and a disc brake conversion. All these are a vast improvement and not hard to do. The cab is small, but the bed is large. These and the Traveler have a frame under the rear.
The terms”restored” and “just like new” are often misused.
Who knows what evil lurks under a coat of cheap black paint?
There’s a guy here locally that owns ( or is owned by ) a bunch of Morris Minors, everything from a convertible with a 1300 cc engine, a shower curtain for a top, and less than 2 square inches of paint on the entire exterior, to a pickup, a Royal Mail panel truck, several other assorted Minors, and a 1 Millionth edition car, of which only 350 were built , which is his pride and joy.
Here’s a link to what a properly restored Minor should look like-
http://www.glamorganclassiccars.co.uk/projects/2016/1/20/morris-minor-million
It’s a lot of fun if it runs, the vehicle is not restored, the price is too high.
Reminds me of the time I went to buy an old Ford 8N tractor from a ‘dealer’ in TN. They had just gotten a few new arrivals off the truck when I arrived and were busy rattle-can painting Ford red right over everything-metal, rust, fan belt, mud, grease… I turned around and left.
In WWII the Brits used a lot of these type vehicles, they always made me laugh because they had like a 10 hp engine. This one must be like the F1 version with OMG a 4 cylinder engine? Just pure crazy to put that kind of HP in a car like this!!
Ben… they have a full length frame that when not rusty is a pretty sturdy piece. The 1275 conversion and disc front brakes off the’ 64 and later Spridgets is a good move and makes them a little more fun to drive. Much over 5’8 and you don’t fit so well in the small cab. Easy to restore because almost everything is bolted together rather then welded. Got a friend with 3 of them so there must a cult around somewhere.
I 1957 I bought a Morris Minor in N.Y. state and drove it to my duty station at Ft Huachuca AZ. Its water pump failed after that 2000 mile trip. I continued to drive it around Arizona covering many miles of on and off-road driving with gallons of water in the back seat The alternator died during that time, which required that overnight stops be made close to a gas station for an overnight recharge. After my release from active duty, I drove it back to N.Y by way of Denver CO. Climbing the Rocky mountains was an experience that I still remember. When Morris and I arrived home he breathed his last breath.
The pickup and panel van are unit bodies (actually the 4 door sedan body, cut off behind the front doors) bolted to a separate full frame. Any rust repairs made to the body or floors are no longer structural.
The woodie wagon is the 2 door sedan cut off behind the doors and a big milk crate added. It is not on a separate frame and is a full unit body. The wood is structural and subject to British inspection, any rotten wood will fail the car and require removal from the road until fixed.
Both the Moggies the seller has listed are complete hack jobs, and it appears the shop only has one battery for all the cars on the lot.
Just about any part for any Morris made is readily available, up to and including complete fresh made cars, and has large club support worldwide.
This Sunday, 9/9, meet the Midwest Morris Minors Owners Organization at the 32nd British Car Union show at Harper college in Palatine IL
http://www.midwest-morris-minor.info/
I thought Morgans were called “Moggies”.
I owned a ’60 “salloon” that was a true barn find. I upgraded it with Sprite wheels and front discs and, later, a 1275cc drive train. It was a really fun car, though very spartan.I’d love to have the pickup version.
I remember seeing one of these built into a gasser in one of Dad’s old ’60’s Hot Rod magazines. Can’t imagine what a hairy ride that would’ve been.
Maybe that’s why it’s only $5k. It looks like a good driver that can be restored by the next owner.
agreed “partially restored” might B more honest.
How bout the $5k? Still “disappointed”?
Look further into the market 4 reality ck?
I miss my Morris LCV. Easiest vehicle I ever owned to keep running.
Sleep on a 1961 Morris Minor pickup from my wife’s Aunt after her husband passed away he originally bought it in 61 in Bakersfield California that’s a little vehicle we ever had $5 you can drive it all week shoe years back we got into some financial problems and had to sell it regret getting rid of it