IOTW

1930 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (WL 9868) features in two earlier IOTWs (727 & 728) both images being taken on a Welsh holiday. Here we see the car being loaded aboard or perhaps disembarking a ferry at an unknown port. Apart from estuary ferries, there were few ‘drive-on’ types in the thirties and all cross-channel ferries at that time entailed the use of a crane to get the car on and off the vessel.

Mike Tebbett contributed this rare photo of a 1931 season Wolseley Hornet Saloon. The car bears a 1932 Surrey (PJ 4412) registration although where the image was taken is not known. The presence of overhead trolley bus cables might indicate a proximity to Croydon or another London suburb, while the price of ‘Super’ grade fuel at 1s/3d per gallon may help a detective determine the approximate year.

This 1932 Kent registered Morris Minor Saloon (KJ 7202) was photographed outside a chapel with a female at the wheel – nothing too unusual about that. What does become apparent from examining old motoring photographs from the 1920’s through to the early 60’s is that proportionaly many more women were photographed thus in the pre-war years than in the early post-war decades, which begs the question, why?

Here is yet another photograph of Oxford registered 1930 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon WL 9868. This carefully staged image looks like a father and son shot which may also have been taken on the same Welsh holiday as the photo seen in IOTW no.727. The remarkably unhelpful single word caption on its reverse simply states ‘Wales’.

Here is a Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (WL 9868) which was first registered by the City Borough Council of Oxford in 1930. This nicely composed photograph was taken somewhere in the Principality of Wales, presumably during the thirties, the occasion being a family holiday. Perhaps someone recognises the outline of the mountainside in the background?

Now here is an interesting photo. The image was taken on the forecourt of a Nuffield Group dealership during the wartime period – note the shrouded headlamps and white wings. The three RAF personel ( a corporal on the far left), almost certainly the drivers of the three cars, are in the company of two civilians. It appears that the 1933 MG J2 Midget (AML 306) requires some attention (front valance removed) while the 1932 Glasgow registered MG M Type Midget (GG 6427) and Portsmouth registered 1934 Morris Minor (TP 8283) are just along for the ride. The Minor in particular is interesting and looks to be an amalgum of at least two cars. It’s registration was issued in 1929 while its radiator and windscreen are from a 1934 model. Its wheels originated on a 1931 season car while its wings with Lucas 1120 sidelights also started life attached to a 29-31 OHC car. The M Type looks as if its been fitted with the Minor’s 18″ wheels while its lost its front and side valences somewhere along the way. The body tub is far from original and its silencer is perilously close to the ground. Much more to test the imagination here, including the where and why?

This image poses more questions than provides answers. The car is a 1933 Newcastle-upon-Tyne registered Morris Minor Saloon (VK 9375) but that is about all that can be positively gleaned about the vehicle from this head-on shot. That it’s a S.V. model is apparent from the raised headlamps, but the non-standard after market bumper bar, Lucas 1120 sidelights and trafficators do not aid identification. Is it a lwb or swb model? It could be that the image was taken well into its life cycle which is when many of these changes occur but the image is bereft of clues as to when it was originally  taken. (Thank you to Stuart Clark for spotting this on eBay) Edited to add: Forum member Mick Lynch (NovaScotian) believes that this original photograph was taken in Walbottle, a village on Newcastle’s western extremities.

MW 6395 and MW 8471 are both Wiltshire registered Morris Minor Tourers, the former a 1930 season car, the latter a 1931 model which was registered in late 1930. The family gathering is also an interesting ensemble. Their relationships to one another are difficult to fathom and it’s not clear from this photo if the individual on the far left of the group is male or female. (Image ex the Tim Harding collection)

Almost exactly eight years ago (January 2016) the Network acquired two images of VO 8093, a 1932 Nottingham registered Morris Minor Saloon. They were published as I(s)OTW no. 324 both being taken at a camp site in Bridlington in 1933. Late last year (November 2023) a further cache of Minor images were acquired, among them was this uncaptioned holiday snapshot of the same Minor. Clearly taken on the same camping holiday, all three images have now been reunited in the Network’s archive.

Following on from a long period when images of Morris 5 cwt vans rarely featured here, it now seems that there is almost a glut! This unidentified 1933 example (post small wheel centres, pre eddyfree roof) is largely unsignwritten but may have a reference to the vehicle’s use inscribed beneath the driver’s door. Seated inside and partly obscured, is a woman co-incidently holding a dog – see also Triple M corner no.322.

IOTW no.708 featured the photograph of an unidentified Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon and the well dressed lady as seen on the right. Since then another photograph has surfaced on eBay of the same female, taken on her wedding day which probably indicates that the r/h photo was taken at her honeymoon venue. Her Minor is covered in confetti in the left-hand photo while she daintilly holds a card in her left hand in the r/h shot. What could have been the significance of that card?

Tucked away in the West Oxfordshire countryside is the beautiful Cotswold village of Shipton-under-Wychwood. The village is located just four miles north of Burford so if you are using the A40 take a short diversion and visit the Lamb Inn (http://www.thelambshipton.com/) where the beer is beautifully kept and the food is amazing. This mid-thirties postcard image featuring an unidentified 1932 Morris Minor Saloon shows what to expect.

The city of Hull will always be associated with its North Sea fishing fleet and even this image of a Kirton & Sons 1932 Morris 5 cwt chemist’s van has a nautical connection. The firms business was based at 53 Savile Street close to the docks. Today the site is home to the Savile Row Cafe! Thanks to Mike Tebbett for forwarding the image.

HW 7719 is an early 1930 Bristol registered Morris Minor Tourer. In July 1931 the owner, his wife and two young children toured Devon and Cornwall, recording their stopping off points on film. Seven images from that tour now reside in the archive. Roadside picnics feature heavily in thirties holiday snaps this being another example. The gleaming Minor is parked on a verge, extremely close to the lane edge in what looks to be an elevated position, presumably enabling the car’s occupants to take in the views beyond.

This is almost certainly a post-war photograph of a Bedfordshire registered 1931 £100 Morris Minor Two-seater (TM 8486). The young couple, along with a dog and a kitten curled up on the wing are seated in their care-worn Minor, which is showing its age with damaged wings a dented scuttle and a rotten bottom edge to the driver’s door. It’s solitary headlight and added sidelights would no doubt make for an interesting night-time driving experience.

Tim Harding‘s pre-war car image legacy will continue to be felt for many months to come, as well over 400 Morris and MG images were acquired at auction by this website following Tim’s death in 2021. The auction house stated in their pre-auction blurb that his collection numbered in excess of 20,000 photos. Many of the Morris and MG images auctioned in November 2023 were familiar, as it transpires that Tim and the author were bidding against each other on eBay (and other auction sites) for some of these when originally available. This photograph is a case in point. It features a 1930 Nottingham registered Gordon England Morris Minor Two-seater (VO 4346). There were four shots of this comparitively rare special for auction on eBay eight or nine years ago two of which were acquired by the Network and despite bidding for all four,  it is now evident that it was Tim who had won the others as they now also reside in the Network’s archive as part of his Morris collection recently purchased. The similarity between the Morris Minor Semi-Sports and the ‘England Morris Minor Two-seater’ (as it was named and marketed by the Gordon England concern) is often discussed in Minor circles for clear and obvious reasons.

An ‘as it left the factory’ £100 Morris Minor features this week. WM 6200 was first registered in the spring of 1931 in Southport, Lancs although this photo is undated. All the car’s original fitments look to be in place including the ‘Auster’ badge on the screen surround, the unadorned radiator cap and unattached wiper motor rubber hosing. It’s also as originally shod with Dunlop three-stud tyres. The cheaply made hood bag is also original. Despite its utilatarian appearance, the pride in its ownership is writ large on the young owners face.

An unidentified single colour 1930 or 1931 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon snapshot is this week’s IOTW. The female is perhaps the most interesting element in the photograph. Elegantly dressed and daintily holding an invitation card or something similar, she also appears to be wearing a dead wild animal around her neck. Had there been more of the car badge in view that may have provided a talking point but what can be seen is indistinct! Is that a spotlight sitting immediately in front of the rear view mirror?

The original six-cylinder Wolseley Hornet range of two models (Coachbuilt & Fabric Saloons) was launched in April 1930 with much fanfare and surprise among sections of the motoring press. It was after all, the smallest and cheapest ‘six’ on the market and quickly gained a reputation for its nimbleness in traffic. Its achilles heal was it lack of interior space as both versions used an almost identical body to that fitted to the 1930 range of Morris Minors. Wolseley reacted quickly to this criticism by launching a further two saloon models (just five months later) in September 1931 with more spacious bodywork. The new bodies were wider and longer at the rear as can be seen in this rare snapshot photo of the model. Twelve months further on, an entirely new version of the Hornet Saloon was released, this one sitting on a new chassis in which the engine was mounted further forward than was possible in the Minor derived model. Surprisingly, both the original and extended body versions were sold alongside one another throughout the 1931 season.

Just 2816 1931 SV Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloons were manufactured of which this late spring East Sussex registered car is one. Some of this number were built as Fabric Saloons although precisely how many (how few is probably more appropriate) is not known. The three formidable women in this photo, led by Nora Batty’s double, are perhaps on their way to church. The leaves on the trees and open windscreen on the Minor would indicate that it’s high summer, but hats, coats and gloves are clearly the order of the day.

This Morris 5 cwt van (RX 580?) was first registered in Berkshire at the very tail end of 1929. We know that, as the very first Berkshire County Council registration for 1930 was recorded as RX 5813. The van has no sign writing upon its flanks and may be owned by the proprieter of the shop in front of which it is parked. The bunting adorning both shops might also provide a clue as to when the photo was taken, perhaps for King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935 or to mark the coronation of George VI in 1937.

This is an ex Tim Harding Collection photograph which features a rare period image of three Morris Special Coupe models, including that of a lwb 1933 Morris Minor variant. Rare because just 181 Minor Special Coupes left Cowley during that 1933 season. JO 6336 was registered in the City of Oxford  in (probably) late February/early March that year. Alongside the Minor are two further examples of the breed, a Morris Ten Special Coupe and an Oxford of a similar type. There is more information on the Minor Special Coupe in an article due to appear in the December 2023 edition of Morris Monthly.

AG 714? was a 1932 season Morris Eight Family Saloon first registered in Ayrshire in late 1931. The much older vehicle (1923) following on behind the Morris in this cavalcade carries a Fife registration, so it’s probably safe to assume that the parade was taking place in a Scottish town or village. The Stork atop the pole protruding through the Minor’s Pytchley roof would certainly require lowering should a tunnel be encountered en route.

PL 9079 is a 1931 Surrey registered Morris Minor Two-seater. What is interesting about this £100’er is the detail to be found on this simple family snapshot. The ‘Auster’ manufacturers badge can be clearly seen in the centre of the windscreen’s top rail, while the routing of the rubber flexible vacuum wiper hose is also evident. The positioning of the rear-view mirror on the windscreen upright has also been a point of discussion in the past but this image re-affirms its correct positioning. A siting of the Minor’s hood bag is also a rare occurence and reveals the use of flimsy ‘economy’ material. One change the owner has made is to site the spare wheel on the car’s tail as opposed to keeping it in the boot, thus freeing up some on-board stowage space.

This well looked after 1932 Morris Minor Tourer (VU 8725) was recently sold by a trader in South Norfolk, U.K. It was first registered in Manchester on 12th January 1932 before spending over 30 years of its post-war life in the Netherlands in the ownership of Eric Groot. Eric sold the car in 2016 when it returned to England.  The pre-war photo is held in the car’s history file. (The car has featured here previously – see IOTW no.577.)

It is not difficult to find Morris car interest on British 1930s postcards, This mid-thirties item features two such vehicles, one of which is a 1932 Morris Minor Saloon, the second being a 1933 Morris Oxford Six Special Coupe. They are both pictured on a quayside road in the South Devon town of Kingsbridge, along with a Triumph Super Seven and an unidentified and partially obscured saloon.

Yet another eBay sourced snapshot, this time of an unidentified 1934 season Morris Minor Four-door Family Saloon. The photo was probably taken in the pre-war period, the car being in excellent condition. The matriarchal figure certainly looks imposing with her fox stole and pinned hat, much like the Gran of Giles cartoon fame.

While Lord Nuffield (William Morris) was an acclaimed philanthropist, working conditions in his factories for his tens of thousands of employees were basic and in some instances dangerous when set against those that prevail today. Here, in the paint shop at Cowley, a 1931 S.V. Minor chassis is spray painted by hand on a rotary jig with minimal protection for the painter. particularly for his lungs and eyes. There is a certain irony in that his charitable foundation funded and provided many hospitals with their first iron lung machines.  N.B. Note the Keystone caption error. (Drag the blue arrow to see the full extent of each image)

Now this is an interesting snapshot. A quick glance reveals the Minor to be a 1932 sliding-head saloon with its distinctive constrasting colour inset in the door panel. A second look rapidly puts paid to that theory, as an OHC Minor radiator adorns the chassis as do Lucas 1120 side lamps along with 29-31 Minor wheels. The car’s Surrey registration (PG 7483) reveals the truth as it was issued in the spring of 1930. So at some point in the pre-war period its body was changed. The all important body joint on the scuttle is obscured by the two females, so what bonnet was fitted and was the fuel tank still scuttle mounted?

It’s unusual to see a Morris Minor 5 cwt van appearing in this spot, perhaps just a dozen or so over the almost 14 years that the IOTW feature has been running. This one can’t be positively identified as most of its number plate is obscured but the spacing of the two leading downsrokes could perhaps indicate that the letters in question are LJ. That was a period Bournemouth prefix which would ‘fit’ with the location of this partially coloured postcard image of The Solarium at Branksome Chine, Dorset.

A bleak winter  snow scene captured on Silpho Moor, near Scarborough in January 1940. The unidentified 1932 Morris Minor Family Eight (?? 3529) is wearing a partially open radiator muff and also sports a blackout mask on its offside headlamp. The caption on the rear of the image reads “Mr. A. Pooks car on Silpho Moors near Scarborough. January 1940”. (Apologies for the poor image quality)

While this genre of holiday snap wasn’t just limited to Blackpool in the early post war years, there are significantly more captioned with this Lancastrian holiday resort as the venue than any other, although Welsh holiday resorts also appear regularly. This is the fourth such image to be displayed here that features a Morris Minor as the prop. (it may even be the same one) This one we know to be a 29-31 scuttle tank Tourer thanks to its ‘suicide’ doors, the ’32 onward models being hung from the front. The caption is helpful in that it simply states “Blackpool 1947”, while in another hand is written Radium Sudios 7-95.

Following on from IOTW no.692 is yet another John McDonald sourced image from New Zealand. This colour photograph was taken in the early sixties in Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city, with three imported British cars parked at the kerbside. The Morris Minor is a 1932 Two-door Saloon (680.469) model looking in reasonable condition for its thirty years as does the later Eight.

Ashburton is located in the Canterbury district of New Zealand’s South Island which is where this John McDonald sourced photograph was taken in 1959. Much like the UK at that time, many pre-war vehicles had survived and continued in service,  as did this converted 1932 Morris Minor saloon, now operating as a ‘Ute’. The Bank of New Zealand building provides a regal contrast to the two run-down vehicles parked up outside its pillared facade.

Another period postcard, this one from the late thirties. An unidentified 1931 OHC version of the Morris 5-cwt van can be seen parked-up at the kerbside of Lytham St. Annes, Clifton Square. The van was one of just 871 OHC 5-cwt vans produced that year although by the end of 1934 a total of 9847 vans had been produced making the variant the second highest selling version of the model behind the swb saloons. The reverse of the postcard provides this additional information: “Lytham Corpn Terminus in later days (After Abandonment of East Beach Line. note old terminus turning off to the right. This was Terminus for Blackpool cars when East Beach was still running”

Colmore Depot were a Birmingham based Morris and Wolseley main dealer throughout the thirties decade. (they also had locations elsewhere) Here is a view of one of their Birmingham showrooms displaying both new and used models alongside one another. The photo was taken during the 1934 season as the new car prices are from that model year. On the right is a 1934 Morris Minor Sliding-head Saloon, its price ticket showing £130, while further along the line is a new Wolseley Nine listed at £179. The ‘used’ 1933 season Minor Special Coupe with its Birmingham registration of OJ 9650 has an asking price of just £118, quite a discount from its new price a year earlier of £165.  There are at least three forum members with Minors carrying OJ prefixes, all of which are likely to have originally been sold through a Colmore Depot dealership.

This press photo was taken alongside the A127, Southend Road near Gallows Corner, Romford on Sunday 7th July 1935 and shows the traffic streaming out of London towards that famous resort. Note also the numerous cyclists who have taken to the road that day. Of interest is the Wolseley Hornet Special (TG 6173) which was first registered in Glamorgan in 1933. The E.W. Hornet is fully laden with four occupants, all of whom look as if they are anticipating a good day out at the Essex resort. Although only two years old at the time, the car’s nearside front tyre is already bereft of any tread.

This Morris Family Eight (HY 4647) was first registered in Bristol in the late spring of 1932 and was photographed for this postcard image parked up in the Somerset village of North Curry, six miles east of Taunton. The village overlooks the Somerset Levels, a place with which many more Minorists will be familiar by this time next year.

This internet-sourced image of Morris Minor Saloon (TF 6995) is of a very early January 1932 Lancashire registered car. It’s seen here somewhere in Spain, heavily laden and driven by a Michael Tippet. This is all that is known of the backstory to this fascinating photograph. Since this initial caption was written Joe Rayner has carried out some internet research and uncovered the following: “…

There is a possibility that some will remember this photo as one of the first ten in this series. Its reprise is just a small commemoration of the life of Kathleen Stone who recently died. Kath, as she was universally known is the right-hand figure in this trio taken in 1939 when she was just ten years old. The photo was taken on Hayling Island on England’s south coast in August of that year, less than a month away from the start of the Second World War. The 1929 Morris Minor Fabric Saloon (MM 8069) is loaded to the gunwales with luggage and camping equipment and is a testament to its sturdiness. (RIP Kath Stone 1929-2023)

JY 2651 is a 1935 Plymouth registration which can be seen here adorning the front of a 1934 season Morris Minor Saloon. The car is parked up in the small Devonshire town of Ashburton just 24 miles from its place of first registration. The town centre looks to be busy on what is probably a late thirties summer Saturday morning with plenty of people around, including children of school age.

This eBay-sourced snapshot initially gave little away. The OHC Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon seen passing behind the two elegantly dressed ladies could not be identified as its registration plate was out of shot. The canopies shading the shop windows provided a clue to help identify the location. The two left-hand canopies simply read Florist and Fruiterer respectively, while on the third and fourth canopies the words Gilbert & Hall Chemist can just be discerned. A little internet searching revealed that Gilbert & Hall were a Bournemouth-based chemist during the thirties, the location and the ladies’ attire, therefore, being unsurprising and congruous.

TV 7166 started life as a Nottingham City Borough Council registered 1932 season Morris Minor Family Eight. It survived the war and the introduction of the first MOT (Ten-Year) Test in the early sixties to be purchased in Norwich by a young Neil Piper who contacted the Network earlier this month asking if his car had survived. Thankfully, it has,  although not as a saloon. The car was largely intact as a lwb saloon in April 2016 when it was advertised on carandclassic (still located in Norwich) for £2000. It disappeared from view for a few years before re-emerging in August 2021 as a Minor special project just prior to being purchased by Network forumist Carolynne Campbell. The car is now undergoing a full rebuild as a lwb special and hopefully will emerge soon to begin a new lease of life in Carolynne’s hands.

Pendower is a small coastal village in Cornwall boasting a magnificent beach. This postcard image of WL 8201 a late 1929 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (minus its spare wheel) was taken prior to May 1934, the date of its postmark. The car was some considerable distance from its place of first registration and manufacture which of course was the City of Oxford.

This Morris Motors press photograph of their 1932 season Morris Minor Sliding-head Saloon is just one of a sequence of images taken of the car in that photo session. Of the six years that the Minor was in production the 1932 models have long been regarded by many as possessing the most pleasing lines, accentuated by the fluted radiator surround. Unlike the clinical environments in which today’s automobiles are produced the oil-stained floor upon which the Minor is standing would appear to indicate that in the thirties drips of oil were of little concern.

HD 4541 was a 1932 (’33 season) Dewsbury (West Yorkshire) registered Morris Minor Saloon photographed almost 100 miles south of its place of first registration in Tamworth, Staffs. To the right of the photograph can be seen a Taylor’s the Chemist shop, part of a national chain that was purchased by the Timothy White’s concern in 1935 becoming Timothy White’s & Taylor’s (The chain was eventually absorbed by Boots the Chemist in 1968). This fact enables the image to be dated far more accurately than is usually the case with postcards, as HD 4541 was a very late 1932 registration, so this was taken sometime in the intervening period prior to the Timothy White takeover.

According to the caption on the reverse of this photo, it was taken at Hopeman in Morayshire on the 11th of August 1952. The car is a 1934 Morris Minor Two-seater (MU 8953 or 59) first registered by the main London Morris Motors dealer, Stewart & Ardern. Already eighteen years old, the car was a long way from London’s environs and may have made the long trek north as transport for a holidaymaking couple from the ‘smoke’. It was after all the peak holiday period.

The vast majority of car owners today would not consider the passenger seat of a small saloon car as a suitable posing position for a family photograph. Nowadays it would have to be something fairly exotic to tempt the sitter to pose as this woman is. While car ownership in the West during the third decade of the twenty-first century is regarded as a right of passage, back in the recession hit U.K. of the 1930s it was a new experience for many working-class families and certainly worthy of a snapshot for the family album. This unidentified 1932 Morris Minor Sliding-head Saloon photo was sourced via the Internet.

Lyme Regis is regarded as the jewel at the centre of the Jurassic Coast and in the 21st century attracts visitors from around the globe, thanks to its U.N. World Heritage Site status. This postcard was taken post-1933 (although not posted until 1950) as a Morris Cowley of that vintage can be seen parked second from the left while a 1930 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon carrying a Dorset registration (TK 5024) is just a short distance away. On the opposite side of this car park (which continues in use to this day) is another Minor, a Sliding-head model from 1932 or ’33. Unfortunately, its registration plate is partly obscured.

Finding suitable images for this spot from internet auction sites can be very frustrating as well as rewarding. The frustration comes when someone outbids you for a particularly interesting item, while a poorly described gem means that it is possible to pick up extremely good images for next to nothing. What you see above is certainly not a gem but is an interesting photo of an early 1933 Oxford City Borough Council  £105 Morris Minor Two-seater (JO 6231). It has been fitted with the later 1934 radiator surround at some point, along with a pair of sidelights and what look to be oversized headlamps. It’s not clear when this photo was taken – it could be either pre or post war, while the caption on its reverse simply reads “Graham’s first car”.

Here we have an excellent photographic postcard image of East Street, Bridport, Dorset which was taken in or around 1933, certainly not much later. The Morris Minor featured here is AKE 468, a 1933 model Sliding-head Saloon which appears to be the youngest of the cars on view. The town’s clock indicates that the time is almost 11:30 AM on a mid-summers day judging by the brevity of the shadows.

These internet sourced images of a 1931 Middlesex registered MG Midget (HX 3785) were both taken in the village of Raphoe, County Donegal in August 1931. The captions on the rear of the photos indicate that they were taken at the village’s rectory (the building survives), while the dog-collared village reverend stands alongside the car. The Midget is equiped for touring with a luggage rack attached to the boot lid and a GB plate, the car’s occupants presumably over from England for a holiday.

Finding images of pre-war Morris Minor specials is not an everyday occurrence. Two of these images have been resident in the Network’s archive for almost two years, while the third (top left) was discovered on eBay very recently. Coventry Motor Sundries built an indeterminate number of Minor Specials between late 1929 and early 1931.  John Grindlay a Managing Director of the company in October 1966 wrote to the Morris Register historian (Harry Edwards) informing him that “about 200” Minor specials were built, although some cast doubt on this figure. These photos are all of the same vehicle LG 4988, a late 1930 Cheshire-registered CMS Morris Minor Super Sports. The top right and lower images are from the late Tim Harding’s collection, while the third (the eBay souced pic) was clearly taken at the same time. Although these images have been separated from one another for some time it’s appropriate that they get to be reunited via our IOTW feature.

JF 2437 is a December 1931 Leicester City Borough Council registered 1932 season Morris Minor Saloon. The left-hand image originates on a 35mm colour slide recently purchased on eBay. The photo looks to have been taken in the mid to late sixties and the car, although apparently in regular use, is in a very sorry state. The doors have dropped, the scruffy paintwork is edged in rust and a large dent is visible on the rear wing. The second image was taken in 2018 at the Wilton Country Fair near Salisbury and here the restored car is being exhibited by its owner. According to the DVLA, it last changed hands in 2015 while prior to that it was auctioned by Richards Edmunds in 2012. There are other images of the restored car dating back to 2009 which are held in the Network’s archive.

This recently acquired period factory photograph of a 1932 Morris Minor (sliding-head) Saloon illustrates the direction car design was taking in the early thirties. For Morris Motors that meant the removal of the roof overhang above the windscreen, which must have marginally improved aerodynamics, or using their terminology created an “eddyfree” frontage. The doors were also significantly larger than those seen on the 1931 season model, improving access and egress for the car’s occupants. The Pytchley sliding roof was similarly regarded as a big step forward when compared to its Kopalapso fabric forerunner as fitted to the 29-31 Coachbuilt Saloons, while the larger Dunlop Magna wheel centres were also an updated feature for the Minor. (Morris Motors negative no. 10126)

Depicted here is an OHC Morris Minor Saloon in a scrapyard setting, the photo being taken in the early postwar years, possibly as late as the mid-fifties. The Minor version looks to be that of an early nickel-plated radiator Fabric Saloon, the clue being the dull rad-surround. Its n/s rear wing could also have white blackout paint on its outer edge. Sadly, the number plate is almost totally obscured hampering accurate dating. Thank you to Halbe Tjepkema for submitting the photo which he unearthed on Facebook.

Seen here is what looks to be an almost new 1934 Morris Minor Saloon (JF 5851) sitting between its proud owners. The car was first registered in the spring of 1934 by the Leicester City Borough Council. The besuited male with his smart pin-collar shirt and the RAC membership badge attached to the radiator cap might indicate that he was a commercial traveller by trade. (Image ex the late Tim Harding collection)

This lovely snapshot of Southend registered 1932 E.W. Wolseley Hornet special (JN 2189) was probably taken late into the thirties decade if the general condition of the car is indicative of its age.

VO 6655 is a late 1931 (1932 season) Nottinghamshire-registered Morris Minor Saloon. The snapshot tells us little other than that the Minor has been fitted with a front bumper, a non-standard item, while the driver is seen holding a biscuit in his left hand. There is no caption on the reverse to enlighten us as to why.

UG 8642 is a 1934 Morris Minor sliding-head saloon that was first registered in Leeds, Yorks. There are very few clues as to where or when this damaged image was taken, although it’s likely to have been in the pre-war years. For those of a certain age, familiar with UK television programs from the seventies, the character on the left of the photo bares some resemblance to Dick Emery’s son.

JJ 6245 is a 1933 London-registered Wolseley Hornet Saloon. This family snapshot was probably taken in the mid-thirties on a warm summer weekend afternoon somewhere in the home counties. With the household’s small dog in the foreground and the car’s male driver behind the camera lens, this is an archetypical British middle-class image of the period. They may well have lived in Metroland, their six-cylinder Hornet Saloon an appropriate status symbol.

David Tennant from Ottawa, Canada recently contacted the Network enquiring about the whereabouts of VG 3260 a Coachbuilt saloon he owned in the mid-fifties. We know that David’s old saloon body now sits on a Minor chassis in Devon while VG’s chassis is now adorned with a CMS Sports body. The photos below depict VG 3260 when in David’s ownership in the fifties (TL), as a Semi-Sports replica (TR), as purchased by Mike Houston (BL) and with it’s restored body, before it was separated from the chassis and sold. David writes:

I obtained the car in about April 1956 from my brother, a car mechanic, who had owned it for 18 months or so (before this he had a 1931 or 32 MG F Magna). He gave it a pretty extensive engine overhaul and I think I paid him about 50 or 60 pounds for the car (about the same as the oil pressure when cold!), he in the meantime had gone upmarket to a 1932 4-door ohc model!
I was a sergeant in the RAF at the time stationed at RAF Langtoft near Market Deeping in Lincolnshire and my first journey was from my home in Belton near Gt Yarmouth to camp, about 100 miles or so. Over the course of the next 6 months or so it made numerous trips back and to Langtoft with never a missed beat and always getting 30 plus mpg with 3 occupants. As well, as I was in charge of the transmitting and receiving radio stations at RAF Langtoft and these were physically well separated, I used it as my daily transport between locations rather than using an RAF issue bicycle! The photo you attached may still have the Bosch windscreen wiper motor which I installed on it. When I bought it was Blue with black mudguards and I repainted it with Valspar enamel and it looked, to my eyes anyway, pretty good. In about September or so 1956, I part exchanged it for a 1937 Morris 8 series 1 with a fellow sergeant Albert Watchman. I was demobbed in Nov 1956 so I don’t know its history after then. Bert Watchman was a long-term regular airman so he may well have moved on from RAF Langtoft although I think he was nearing the end of his service. His home town was West Hartlepool. My right calf muscle is a little larger than my left likely as a result of the braking pressure required. The only other problem I recall was, I think a common one, that the oil seal into the cam box was nowhere near 100% effective and the dynamo performance suffered somewhat through leakage. However, at that time it was a maintenance problem although a previous owner had obviously cut down the oil feed to the cams and it showed. I think I replaced a couple of tyres 4.00X19 ( a contemporary upmarket wheel diameter!) When I had it the folding roof mechanism was still present but inoperable. You will note the photo I attached has been cropped. Somewhere or other I have the original. On the left was a split-screen post-war Minor and on the right was my brother’s 4-door 1932 Minor. Collectively in this day and age worth a bit! BTW I am now 88 years of age.

Finding an image of a Morris Minor Semi-Sports is always cause for a small celebration. Just 744 were built in its one season of production (1931) although well over 500 of them were actually sold in the late summer and autumn of 1930. It was of course the launch of the £100 S.V. Minor Two-seater just prior to Christmas 1930 that was the cause of this rapid fall-off in orders for the £125 OHC car. RX 7482 is a late summer Berkshire registration, so an early example of the model. Little else can be gleaned from the photo other than to record that the six-light saloon standing alongside was a late twenties Liverpool registered car, while the building could be a single storey domestic residence, despite its corrugated steel roof.

J.S. Fry & Son were a Bristol based confectioner with a history dating back to the late 18th century. During a large portion of the 20th century they were among the top three chocolate manufacturers in the U.K. having been taken over by the Cadbury concern in 1919. Perhaps their best known product was Fry’s Turkish Delight, a top selling confection well into the 1970’s. By the early 1950’s Fry was was the largest employer in Bristol and their chocolate was sold across the globe. This photo was taken at their (then) ultra modern and partially completed factory in Somerdale during 1931 and shows a line-up of six company liveried and locally registered Morris 5 cwt vans. The Bristol factory was closed in 2010 when Cadbury was purchased by the American food giant, Kraft. (Image courtesy Jonathan Barwick)

Here are two of a trio of photographs of a 1928 City of Lincoln registered Morris Minor Fabric Saloon (VL 1379). It belonged to a wholesale firm of boot and leather traders known as Leslie E. Whattam Ltd who were located on the outskirts of the cathedral city. The third unpublished shot shows the front of the Minor along with what looks like a Cowley saloon with their noses protruding from a garage doorway. On the reverse of the image displaying the Minor in a seriously damaged state is a caption which reads: Accident occurred on September 27th 1929 at 9:50 on the Wragby Outer Circle road. The internet reveals very little about the firm but a very sad end (at least for the body) for what was one of the earliest Minors to leave Cowley.

BR 9151 is a late 1931 (32 season) Sunderland registered Morris Minor Saloon owned by a female driver as the handwritten caption on its reverse reveals. Occupying the rear seat is the owner’s pet dog, which according to the caption is only just big enough to accommodate the animal.

This photo of a gathering of cars outside an historic building was probably taken in 1931 or 1932, The registration plates of the vehicles involved indicate that the building may have been a hotel as cars have gathered from the home counties and as far west and northwest as Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. The 1930 Surrey registered MG Midget (PL 2595), has its owner sitting astride the bonnet, although why is not apparent. If anyone recognises the building please make contact via info@prewarminor.com

The photographer who took this snapshot has not made it easy to determine precisely which model of light car the subject is standing alongside. The man is positioned directly in front of the car’s rear end while his stance blocks the view of the offside back wheel where a glimpse of a hubcap may have provided an important clue. It has many of the hallmarks of a 1929 MG Midget, including the forward opening doors, the shape of the seat back and the curvature of the door top. The depth of the radiator surround and bonnet louvres again shout Midget while the lighting, windscreen glass and steering wheel are definitely not original to a factory M Type. However, the big giveaways are the side-valence louvres which are just about visible, confirming the car to be a MG Midget. Dating the photograph is also not straightforward, although the man’s attire indicates that is was probably taken in the forties or fifties.

The Silver Jubilee of King George V marking his 25 years on the throne was widely celebrated on 6th May 1935. The owner of this barely recognisable 1930 Gloucestershire registered Morris Minor Saloon (DF 9932) had adorned his car with flags and bunting, along with two huge coins featuring the king’s head as part of his village’s celebrations. The photo appeared on page 926 of the 24th May 1935 edition of The Autocar. (LAT photoscan courtesy Motorsport Images.)

This was a header photo to an article on parking which appeared in the 12th April 1935 edition of The Autocar (P627). The photo was taken at the Waterloo Place car park in London and is interesting on a number of counts, not least of which is the question of the photographer’s vantage point. However, there is one significant element of Morris Minor interest sitting immediately below the ‘I’ of the word ‘parking’. Here is seen a lwb Minor special in the shape of a Cunard Calshot. It’s not known how many Calshots were built, but there are just three known survivors. Could this be a photo of one of those? How many other Minors are in shot? (LAT photoscan – Courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Here we have an unidentified 1932 Morris Minor Saloon with its extremities painted white in order to comply with wartime blackout regulations. Alongside stands an RAF Sergeant Frank and his sister, Eva. It’s probable that the RAF NCO was home on leave, very precious moments in a time of conflict. The photo appears here courtesy of member Paul Brigden, who writes: “The pic was taken in Dawlish and its pretty obvious ‘when’ with the hand painted blackout white stripes.  Cousin Frank was demobbed from the RAF post war and started a garage business offering petrol, car sales and repairs which he ran until his retirement, while Eva had a sweet shop.”

Following on from IOTW no.652 taken in Mablethorpe, we have another Lincolnshire seaside town postcard shot, on this occasion taken 17 miles further south in Skegness. The photographer occupies a lofty position looking down over a junction where a police constable directs the traffic. Approaching the junction is a 1932 Morris Minor Sliding-head Saloon (VV 1523), a Northamptonshire registered vehicle.

Both of these images were discovered by Jonathan Barwick on a postcard site here. Coincidently, in each shot a 1932 Morris Minor Saloon is seen parked up outside of a pub. The left-hand shot shows a late 1931 Breconshire registered car (EU 4699) in the village of Llanfihangel-Nant-Melan, Powys, parked adjacent to the Red Lion, an establishment that survives to this day. Unfortunately, the number plate of the Minor in the right hand photo is illegible, although it’s known that the inn was named The Talbot Hotel, located in New Radnor. The Red Lion and the Talbot Hotel were just 3 miles apart, so could the same Minor be featuring in both photos?

It really is amazing just how many Morris Minors featured on 1930’s postcards. Some of them don’t just feature, they are the main focus of attention, as is RY 7890 a 1929 Tourer in this image. The car was first registered in the City of Leicester, while the photo was taken in the seaside resort of Mablethorpe, Lincs, just 80 miles distant from the city in question. The photograph was almost certainly taken during July or August, at 5-55 PM, if the clock on a building to the left is correct, the shadows appearing to bear this out. The Minor is fully laden with four adults on board, with seemingly little or no space to accomodate the child standing on the running board. Despite the time of year, the car still wears a louvred/slatted radiator blind normally fitted for the winter months and then removed each spring.

The Enfield & District Motor Club held one of their club trials in early November each year, naming it the ‘Guy Fawkes’ trial for an obvious reason. In pre-war years it was always a well attended event, both by spectators and participants alike. This retouched Autocar photograph was taken at the 1933 event and features a 1930 Morris Minor Semi-Sports (WM 5679) negotiating a sea of mud. The car was first registered in Southport, Lancs, which may indicate the national appeal of the event, the motoring magazines always giving it a mention. The driver’s name is unknown. (Photo courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Thanks to Andy Brown for forwarding this snapshot image of AXB 458, a 1933 Morris Minor Post Office Telephones Linesman’s 5 cwt van. The van was registered in London at the tail-end of 1933 and its body was probably built by Duple, the GPO contracting much of its specialist body construction work to this company at that time. Note the bulb horn on the scuttle and extendable ladder strapped to the vehicle’s roof.

This sketch of a 51 year old William Morris (as he was then known) by automotive artist Algernon Rowe was drawn in August 1928, the month in which the Morris Minor was officially launched. He went on to become a peer of the realm, eventually being honoured with the title Viscount Nuffield in 1938 for both his industrial achievements and his philanthropic funding of institutions and research facilities. He died, aged 85 in August 1963. (Photoscan courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Morris Register member Neil Truslove submitted this family photograph from the mid-thirties. The car is either a 1932 or 33 Morris Minor Saloon, the couple standing alongside hiding the model-year tell-tale signs. The image is so redolent of the period, in that the family car featured in so many snapshot images from the twenties right through to the sixties. In the 21st century ‘selfies’ seem to dominate and unless you own a Porsche or some other form of exotica, a car is rarely deliberately included in the shot.

This extract from a larger Autocar print shows a Morris Minor Arrow Two-seater Special lined-up alongside an M.G. Midget at  the Eastbourne Concours Event in September 1930 (magazine edition dated 19-9-30). Both cars will have been relatively new at that time, the first production Midgets leaving Oxford in February 1929, with the first A.P. Compton bodied Arrow Minors appearing in the late autumn of that year. While no production statistics are known to have survived from the various concerns that inherited the Arrow name, the motoring magazine ‘small ads’ columns of the period  clearly indicate that Morris Minor Arrow bodies were by far and away the most popular ‘special’ type to adorn the pre-war Morris Minor chassis. (Photo extract courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Hawkes Bay in New Zealand is best known for its wine and magnificent coastal scenery. Back at the end of July 1987 the local vintage car community were celebrating the return to competition of 80 year-old Bart O’Rouke. The Hawkes Bay Car Club arranged a special sprint event to mark their 40th anniversary and Bart ( a founder club member) got to drive the car in which he first competed back in the 1950’s. His 1931 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (M24532) had been sold to NZ Minor enthusiast Neville Wilson three years earlier, and he was very happy to permit Bart to be reunited with his old saloon for that special occasion.

Why does a Valentine’s postcard of a 1933 Morris Ten-Four (– 2007) feature this week? A good question, answered by stating that at the time of purchase on eBay it was believed to be that of a Morris Minor. Closer inspection revealed the tell-tale Lucas Altette horn centrally affixed to the wingbrace cross-member along with the car’s headlamps. The family likeness is apparent in the similarity of the Ten-Four’s front profile with that of the Minor. The photograph is also well worth seeing, providing an interesting period view of Winchester High Street, framed by the city’s West Gate.

Following on from IOTW no.643 here is another Birmingham postcard image, this one taken in Tyburn Road and forwarded to the Network once again by  Mike Tebbett. (Thank you, Mike.)  OC 3315 is a 1933 or ’34 season Morris long wheelbase Saloon. The car has certainly seen better days, the likelihood being that this photo was taken in the years immediately following  WWII if the signage and clothing fashions are anything to go by. The city’s early tram network closed in 1953, so this image pre-dates that time. Parking that close to a roundabout on a busy main road would prompt a very speedy response from the constabulary, should anyone be foolish enough to do that today.

Thanks goes to Mike Tebbett for forwarding this postcard image of a 1931 Surrey registered Wolseley Hornet Saloon (PJ 441). The car looks to be the fabric bodied version as there is no evidence of the Kopalapso roof, which was a standard fitment on the Coachbuilt model. The postcard’s caption is missing, therefore the location is unknown. Could this be a Croydon suburb, the overhead trolleybus cables providing a small clue, along with the car’s Surrey registration plate? Thanks to Jonathan Barwick’s detective work, we now know that this photograph was taken on Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, which is where The Waggon & Horses pub is located. This link provides the lowdown: www.francisfrith.com/sheldon/sheldon-wa … 7_s1018503

Gordon England was a noted automotive personality throughout the Twenties and well on into the Thirties decades. His car designs owed much to his WWI aviation background. His use of  lightweight timbers and body bracing cross members coming directly from that experience. His ‘England’ Specials, produced at Wembley, all had rubber mounted bodies to help isolate the occupants from bumps and other uneveness in the road surface. The two models seen here were available to purchase from late 1929 to the early spring of 1931, the two-seater providing the inspiration for the Gordon England designed 1931 Morris Minor Semi-Sports model.

Another postcard image, this one featuring the town of Maldon in Essex. The photo was taken on Monday 5th June 1933, at the town’s Whitsun parade. The brass band is being followed by an open 1933 Morris Minor and a Rover saloon, the cars possibly advertising the services of the Maldon Garage in Station Road, Morris agents for the town.

This Morris Motors image of the engine used in their newly launched Morris Minor, graced page 444 of the 14th August 1928 edition of The Autocar. The same photo was used in the 1929 and 1930 editions of The Morris Minor Operation Manual for the model despite the production engines possessing slightly visually different features. (Autocar photoscan courtesy of Motorsport Images)

This eBay sourced image is difficult to date precisely. HN 7026 is a very late 1929 Darlington registered Morris Minor Fabric Saloon. The be-suited young man may be a commercial traveller, the Minor being his company vehicle.  The car looks to be in good condition and could still be wearing its original three-stud Dunlop tyres.

What could be more mundane than a picture of a factory and one of its car parks? This Excel Series postcard image however will be of interest to those who hold the Morris marque in esteem along with the cars that left these works in Cowley, Oxon. Could the car park be for the shop floor workers at the factory or for those in management roles? From what can be seen, none of the cars are post 1932 models and plenty of them appear to be Minors, with no non-Morris models evident. If they were shop floor worker’s vehicles, then Morris Motors were well paying their staff, as the recession was biting particularly hard at this time.

UP 4425 is a 1930 Durham registered Morris Minor Fabric Saloon. It has been photographed here in mountainous terrain, perhaps in the English Lake District, or as seems more likely, the Scottish Highlands; the tartan kilt worn by the seated female providing the clue. Progress through the mountains must have been slow if any distance was travelled along that mountain track. (The photograph forms part of the late Tim Harding‘s collection)

The Austin Seven will always be associated with the term ‘Baby car’ and for good reason. Its open four-seat version was dubbed ‘Chummy’, another reference to the model’s diminutive stature. The 14th October 1927 edition of The Autocar went one step further and attempted (by  cut and pasting photographs) to make it appear even smaller. (LAT photoscan courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Two postcard shots of OHC Minor Saloons feature this week which co-incidently were both taken in Kentish towns. The top image was taken in Maidstone town centre with an Essex registered 1930 Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (VX 7593) holding the photographer’s attention. The lower, (badly) hand coloured photo looks to have been taken later in the thirties decade in Hythe, on Kent’s south coast. Here a 1931 Morris Minor Fabric Saloon (KJ 1658) has been poorly parked at the kerbside outside an Estate Agents. Neither registration is currently recorded on the DVLA’s database

This eBay sourced image depicts what may simply be a mother and son who have exchanged hats, or perhaps a music hall act posing by the roadside, both carrying a set of golf clubs? It’s of interest to us as the car behind them may or may not be a 1934 Morris Minor Four-door Saloon, or possibly a 10/4. What does our forum panel think?

This 1930 Southampton registered OHC  Morris Minor special (TR 9693) was a surprising find among a batch of Motor 35 mm negatives, particularly as they were dated February 1939 and taken at the Chiltern Car Club’s annual trial. A little research in the archive revealed that the car was owned by H.S. Pearson and used competitively by him from 1937 onwards. Other images of this car (which has a squared-off tail) appeared in in a 1938 edition of Light Car while a third can be found among the Bill Brunell collection held at Beaulieu. (Photo courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Here we have two internet sourced images of 1933 Morris Minor Two-seater XJ 6716, a February 1933 Manchester registered car. The photos look like they were taken either just prior to, or just after WWII if the condition of the vehicle is anything to go by. The Two-seater has been fitted with a luggage rack along with a spotlight and bumpers, the latter two of being favoured add-ons by owners.

Two period postcards, both with unidentified Minors provide the subject matter for this week’s IOTW. The first of these sees a 1931 scuttle tank SV Minor Coachbuilt Saloon parked-up in the market square of Stourminster Newton, a small Dorset village, nestling in the Blackmore Vale. The location for the second postcard image is Dunfermline in Fife, several hundred miles further north from Dorset. Here a 1933 long wheelbase Morris Family Eight Saloon sits below the town’s Abbey walls. (N.B. Dunfermline has very recently been granted city status)

John McDonald has been a rich source of Minor images for this slot, all of which have originated in New Zealand. John believes that this image dates from around 1935 and was taken in Kauwhata and was found in the BNZ archive. It features a 1932 Morris Minor Family Eight (X19.738) but arguably the most interesting element in the photograph is the versatility of the wooden building, alongside of which the car is parked. It appears to serve at least four purposes. Clearly a branch of an NZ bank, it also dispenses petrol, serves as a hairdressing salon and houses the office of a local solicitor!

Yet another New Zealand Minor photograph, unearthed (as on many previous occassions) by John McDonald. The image captures the opening of a new facility for the Maungaturoto Dairy Company, Northland, N.Z. on 23rd November 1934. The parked 1932 Morris Minor Saloon is dwarfed by the large American built Fords, Buicks and Dodges, the models from Detroit and Dearborn massively outselling the British imports in New Zealand at that time. (Note the even smaller Austin Seven) The image can be found  in The Auckland Memorial Museum.

TM 4531 is a 1929 Bedfordshire registered Morris Minor Fabric Saloon. The image is uncaptioned but it’s apparent that the photograph was taken during wartime as the car’s headlamps are shrouded in accordance with the law, while the wing edges have also been painted white. The Minor is showing its age with the lower section of the door having been subjected to a poor fabric repair. Is the tall young man a student or perhaps someone in a reserved occupation? As always, many unanswered questions! (Photo ex Tim Harding collection)

This is another great photo from the late Tim Harding’s collection. Here Morris Minor Coachbuilt Saloon (TK 4394), a Dorset registration) provides the centrepiece for a family album snapshop captioned “Bere Regis 12th April 1931”. Perhaps the occasion was a christening for the child perched upon the bonnet? At that time the Minor would have been just under a year old. Today, Bere Regis is a small rural community of under 2000 inhabitants with just a solitary shop according to Wikipedia.

MM 7873 is a 1929 Middlesex registered Morris Minor Fabric Saloon which was owned in the thirties by a family of optimists/masochists. It’s clear that they were determined to enjoy the picnic they had prepared despite the prevailing weather conditions of rain and what looks like a heavy sea mist or fog. Overcoats, umbrellas and deck chairs; it could only happen in Britain. This image was from a collection assembled by the late Tim Harding.

Like the south coast concourse events, caravan rallies were another Thirties speciality. Here a rarely photographed 1931 Wolseley Hornet Coupe, carrying an Edinburgh registration (FS 494) is seen with its proud Scottish owner alongside, who, it is likely will have travelled the over 420 miles to Minehead, where this Autocar sponsored event was taking place. (LATplate B8983 – Courtesy of Motorsport Images)

This uncaptioned image is one of two of this car from the late Tim Harding’s collection of historic automotive photos. WO 611? is a 1932 Monmouthshire registered Morris Minor Two-seater and that really is about all we can gleen from the photo. The second image, which is in very poor condition, shows the car in profile passing a railway arch with even less detail apparent. What we can determine from this photo and the smile on the owners face, is  that he was enjoying his time behind the wheel of his Minor!

The list of Morris Minors known to have appeared competitively at Brooklands is not a very long one. However, this photo does provide proof that 1932 Morris Minor Sliding-head Saloon (PJ 8425) can safely be added to that number as it is seen hear climbing the famous Brooklands Test Hill. While the event is described as the JCC First Meeting, the name of the driver remains unknown. (LATplate B9562 – courtesy of Motorsport Images)

Lancefield was a respected firm of coachbuilders located in a hotspot for that industry among the west London boroughs. Their usual clients were those with large cars and deep pockets but they did occasionally turn their hand and their design skills to building bodies for lighter models. Here are two examples of their Parallite body for the Wolseley Hornet. The 1933 saloon version can be seen in the top image, while their earlier 1932 two-seater FHC can be found below. At the time these designs were deemed to be fururistic by some, while the passage of time has confirmed that in reality they were always ugly. (Lower image from the LAT collection Motor Plate 777-23 – courtesy of Motorsport Images)

These post-war images of 1933 Blackpool registered Morris Minor Two-seater (FV 3304) were kindly submitted by Stuart Clarke. The photos, which were probably taken in the late fifties or early sixties, show a car that has been on the receiving end of some notable modifications, including the repositioning of its driving lights, the addition of sidelights and a wing support bar, Hartford shock absorbers and strangely, black paint to the lower portion of the windscreen. The bespectacled young man and his hat-wearing border collie appears to affirm the Minor’s role as a student hack.

Saloons and glamour are not words that you often see adjacent to one other and the long-wheelbase Minors typified that adage. They were rarely mentioned in dispatches or seen participating in pre-war sporting events, spending most of their time performing the mundane tasks for which they were originally designed. That is not to say that their owners didn’t appreciate them for what they were. Here a proud custodian stands alongside his pride and joy, an unidentified 1932 Morris Family Eight. The four word caption on the reverse of the photo reveals all : “The new little car!”

This post-war image of an Antipodean bodied Morris Minor was submitted by regular contributor, John McDonald from Christchurch, New Zealand. It’s believed to be a 1933 season Minor chassis, upon which sits a body that possesses some of the attributes of the later Morris Eight tourer, such as the sloping back and ‘suicide’ cut-away doors. These styling cues may indicate that the body and chassis were not united until later in the thirties dcade.

Wartime snapshot images such as this example can be potent and bring home the hardship of that period far more forcefully than the written word. Here the ‘blackout’ headlamp covers on 1934 Carlisle registered Morris Minor Saloon (HH 7204) help pinpoint the period while the stance and general weariness displayed on the face of the woman standing alongside contrasts starkley with that of the two children.

Over 20,000 Morris Minor Saloons left Cowley between the autumn of 1928 and the late summer of 1930. Of these, the greater number were to be the Fabric Saloon model, the only available version for 1929 and a cheaper option to the Coachbuilt Saloon, which was introduced for 1930. It should therefore come as no surprise that the majority of period snapshots of these OHC saloons, found on eBay and elsewhere, feature the Fabric Saloon. This photo is just another such example, this one being an unidentified 1930 model year car (?? 3259), while the image was almost certainly taken during the run-up to the commencement of The Second World War.