“ Get Your Summer Convertible Fix Now ”
No-one will shout at you, cut you up at the lights or show you the middle finger when you’re driving this car.

Background
One of the most instantly recognisable vehicles on the road, the Morris Minor is pungently redolent of all things archaically British – cucumber sandwiches, duffle coats, tea strainers, country pubs and allotments.

Backed-up by countless spare parts providers and simple enough to be repaired at the roadside by a reasonably competent gibbon with a ring spanner, the Morris Minor is a deservedly popular choice among classic car enthusiasts who are perhaps not quite ready for a Lamborghini Miura.

The earliest iteration of Sir Alec Issigonis’ Morris Minor, the Series MM type was produced from late 1948 until early 1953.

In 1952, the Minor was mechanically re-engineered as the Series II following the merger of the Nuffield Organization with the Austin Motor Company to form the British Motor Corporation.

By January 1961 the Morris Minor had sold one million units to become the UK's most successful post-war car to date. By then it had undergone a number of detail alterations: in place of the original's 918cc side-valve engine there was an overhead-valve unit of 948cc, the latter driving through an improved gearbox; the styling had also been revised, the headlamps moving from the radiator grille to the wings on the Series II, and the split front screen being superseded by a curved one-piece windscreen on the Minor 1000.

Semaphore trafficators would soon give way to flashing indicators, and shortly after that - in 1962 - the Series III Minor received its final engine up-grade, to 1,098cc.

Despite the many changes, this final Minor remained recognisably the same car as the original that had debuted at the 1948 Motor Show.

By the time production ended in 1971, more than 1.6 million Morris Minors had been built.

Overview
The vehicle of choice for generations of midwives, district nurses, buck-toothed vicars and elderly aunts scented with lavender and sherry, the Morris Minor is undoubtedly at its most appealingly whimsical when in convertible guise.

The utterly delightful example we have with us today has been cherished by the vendor’s family for 12 years and, prior to that, was in single ownership for 18 years.

Affectionately known as ‘Emily’, the car is in very good condition – outside, inside and underneath.

And that condition extends way beyond the merely aesthetic: this car is in first-class mechanical order.

To illustrate the point, the vendor drove it for 2½ hours to our Oxfordshire HQ.

The car didn’t miss a beat or suggest for one moment that it might.

We have driven it and can attest to the fact that it starts eagerly and the little engine purrs along in a state of chirpy happiness while you potter comfortably at a rather sedate pace along the highways and byways of your choosing.

Exterior
It’s hard to look at this car without a smile creeping across your face.

It’s a joy to behold.

The bodywork is very straight and true.

Certainly, we’ve seen no dinks, dents, dimples, creases or folds that aren’t supposed to be there.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are probably as consistent and even as they would have been when it left the factory.

The wheels are in good order, save for the odd spot of surface rust here and there, and the matching Marshal 777 tyres look to have a decent amount of life left in them.

The maroon-coloured vinyl roof is also good, with no rips, tears or holes in evidence.

The hood achieves a snug fit, goes up and down without too much recalcitrance, and sits neatly under its colour-matched cover.

In general, the paintwork is pretty good, too, and has retained plenty of shine and lustre in most places.

There are a few splits to the paint - next to the boot lid, on the driver’s side ‘A’ pillar and elsewhere - and there are one or two small spots of nascent blistering in the sills, the bottom of the doors and next to the n/s/r tail lights, but they’re very minor and few and far between.

The chrome is decent for the most part, but there is some foxing and spotting on the tail light mounts, on the headlamp surrounds, and here and there on the bumpers.

The chrome film on the windscreen surround is peeling away.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings look good to us.

View the car and current bid price HERE