Morris 8 Series 2 Tourers.
1. A tourer in New Zealand.
Various Morris 8s appear in this gallery section, but this is the first old photo of a Morris 8 Series 2 tourer to be added in. Charles kindly sent this photo over from New Zealand, the photograph was taken in 1948 and shows his mother-in-law in her "new" Morris tourer. It was a present for her 18th birthday. Charles adds:
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"The car was apparently used for regular trips between Christchurch and Nelson in New Zealand, a round trip of some 530 miles, which included
some fairly steep climbs near Nelson. The car was sold in the early 1950s and - like so many - never seen again ... The car seems to have every accessory going, including a radiator mascot that looks like it came off something more exotic (it reminds me a bit of a Rolls Royce mascot). While I can identify an AA badge, two horns (?) and an extra light at the front, I have no idea what the protrusions half way down the grill are."
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Charles thinks this is a Series 2 tourer rather than a Series 1, and as it doesn't have the Series 1's spoked wheels I'm inclined to agree. The modifications made to the Morris are extensive to say the least, including a chromed radiator surround reminiscent of that found on the earlier variant. Other upgrades and changes that I can spot include:
- Whitewall tyres fitted to two-tone wheels.
- Rear wheel spats.
- Painted bonnet louvres, and extra bonnet ornamentation.
- Radio aerial (and presumably a radio!).
- White steering wheel.
- Non-standard radiator mascot.
- Extra chrome horns and lamps.
- Non-standard chrome bumper blade and overriders.
- Chrome headlamp surrounds.
- White (covered?) running boards.
Certainly a real bobby dazzler - especially compared to the original Morris 8 Series 2 saloons, and various photographs of Morris 8 Series 1 tourers, also to be found in this archive.
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Thanks for sending that over Charles :-)
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2. Nigel's tourer, reg. DFY 590, in the 1960s.
I spotted the following photograph on a Facebook page, and Nigel - whose photo it is, and whose Morris is in it - agreed to it being shared here (thanks Nigel). The tourer dates to 1938, and he sold the car in 1966. DFY 590 still survives on DVLA's books, and shows as currently (Sept 2015) being on SORN. But where is it now? Nigel would love to contact its current owner. He adds:
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"I bought the car for 30 GBP in 1962 when I was 16 and too young to drive it! It belonged to a local family who I believe bought it new for their son who was conscripted due to the war, and sadly never returned. I sold it in 1966 to a work colleague called Barry Wildman who totally restored it, changing it's colours to green with black wings. He lived somewhere in the Liverpool area and we completely lost touch. I would love to find and see the car again, and in my dreams would buy it back!"
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If anyone can help with the car's current situation, or even its history after Nigel sold it, please drop me a line via the Contact page and I'll forward on the information.
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3. Coachbuilt Australian Morris.
Thanks to Reg for seeking permission for me to share this next photo, the car belonged to the father of a friend, and he posted it on the OCC Facebook page, in the hope that it could be identified. It's clearly a Series 2 Morris 8 tourer, but is especially interesting as it has non-factory, coachbuilt, bodywork. Back in the day, it was commonplace for British car manufacturers to ship their vehicles to Australia as a kit of parts - minus coachwork - in order that they could be re-assembled and bodied as required for the local market. By having a certain percentage of locally-sourced content (ie the bodywork) in them at the point of sale to a customer, such imports avoided steep import duties. When compared to the car shown above, the differences evident on this Australian example are clear to see.
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Return to Page 13 in the classic & vintage car photo gallery.
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