A shiny new Morris 1100 seen in the early 1960s. - at Old Classic Car
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A shiny new Morris 1100 seen in the early 1960s.
OldClassicCar - visit the OCC homepage. (C) R. Jones 2012
 

Morris 1100 registration 6 LG

Over 800,000 Morris 1100s were built yet how often do you see one now, outside of the classic vehicle shows?? and that figure doesn't include the million+ Austin versions, and all the other badge-engineered variants that were created around the basic ADO16 design. Corrosion, the enemy of most old cars, saw off 1100s in their droves, many before they were very old at all. Subframe and bulkhead corrosion were the killer rotspots for the 1100, crusty wings and arches looked bad but would not automatically have consigned a car to the scrapyard.

Morris 1100 brochure
The 1100 was the brainchild of Alec Issigonis, the man behind the Morris Minor and Mini of course. He applied many of the principles seen in the Mini, and re-worked them to suit this slightly larger car. Again the A Series BMC engine was mounted transversely, driving the front wheels. Interior packaging was such that the interior was light and roomy, as with his other designs (the larger 1800 range was also surprisingly capacious inside).

The 2dr Morris 1100 and sporty twin-carb MG 1100 were first off the blocks in 1962, with a 4dr Morris following later that same year. To keep Austin buyers happy (brand loyalty was a big thing back then), an Austin-badged 1100 was produced, with sales starting in the Autumn of 1963, alongside the established Morris version. Further re-works of the ADO16 would see Riley, Vanden Plas and Wolseley variants join the party, again aimed at loyal buyers who still remembered the marques prior to joining the BMC combine. Three 'Marks' of 1100 and 1300 would appear throughout the production run, which came to an end in 1974. Estate cars, known as the Countryman (Austin) or Traveller (Morris) could also be ordered, from 1966 onwards.

I'd be very surprised if the car shown below still exists, although the RAC vehicle check suggests that the distinctive registration lives on, applied to a Mercedes Benz. Look closely and this Morris 1100 still has the clear plastic covers fitted to the seats.

Morris 1100

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