A suburban road scene with a Morris Eight parked outside a '30s semi. - at Old Classic Car Forum
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A suburban road scene with a Morris Eight parked outside a '30s semi.
Oldclassiccar - visit the classic cars homepage (C) R. Jones 2008
 

An 8hp Morris parked outside a typical 1930s semi-detached house.

EXU 348 is a Morris 8 saloon from the 1930s, and judging by the solid 'Easiclean' wheels rather than spoke wheels, is a Series 2.

Morris 8 Series 2

Background to the Morris 8
The Morris 8 first hit the roads in 1934, with the Series 1 Morris 8 appearing in 1935. It was built as a rival to similarly sized models from Austin, Ford, Wolseley and other British manufacturers and proved to be an excellent seller, taking over from the outgoing Morris Minor first seen in 1928. Unusually for this type of car, it featured hydraulic brakes on all four corners, at a time when cables and rods were very much de-rigueur. Also slightly unusual for the time was fitment of an electric (6v) fuel pump, when other manufacturers were content to use a mechanical AC unit. The engine was a sidevalve unit of 918cc, coupled to a three speed gearbox. The Series 2 made its debut in 1937, when the 'Easiclean' wheels were fitted and a painted grille replaced the chrome on the earlier car (the car in this photograph is fitted with a radiator muff over the grille). In 1938 the car was updated once again, and became the Series E Morris.

Morris 8s were available in 2 and 4 door form, as well as a handy little van and the neat tourer alternative. The two door car shown here was photographed in the 1950s, by which time it was already 20+ years old. The houses in the background are typical of the buildings found in suburbia from the 1930s onwards, with leaded windows and stained glass much in evidence. If these houses still stand, no doubt the window frames will have been replaced with uPVC double glazed units, and the roof adorned with television aerials.

A number of Morris 8s survive in preservation, with many owners who remember the cars 'in their day' still choosing to run one of these little cars - one such owner is Roy, who has a Series 1 and remembers them well from years ago. His Morris story is here. Parts availability for the Morris is good, with many used and new parts being available via owners' clubs, and classified ads such as these.

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