1. A Series 1 Morris tourer.
The first two Morris 8 tourer photographs turned up together in a batch. Close investigation suggests they are probably one and the same car, sadly the registration number (CLN 673) was out of view in the second photo.
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One for the 'Amazing Coincidences' file.
Every now and then, someone drops me a line with more information on a car that features on the site, and/or corrections. On very rare occasions, a reader will recognise a specific vehicle that features in a period photograph, and can add more information on it. Occasionally I hear from the present owner of a certain car, expressing surprise at finding a period shot of their pride and joy on the internet. Mark's email though, received in December 2013, tops the lot so far in terms of photographs on the site, and weird coincidences. Regarding the photo shown above, which was added to the site in 2007, he now adds:
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"I was discussing first cars with my 80 year old father-in-law and he said that his was a Morris 8 tourer. I clicked on an image I Google'd of one, and it led me to your site and the first picture on this page. Imagine my utter disbelief when I looked at the lady sitting in the front passenger seat, it is my mother !!!!! She passed away in 1990 and my Father in 1991 so I have no way of asking them about it. I believe the other two people are her Mother and Father, my Grandparents.
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"Their surname is Round.
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"If you still have access to this picture, I would be grateful if you could see if there is anything written on the back, or any other info you may have.
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I'll dig it out and check for you Mark. How you came to stumble across a photograph of your Mother sat in a Morris 8, after speaking to your father-in-law who had one himself, is a quite remarkable coincidence. The next photo was included with the first, and may be of the same car.
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Clues that they are probably the same Morris - the nearside lamp has a ribbed lens, the offside a flat frosted lens (not a unique feature, but all the clues add up!). The distinctively shaped rear view mirror attached to the scuttle is also the same on both cars, and the second photo shows the top-most section of a car badge - perhaps the chrome RAC badge more visible in photo number 1? The hood is folded in both pictures. Unfortunately I have no firm idea which photo came first!! did the Morris start out being a dark colour with black wings, and was it repainted into the brighter paint job seen in second pic? my guess is yes - the car could well have started out as green and black, a factory combination, and the enterprising owner deciding at some point to brighten it up a little during a mid-life renovation project.
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The first photo is undated, but the second one is dated to 1947, so the car was a few years old by this point (the CLN series first appeared in January 1936). The car, an 8hp Morris 8, is a Series 1 example of these popular small Morrises. It is identifiable as a Series 1 by its chrome radiator grille (Series 2 cars had a painted grille), and spoked wheels (Series 2s had plain disc wheels). The majority of Morris 8s sold were saloon cars (like this example, and the Morris 8 featured in the Your Cars section), although both saloon and tourer version of the 8hp Morris are keenly preserved and restored by enthusiasts now. An example of the later Series 2 tourer can be found on this page, and the replacement Series E tourer here.
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2. Another Morris 8 tourer.
Now, two photographs of Morris 8 tourer registration AOJ 252. Whereas the car above was registered in London, this car hails from the Midlands - Birmingham to be exact. The first shot shows the car driving along a narrow rutted track, a note on the rear reads as follows: "Following Buckle Sheet over the Cotswolds".
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The second (tiny) photograph, shows a side-on view of the 1930's tourer, with a doggie stood looking out from the driver's seat, and a lady stood behind.
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3. Morris tourer registration BMA 589 in 1935.
The following two photographs both feature a Series 1 Morris 8, registration BMA 589 - a Cheshire series. This fits in nicely with the location of the first of these images, namely Ruthin in North Wales, on a trip out to a cottage in the Welsh countryside. This natty little tourer was "Rene & Len's first car - BMA 589 - Morris 8", and is seen patriotically flying the flag from its front bumper.
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The second photo of BMA shows two smartly-turned out ladies, Rene and Marjorie, with the Morris at Easter time, 1935. Given that the BMA series was only introduced in August of 1934, the little Morris must have been relatively new. Certainly the hood, raised in this photo but lowered in the first, looks to be immaculate.
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4. A tourer takes part in a carnival, Pontin's Brean Sands 1954.
A Series 1 Morris 8 tourer leads a 1936 Ford Model CX during a carnival procession held at the Pontin's holiday camp, Brean Sands, Somerset, in 1954. The Morris - registration EP 6935 - was first registered in the Montgomeryshire area of Wales in the mid-1930s, this particular series running an amazing 44 years, from 1903 to 1947. Union flags adorn the well-used tourer, as do other decorative features, joined by a young couple perched upon the folded hood assembly.
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The Brean Sands establishment was the first Pontin's holiday camp, 1946 being its first season. It was situated on a former US Army base, used during WW2. The camp continues in business to this day, but judging by reviews read elsewhere, is no longer a dream destination for many disgruntled former visitors. In its ninth year of business at the time of this photograph, already the writing proudly announcing the name of the park on the chalet roof behind the Morris is badly faded, and long overdue a lick of fresh paint.
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Return to the old transport photos - Page 5.
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