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| Year: |
1960
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| Make: |
BMC / Morris
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| Model: |
Minor 1000 LHD Panel Delivery Van
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| Ext.Color: |
Green
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| Int.Color: |
Yellow metal
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| Mileage: |
19,888
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| Trans Type: |
Auto
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Hallmarks:
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Extremely
rare left-hand drive panel delivery van, originally sold in CA,
purchased by a close friend in 2008 as a project that was never finished
- always stored indoors, all original panels with no rust, most all the
parts to return to running condition incl. a recently completely
rebuilt engine. Very rare, collectible, unique & fun!
Restore it to factory condition or customize it and use it to advertise
a business!
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Warranty:
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N/A
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Keys-Remotes:
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1 key - 0 remote
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Books-Manuals:
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No
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| Price: |
$7,500.00
/ best offer
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*Click
on the above thumbnails to view full screen
photographs of this automobile. More photos
available upon request.
Additional
Details:
(VIN: 0EB496589), a very rare example of a US delivery Morris Minor 1000 panel van - this Morris was sold new in CA and
was used as a service van for cigarette vending machines, the second owner purchased it in 1964 and used it as a daily
driver in high school and college - he even slept in it when he went to concerts and traveled as a 1960’s “hippie.” I have
been in contact with him and he related that he hand-painted the “mural” on the interior roof
as a high school project - it
reads "Ralph." (see photos). The van remained in CA under the stewardship of the second owner until June 2008 whe
it was purchased by a longtime friend and business associate of mine in Detroit as a project that never materialized.
Disassembled in Michigan my buddy was planning to install a newer motor - small block Ford or an EcoBoost, a 5-spd,
trans and all new electronics,
lighting etc. Due to the sale of his storage building, kids, etc. he decided to part with it
along with some other collectible vehicles, was purchased by me in February 2019. It is a project vehicle but it is 100%
solid and
original with *no rust* on the body or in the floors etc. In fact, the only spot of rust on the entire vehicle is on the
outer edge
of the battery shelf in the engine compartment, which could be easily replaced, or ideally the battery would be
moved back and low in the frame for better weight distribution and
safety. It is currently a green exterior color with a light
yellow interior (which revealed itself after a good power washing), but the original color is believed to be an Old English or
Snowberry
white. The floors, doors, body panels, seats, gauges, & even the wood in the rear floor are all original to this
vehicle. It
comes with the original rear differential (installed), a drive shaft, ribcase transmission & an upgraded and recently
completely rebuilt 1,100cc engine from a BMC supplier in England, all
on a pallet (see photos). The alternator, radiator &
water pump, carburetor, a full gasket set, extra steering wheels, 2-sets of hubcaps and other ancillary items are in boxes.
The van has a
disc brake conversion on the front, & the upgraded ribcase trans is the same as what was installed in an
MG Midget 1275.
I have had a few people look at this and all have different ideas -
modify it with all current power train and heat and a/c, paint
it and drive it daily. Others have had the idea to get it on the
road and leave the body and paint as-is. Others have had the
idea to wrap it or paint it as a rolling billboard for their
business. And other have said restore it back to factory specs
and show
it. I think a little of each would be ideal - and the great thing
about this is that it’s a clean slate. The new owner can go any
direction they’d like! Parts are easily available and inexpensive
from suppliers such as British Wiring, Rivergate transmission,
British Auto Parts, Morris Mania, Bull Motif, Charlie Ware, etc.
There are a lot of Morris Minor sedan and convertibles on the
market, and even some Traveller wagons, but I can’t find any panel vans advertised anywhere in the US - all are in England
or Australia. It has always been stored indoor and is currently
on a MI title. This van is very rare, very original and very
cool.
What this van needs:
- it is currently in rolling condition - it needs to be reassembled as far as the motor, trans, etc.
- depending on what motor you go with Rivergate trans is the place to buy a better upgrade from a Datsun 210 5-spd.
(http://www.rivergate5speed.com)
- update it with modern vintage look heat and a/c?? (https://www.vintageair.com/)
- clean up and paint engine compartment
- needs wiring harness and all wiring redone - very cheap through British Wiring
- update the exterior lighting and brake lights etc. to be safer on todays roads
- remove the gas tank and make sure it is clean inside
- new tires, brake lines, etc.
- the interior looks really cool as it is - maybe clean it and paint
it? a completely finished wood floor like the pickups from
the 50’s? Seats are in great condition but it would need carpet and door panels at the least.
- paint? Personally I think it looks really cool as-is.
Maybe even age the paint more and clear coat it? It would be a
very cool
vehicle to advertise your business with.
Tires: N/A (xxx/xx-14f & xxx/xx-14)
Tread Measurements: DF: 5/32, PF: 5/32, DR: 5/32, PR: 5/32 (10/32 is new tire tread depth).
Ownership Timeline:
1960 - purchased in California, used by the business as a cigarette vending machine service vehicle
1964 - purchased by Myles Chute (for $40.00!) and used as a personal vehicle.
06/2008 - purchased by E.Schick and shipped to Birmingham, MI as an intended project
02/2019 - purchased by Brian Buxton and transported to Indiana
03/2019 - offered for sale by Buxton Motorsports in Evansville, IN
History of service:
Unknown - see info on chassis and drivetrain restoration above.
History of the 1956-1971 Morris Minor 1000:
The Morris Minor was a milestone of automotive accomplishment for not
only Great Britain but for the world. It was Britain’s first
million-unit seller, making it a true “people’s car” with over 1.5
million built before production ceased. It began production in 1948,
but the 1000 series discussed here began production in 1956 with the
then-new A-series 948-cc overhead-valve engine of 37 hp. These cars
were also recognizable by their standard one-piece windshield, along
with Minor 1000 badging. The final engine upgrade occurred in 1962,
when a 49-hp A-series engine of 1,098 cc became standard. The badging
remained 1000, however, in a bid for familiarity with prospective
customers.
Designed by Alec Issigonis, later of Mini design fame, the Minor 1000
had performance that eventually extended to a top speed of 70 mph,
slightly faster than the 1,200 cc Volkswagen Beetle of the same era.
The chassis was well ahead of its time, with rack-and-pinion steering,
torsion-bar front suspension and unitary welded one-piece body sans
separate frame.
The car was available in two-door sedan or four-door sedan body styles,
as well as the now much loved and collectible Traveller “woodie”
two-door station wagon and two-door convertible. The convertible had
side rails surrounding side glass in much the same way that the 1950s
Nash Rambler did. There were pickup truck and van versions that were
sold in England as well. Imports into the States trickled down to
nearly nothing by the late 1960s.
In Britain, these cars are ubiquitous at collector car events in much
the same way that 1955–57 Chevrolets or early Mustangs are in North
America, but in North America they are much less common. The kind of
people who bought Minors new were typically people who didn’t want the
idiosyncrasies of Volkswagen Beetles, but who appreciated
well-engineered, conventional small cars. For such a diminutive car,
rarity and a loyal following make for higher values than you’d think,
especially in the United States where they are rarer than in England.
As with most cars, convertibles tend to be valued most highly, and the
Traveler woodies are treated with the same adoration as the similarly
laden Minis.
On October 27, 1948 the Earls Court exhibition centre in London was the
venue of Britain’s first post-war motor show, attracting 562,954
visitors. Many dreamed of owning the new Jaguar XK120, but the Morris
stand was displaying a no less radical and, crucially, somewhat more
attainable model.
The MM-series Minor Saloon and Tourer were both priced at just 358 10s
7d and brought “motoring perfection within reach by satisfying your
ideals and your pocket” – and both debuted at a time when petrol was
stringently rationed and the domestic waiting list for a new car would
run into years.
The lengthy production run of the Minor encompassed the creation of the
British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1952, the formation of British
Leyland (BL) in 1968 and the last Traveller left the production line
into a 1971 of new-fangled decimal coinage and Mungo Jerry records.
The MM was the cheapest of the latest five-strong post-war Morris and
Wolseley line-up; parent Nuffield Group believed that the 1.5-litre
Oxford MO would become its volume seller. In the event, while the
flagship 6/80 did achieve fame as the archetypal 1950s police car, it
was the entry-level Morris that truly captured the public imagination,
giving thousands of show-goers the hope of one day taking delivery of a
new car.
And 70 years ago, the original MM was unlike any other British economy
car. The 918cc, four-cylinder side-valve engine may have been very
familiar – a plan by the car’s designer Alec Issigonis to use a
flat-four-cylinder unit was abandoned on cost grounds – but there was
still rack and pinion steering, independent front springs and bodywork
which, to use a very 1940s phrase, was utterly contemporary.
Here was a Morris that was “New from radiator badge to rear bumper” and
made the likes of the Ford Anglia E494A appear positively antique.
The Minor would not face strong domestic competition until the early
1950s with the arrivals of the Austin A30, the 100 Anglia/Prefect and
the Standard Eight. The Rootes Group and Vauxhall would even not build
a small competitor until 1963.
In export markets, the Morris competed against the Volkswagen Beetle
which, by the early 1950s, was far more popular in the USA; one theory
is that Volkswagen offered a far more comprehensive sales and service
network.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Minor was widely regarded as the
epitome of suburban respectability, with the 1952 half-timbered
‘Traveller’s Car’ conveying an image of the landed gentry into East
Cheam.
In 1956, the Minor received a major programme of updates intended to
keep the car competitive into the 1960s. Where previously the Minor had
been offered with a broad range of colours and trim options, the 'Minor
1000' (so named for its 948cc engine) shifted emphasis towards
rationalisation of components to access improved economies of scale,
and thus enabled increased production volumes to help the Minor retain
a significant share of the small car market during a period where car
ownership was becoming more commonplace.
The dawn of the motorway era necessitated the fitting of a new 948cc
(57.9 cu in) variant of the BMC A-Series engine, elevating top speed
from 63 mph to 75 mph, and almost halving 0-60 mph acceleration from
52.5 secs to 31.3 secs.[22] Driving was further improved by a
substantially revised gearbox, which incorporated taller ratios for
more relaxed cruising speeds and a remote selector allowing a shorter
gear lever and less ponderous gearchange action. This new engine and
gearbox was the product of a broader engine policy at BMC, and had been
developed for use in a range of their smaller vehicles, including the
Austin A35, A40 Farina, and Austin-Healey Sprite/MG Midget, to maximise
parts sharing and thus reduce production costs, servicing costs and
consumer costs across the model range.
A series of changes to the body pressings for the roof/scuttle and
bonnet panels yielded a large wraparound rear windscreen and one-piece
curved front windscreen, which markedly improved visibility and lent a
modernised appearance to the car at relatively small outlay, a
horizontally-barred radiator grille, and the headlights mounted higher
than previously.
Many of the 'luxury' items, such as leather trim, were replaced with
more durable and cheaper materials, and over the course of the
following years the range of available paint and interior colours was
dramatically reduced. Various unique Minor trim items and components
(such as light units and heaters) were also gradually replaced with
ubiquitous items from the BMC range. This programme of changes
succeeded in giving access to improved economies of scale to allow
production to be ramped up. By the turn of the 1960s, over 100,000
Minors were being produced per year, compared to fewer than 50,000 per
year a decade earlier.[23]
In 1961 the semaphore-style trafficators were replaced by flashing
direction indicators. These were US-style red at the rear (using the
same bulb filament as the brake lamp) and white at the front (using a
second brighter filament in the parking lamp bulb) which was legal in
the UK and many export markets at the time (such as New Zealand).
An upmarket car based on the Minor floorpan using the larger BMC
B-Series engine was sold as the Riley One-Point-Five/Wolseley 1500
beginning in 1957: versions of this Wolseley/Riley variant were also
produced by BMC Australia as the Morris Major and the Austin Lancer.
In December 1960 the Minor become the first British car to sell more
than a million units, an achievement celebrated by the limited-edition
‘1,000,000’ which featured a lilac paint finish and ivory-coloured
leather trim. 1962 saw the launch of the ground-breaking,
front-wheel-drive Morris 1100, but the Minor continued in production
for a further nine years.
BL claimed that the Marina of 1971 – “Beauty with Brains Behind It”,
according to the period advertising – was the heir to the Minor but
there was no possibility of it creating the same impact as the MM 23
years earlier, let alone replacing it in the public’s affections even
though it was the Minor’s replacement in BL showrooms.
After all, the Minor symbolised the regeneration of the British motor
industry in the aftermath of the Second World War whereas the Marina,
which also replaced the stately Oxford Series VI, was a hastily
conceived stop-gap model.
During the 1970s, the Minor was still regularly encountered as a police
Panda car, as a postal delivery or telephone engineer’s van or as an
utterly reliable family saloon. At the end of the decade, it was now
the first ‘classic’ for many enthusiasts.
Perhaps the key to its enduring popularity is that Issigonis set out to
create not so much a ‘small car’ but economical transport with the
virtues of one twice its size. Autocar magazine described the MM as
offering “merits normally associated with large and expensive models,
plus a charm of its own” – which perfectly encapsulates the appeal of
“The World’s Supreme Small Car”
Picks: A restoration project or a fun driver that would take very little to get back on the road!
See "What this van needs" above. The full set of photos show the condition, so please
request and review them.
Numerical
Condition
Evaluation:
(1
denotes Very Poor / Item needs replacement, 10 denotes Excellent /
Showroom New)
PAINT: 3
BODY: 9.5
CONV.
TOP: N/A
RIMS: 5
TIRES: 1
WINDSHIELD
/ GLASS: 9.5
LEATHER / CLOTH: 0
INT.
CARPETING: 0
SERVICE
RECORDS / OWNERSHIP HISTORY: 5
Conditions of Sale: All
vehicles presented on this site are represented as accurately as
possible and to the best of our knowledge at the time of listing.
While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of
the above data, mistakes regarding hp ratings, options, etc. can be
made. Content is based on inspection, research, or information
provided from previous owners and any paperwork that may be available
to us. We make every effort possible to ensure all of the
equipment on our cars is in working order, unless noted as
non-operational in the listing above. It is the customer’s sole
responsibility to verify the accuracy of any claims to originality,
history, equipment, or other information provided. BMI is not
responsible for misprints in content or pricing. I have also done
my best to be very honest and very critical about the cosmetic and
mechanical condition of this vehicle. Of course, it is not possible to
pick-up on every single detail or flaw. Please keep expectations
realistic as this is a pre-owned vehicle, and I have personally found
blemishes on brand new undriven vehicles. If you are an exceptionally
detailed oriented person, please contact me to verify any information
directly, and I will do my best to specifically photograph anything you
request and to answer any of your questions to the best of my ability.
All vehicles are sold AS-IS unless otherwise noted.
BMI reserves the right to change
pricing without notice or end the listing at any time. BMI
charges a $185.00 document fee for all retail transactions. Purchase deposits given on vehicles are non-refundable.
Pricing does not include any state tax, tag, title, or registration fees.
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