Jalopnik
We can all respect the guy who drives a beater '73 Caprice Estate wagon, but how about a man who depends on a 1959 Morris Minor 1000 to carry him to work each day?
Well, we'd have to say we're impressed. A 48-year-year old Morris?
It's safe to assume that this car requires a complete set Whitworth sockets. In the trunk at all times. Right next to the jumper cables and the five spare sets of ignition points.
This is no show car of the tedious-British-car-fanatic sort; it drives from Alameda to Berkeley every day. Hmm.. that's the same commute as the guy with the daily-driver '66 Lancia Fulvia.
The more I look at this car, the more I like it. It's small and full of character, but not cute character (like a certain air-cooled two-banger made on the other side of the Channel). More like the kind of car you build when your country gets the crap beat out of it winning a do-or-die war, loses its once-great empire and weathers 15 years of postwar economic malaise, yet retains its manufacturing pride.
Though it was called the 1000, the engine in this car was actually a 948cc unit. That's actually less displacement than a single cylinder in a Ford 460!
But that didn't stop Morris from slapping emblems claiming a (nominal) liter-o-rampaging-power on the bonnet.
I spoke to the owner of this car, and he claims it's 100% dependable in everyday use. Maybe so... but I hope he carries every tool he owns with him.
So what we'd like to know is your opinion on the Fulvia-versus-Minor question. Which madman gets the most respect? 48-year-old British car or 41-year-old Italian car?
[As always, I'll be scouring the avenues of A-Town for more Down On The Street candidates. Submit your own DotS entries to tips@jalopnik.com.]
Related:
Get a Rotary Morris Minor, You Wankel! [internal]
Comments
Atleast the Lancia has 80hp. My vote is for the Minor as the comuter madman.
Can't we call it some sort of automotive-based-mental-illness draw?
Less than a 100 pwnies and a daily commuter. What a madman!
thats great...that's the closest to a Hindustan Ambassador as you'll find in the states!
(the ambassador is a morris oxford, right?)
With the electrical systems in old English cars, the Morris gets my vote just because I'm amazed that it continues to run.
I have to give my vote to the Lancia. When it comes to standing by the side of the road, I would MUCH rather try to figure out a fairly simple British car than a "complexity for the sake of complexity" Italian car.
The Morris has that British version of a Ford Business Coupe going on - much more commuter and a lot less rally-esque than the Lancia.
Minor, for sure. The 948 makes it the family man's AH bugeyed sprite.
This series makes me wish I lived in Alameda.
Except for that whole "living in California" thing.
The only one of these I've seen in the U.S. was outside an auto shop in Portland, ME. It was the same body type, at least from the doors forward, and it had Austin badges. The British were master badge-engineers so it could have been the same thing. It was definitely a non-runner, but wasn't in much worse condition than this. Which was amazing for a Northeast car.
The clincher for me is that 1959 to 1966 represented a lot of evolution in the automotive family genes. A '66 makes a lot less insane daily driver than a '59. Coupled with British electricals and I'd have to say the Morris driver's running on a boatload of crazy! (And yes, that's crazy awesome!)
They are not that insane. I only get a bit less than the stock 17bhp in my 71' Fiat 500L. And I take a 30minute drive to and from work. Atlanta traffic rules.
While both men must be quite spiritual to rely on those vehicles for daily transportation, I think the nod goes to the Morris owner. He must have PTT direct to the Throne Room to keep the demons of Lucas at bay on a daily bases.
My grandparents had one of these in England. I remember being completely awed by the turn signals that would actually flip up out of the b-pillars and then start blinking. I've no idea if this one is older or newer, but I can see that it unfortunately does not display the same awesome eccentricity of design.
The Morris Minor was (is) actually a pretty reliable car. Easy to work on too. I vote for tha Lancia owner as the crazier of the two.
There is a beautiful 1957 woodie versinon in SC with late model Toyota driveline. Sweeet.
My first car!
The electricals aren't really that bad, just don't get them wet. It's the corrosion you need to worry about.
Check out the small hole in the center of the front bumper, if the battery fails you can use a crank to start it.
Mine was eventually written off by a careless driver who rear ended me at a red light. It survived countless teenage abuses, outlasted two engines and had a top speed of 67mph, downhill.
The single best thing about it was 2nd gear. No, not because this was the perfect gear for bald tyre / wet weather oversteer, but because it was located so far to the left and rear as to reach the forbidden part of a female passenger's thigh.
wes
how about this minor?
[www.sxoc.co.uk]
While English electrics are always suspect, there are hardly any electrics in this car, leaving very little to break. The engine is basically yanked straight from a farm tractor, and very sturdy. Just keep it full of oil and don't over-rev it and it'll make it through the day OK.
The Italian commuter is WAY more nuts.
@ryanawesome: Wow...that's wild.
@Ray Wert Jr: eh, my '87 Civic has about 65bhp. on a good day. and a 4-speed. and it'll go 90. also on a good day.
What these pictures don't capture is the miniscule widths of the tires. Literally about 4".
I'm giving the respect vote to Lancia Driver for this one reason. I'll belive that both cars will give reliable service as long as they remain maintained decently. Alot of the bad rep both Italian and Brit cars is from the lack of maintenance done to them and understanding people had for how to fix them. Hacked wiring, homemade parts, blah...
Anyway, my vote goes to Lancia driver because when it come to replacing a part on one of these cars, I know you can get Morris parts from one of several online sources and they are not horribly expensive. Minimania.com and Moss Motors has anything you could possibly need, and they are both here in California. There is no Lanciamania.com...
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