1954 Morris MINOR

This Series II Morris Minor 2-door saloon was built for the UK market and first registered on 1 November 1954, a couple of weeks after Elvis Presley was first heard on the radio and just a day before the first Hancock’s Half Hour was broadcast. Some of you may remember both events but for most it was a long time ago before you were born when the world was still in fuzzy black and white!

It would have been one of the last Minor’s to leave the factory with the original ‘cheese grater’ grille as October that year saw the introduction of the more familiar slatted chrome affair.

In 1999 this Moggie was transplanted with a 1098cc A-series engine and gearbox from a Series V Morris Minor, which should be good for about 48bhp and 60lb.ft of torque - still not great but a 50%+ increase on its original 803cc motor.

Over its 64 year life, this Minor has had 7 owners, the latest - a member of the Morris Minor Owners Club - keeping the car for 16 years near Plymouth, an area where it is believed to have spent at least the last 20 years.

With the owner’s ill health, the Moggie’s now at a garage in Netheravon near Salisbury, where they have brought it back to a roadworthy condition ready for sale to a new owner who can enjoy spending time on some gentle fettling and on driving the car.

The Minor left the factory painted Mid Green and, whether or not it’s the slightly lighter and bluer shade of Almond Green now, it still looks right for the car. The paintwork is mostly sound with just a few knocks and scratches here and there as you might expect.

Overall the panel fit and shut lines are not perfect but equally not bad for this age of car and generally the bodywork seems in good order considering. The driver’s door needs a little more fettling as the rubber seal had to be removed (but retained) to get it to close properly.

There are little bubblings of rust around the base of both the front and rear windscreens and on the base of the driver’s door. There are also small holes on either side of the bonnet where MORRIS-MINOR badges are missing.

Fitted originally just with trafficator semaphore arms coming out of the body aft of the doors, these have been disabled and there are now indicator lamps installed on all four corners of the car.

The chrome bumpers and trim around the car look in a fair condition with only light pitting and a tiny patch of rust on the corner of the front bumper. The wing mirrors are where they should be - on the wings - and are in reasonable shape with a little rust forming around the glass on the driver’s side.

The painted 14-inch original steel wheels are in a fair condition with no obvious damage aside from scuffed paint and slight rippling around some of the rims, and they all have their original chromed hubcaps, which present in the same condition as the chrome trim elsewhere.

The tyres are Bridgestones from 2011 at the front and Camacs at the rear, all with sufficient tread depth. There were no tyre advisories on the recent MOT but there are the beginnings of cracks to the sidewalls, presumably from when the car has sat unused for a period.

The green interior matches the outside and the dash is a simple affair, jazzed up with the application of a yellow-gold finish around the instrument panel and steering column - unusual today but correct for the period. The steering wheel looks to be the flat 3-spoke banjo type with a marbled-effect rim as was factory fitted on the Series II Minors.

The front seats have loose aftermarket covers fitted but underneath are the original seat coverings which are in need of significant repair or, more likely, complete retrimming. The rear bench seat has fared slightly better but still needs some attention beyond throwing a tartan blanket over it to prevent the condition worsening. There are also a couple of singe marks from an unfortunate recent welding incident but these weren’t rectified as all upholstery needs wholesale attention. Unusually, but welcome from a safety standpoint, all four seats have inertia-reel seat belts fitted.

The vinyl door cards and rear wall linings look original, if a little tatty or loose in places. The green nylon carpets are new (thanks to the aforementioned welding incident) and look hard wearing. Underneath there is evidence of several repairs to the floor but all issues have been rectified.

The engine bay of a Morris Minor is the definition of simplicity and, although this one hasn’t got its original motor, the bigger bore engine and its ancillaries appear in good mechanical condition - if a little scruffy looking in places. There’s plenty of space around the compartment to get your hands and arms in to clean and fettle, and it wouldn’t take much to tidy things up and get it all looking as good as it runs.

The undersides of the car are in a pretty reasonable shape. The underbody is well sealed and the substructure, suspension and drivetrain components appear free of anything other than surface rust. The exhaust system looks in good, undamaged condition.

Inside the boot the upper platform - which is bowing slightly - sports a period-patterned patch of Axminster carpet. Inside is a spare wheel with Dunlop tyre and hubcap, warning triangle, jumper cables, scissor jack, hammer, wheel braces and a car cover - not to mention the workshop items listed in the History Highlights section below. The boot lid itself looks in a good condition with nothing beyond a light rust around the rim edge in places.

We encourage you to scrutinise the detailed photos of the car, especially those taken of the underneath whilst the vehicle was on a lift, but nothing beats a personal inspection. If you want to arrange a visit to see the car in Netheravon or set up a video call, use the ‘Contact Seller’ option.

This car has a current MOT valid until December 2021. It was tested in late October, for the first time in 8 years, and that revealed a short list of fixes including some welding which needed doing. A retest following the repairs gave a pass with just an advisory on the nearside windscreen wiper.

The car comes with a history file containing MOT certificates and invoices for parts and work done from 1989 until 2018.

There’s also a stack of ‘Minor Matters’ club magazines and a couple of crates containing a few spares and some useful period workshop tools and fluids including a trolley jack, axle stands, wheel chocks, battery-charger, petrol can, spanners, mole-grips, grease, grease-gun, oil-can, foot-pump, gunk and polish. UPDATE: The vendor has just informed us that the Morris has a higher capacity fuel tank fitted.

Once you’ve given the key a little jiggle to engage it properly, the Morris Minor’s engine starts and runs sweetly giving a pleasant rasp from the tailpipe on lift off. It doesn’t drive too badly either… or as well as you’d expect for a 64 year old Morris Minor anyway!

Despite the change of drivetrain, repaint and the fitting of indicators and seatbelts, this Morris Minor Series II seems amazingly original. Whilst externally there appears little needing to be done, this car would clearly benefit from some sympathetic interior improvements and so we think it will fetch between £1,500 and £3,500.

It’s on with NO RESERVE so don’t forget, it will sell to whoever is the highest bidder come closing time. Morris Minors are bona-fide iconic classic cars that appeal to first-time classic owners and seasoned restorers alike. At this kind of money, you surely can’t lose?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Netheravon near Salisbury; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.