1953 MORRIS MINOR

The Morris Minor has been described as typifying ‘Englishness’, as a British icon and a design classic, and according to our featured car’s current owner, this special little 1953 split-windscreen four-door Moggie fits all those descriptions perfectly. This car’s previous custodian owned the Morris for most of her adult life and, like the current owner, was sad to part with it. However, she had got to an age where appreciation of air conditioning in the summer months and an efficient heater for winter meant that the Morris had to be replaced by an easier to drive, more user-friendly modern car. It was purchased some six years ago by its current owner — a second lady for the Morris — and the plan was to refurbish it and stick with the car’s original British Racing Green colour. However, on a trip from Christchurch to Blenheim she noticed four or five Morries parked up in long grass, so decided there must be a ‘few’ about, and to have some fun with it, although she admits that the paint shop was very sad she wasn’t going to keep the car to its true colours. However, after some guilt-filled considerations she decided to stick to her plan — the end result is stunning, and she especially loves the matched leather two-tone upholstery. Like many amateur car enthusiasts, she thought it would not take long to ‘knock’ the old Moggie back into shape — four years later, and not wanting to admit the final cost, it was finally ready for the road. It still has its pop-out indicators, but they’re not operative, while it’s also fun to pull the starter button and listen to the 1200cc Datsun motor purr like a kitten. For the Morrie purist, the original motor is included in the asking price. Due to the Canterbury earthquakes this muchloved Moggie has pretty much been stored away in the shed, apart from one recent outing to Wanaka where it made for the most exceptional bridal car. The car was transported one way and then driven back to Christchurch — a wonderful, easy six-hour run including frequent holdups to comply with the many requests of “Can I have a photo please?” The owner wishes that she knew something more of the Minor’s first owner, and wonders if she’d still like it in its present condition. She certainly hopes so.