FIVE TRIALs
We enjoy the Morris 10M and put it fully to the test
1 DaIlY DrIVING
There are people within the Morris Register who use their 10Ms on a regular basis, but you need to get used to the car’s limits. You won’t be thrashing your Morris down the motorway every day, but performance is all you need for town work and there shouldn’t be too many near-death experiences pulling out of roundabouts. Visibility isn’t bad – you can see over the front wings – and the brakes aren’t out of touch for town traffic. This car could stand up to quite a lot of regular use if you look after it, but you might want to find some way of fitting a proper heater.
2 IN tHE sErVICE BaY
Everything on this car is superbly made and often over-engineered, meaning that most components have a long life. John Ford of the Morris Register, who runs a 10M, echoes the sentiments of several owners and specialists by recommending that the car is greased every 1000 miles. It’s a bit of a pain dealing with all those nipples but it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so once you’re up to speed. Most mechanical components are available – if not, there’s usually something adaptable – and the cars have excellent club support. Oil changes should be carried out at least once a year, or every 3000 miles.
3 oN tHE sHoW CIrCUIt
A Morris 10M would surely bring unconfined joy at absolutely any show. And once you’re through the gate, there’s the opportunity to bore everyone senseless with details of your car’s MG engine connections. You could suggest that people look at the separate chassis underneath, only to reveal that there isn’t one. Oh, imagine the fun! The 10M should be able to complete most road runs without trouble. You’d almost feel honour-bound to support local events with your Morris – it’s a car that would bring a smile to anyone’s face.
4 tHE loNG WEEKEND
Imagine a weekend tour in your Morris 10 through the Cotswolds or the nicer bits of North Yorkshire. A route without motorways and not too many A-roads would be the order of the day – so some careful planning would be worthwhile. There should be enough room for your luggage and some spares in the boot. Perhaps touring in this car is a bit like a weekend in a canal boat – you need to adjust to a slower pace of life and have a great time once you do. The Morris certainly isn’t too heavy to drive, and it’s comfortable enough.
5 tHE B-roaD Blast
‘Blast’ is a bit of a strong word here. It’s more of a gentle release of kinetic energy. We can honestly report that this Morris handles much better than you might think – once you’ve mastered the dominant understeer, that is. The steering doesn’t wander too much, either. It’s also nice to closely admire the wild floral joys on the verges and hedgerows as the Morris slowly but surely hauls you up a hill. As we said, bowling along at 55mph is well within the Morris’ capabilities so just hunt down those B-roads and enjoy the experience. Speed isn’t everything, you know.