Stored 52 Years: 1949 Morris Oxford MO Series
While the Morris automobile dates to 1913, the Oxford MO Series came later and ran from 1948-54. It was the English company’s first new car after World War. The MO was one of the earlier cars to go with unibody construction, something that U.S. manufacturers wouldn’t embrace for another decade. This 1949 edition has been in dry storage for the past 52 years and will require some coaxing to run again (the engine does not turn by hand). Located in Bedford, UK, this little car is available here on eBay where the bidding in equivalent U.S. currency is $2,976.78. Thank you to Richard Miles for discovering this neat car for us!
The Morris Oxford was named after the university town where company founder W.R. Morris grew up. As a result, the community would also become an industrial city with Morris as a source of manufacturing. The Oxford name was used by Morris on several occasions and was dusted off after WW2 to be used on the MO which would be powered by a 40 horsepower, side-valve inline-4 at 1476 cc in displacement. This enabled the little car to reach a top speed of 72 mph, although it might take a little while to get there!
This ’49 example of the Oxford is a one-owner car from new and hasn’t been touched since 1969. The MO Series has a club and – according to their records – this car is said to be the 12th oldest surviving one of its kind in the United Kingdom, which means it’s in rare company. Because of the Oxford’s lengthy indoor storage, the body on this car looks well-preserved, but there looks to be a patch around the right-side taillights. It has some surface rust, including the bumpers, and the dark blue (or black?) paint is faded but the car might clean up well enough to be presentable. After all, they’re only original once.
By contrast, the interior looks really nice and may need little more than a good cleaning and some new carpeting. Right-hand drive is commonplace in Europe, but it would be an interesting novelty if the Morris found its way to the States after all this time. In what might be an oversimplification, if this car can be made to run and all the replenishable items renewed, why not tool around in it as is?
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Comments
Given the simple cast iron nature of these engines, a good soak your preferred penetrating oil might make work. And RHD is common in the UK & Ireland, less so in Europe. End of rant.
Yes, that sort of ignorant comment about RHD and Europe has no place in a professionally published website.
I drive an unrestored old RHD Cobra in USA and am constantly appalled at the comments saying “Wow, RHD from Europe! I didn’t even know they had Cobras there . . . ” My car even has British plates but still the assumption is Europe.
You refer to this as a “little” car, but it is the big brother of the Morris Minor. The series one MM had a flat head 4 cyl of 900 CC’s or so. Small bore with a relatively long stroke because of British Taxation. Higher torque, lower horsepower and no revs. The original Morris Minor had a top speed of 64 MPH
I only saw one flat head MM a 1953. It was slow. A 36 HP Beetle would blow its doors off.
Yeah- I was thinking the same! “Little??” These are bigger than my Minor 1000! I’d hardly call them little
I had a 1952 Morris Minor (loved that car). left hand drive for here in the U.S. I wish I could find one just like it.
There was also a Morris Six,which used the same bady,as did the Wolseley 6/80,which were used as Police cars.
@luke arnott. The Morris Six of the same era was known as the “Isis” of all names!
The Isis came out in 1955 – completely different body.
So just how many right hand drive countries are there…………… lots more than most people think!
One third of the countries drive on the right eg UK,South Africa,India,Oz & NZ,Japan.
Clarification – one drives a car on the right to drive on the LEFT side of the road, one drives a car on the left side when driving on the RIGHT side of the road. Except me of course, in USA I drive my RHD cars on the right side of the road always.
Unit body construction wasn’t common in the US in the late ’40s, but it wasn’t exactly unknown, either.
As the owner of a recently recommissioned split window 1952 Morris Minor MM, they are delightful and fun cars, to which their owners need to understand an appreciate their limitations. Clearly, they are urban dwellers, comfortable to up to 55 mph and easily serviceable. The only real issue for those with the LHead side valve engine is acquiring parts for it. Parts are available, but predominantly from yes… England. Domestic availability is almost non existent. These cars have a devoted and passionate following and you will probably be the only one at your car show to have one. Whomever chooses to reanimate this one should have some fun getting there and owning it thereafter. Cute as heck.
Almost certainly this car will stay in the UK, likely with a current owner´s club member. Such things are also popular in Australia/New Zealand, but they have plenty already without shipping around the globe.
I find it ironic that the Oxford is for sale in Bedford, home of the Vauxhall. Never met a non-Brit who could pronounce Vauxhall, which maybe limited exports…….
or aluminium, or route, or………….
How should we pronounce Vox-ul? And then Puh-nard for our francophile friends. Gee, a good friend keeps calling his 2Cv a Sit-rone or Sit-trune sometimes . . .
Vauxhall, about how sailors pronounce “forecastle”, no? I.e., a bit like “foxhole” (or phonetically, “foxil”).
I would love to have one again. My first new car was a 1950 Morris Minor Convertible. Purchased in Montreal. I installed a gas powered heater and padded the top to make and save heat in the winter.
50 Miles per gallon was common.
The “Isis” is another Oxford reference, it’s the name of a river that runs through Oxford…it’s actually the upper reaches of the Thames but is known as the “Isis” at that point. As per the write-up many model names from the Morris Car company have local geographical original.
Morris also produced the Oxford Traveller which was a woody station wagon, but only for a couple of years. They switched to the Morris Minor Traveller 9n 1954 which was very successful. The Morris Minor line included a coupe, convertible, 1/4 ton pickup and a woody station wagon. The Morris Minor line sold over a million units and Morris was the most popular car in England in the 50’s and 60’s. The designer of the Morris Minor also designed the Morris Mini which we now refer to as the Mini. I just completed the restoration of a 1954 Morris Minor Traveller garage find. Original paint and original wood, runs and stops great Parts are easily obtained from England and shipping costs were reasonable. I was getting parts in 4 days. This Oxford probably has a hole in the front bumper and I think I can see Trafficators hiding in the door pillars. My 54 has the crank and Trafficators which was all they were using in England and Europe at the time. My 54 MM is a n export model so it is LHD. When I registered the car in England with the MMOC the registrar informed me that my car was built in Dec of 1953, was number 178 off of the assembly line and the earliest LHD car registered. The car is a blast to drive and you will most likely be the only MM at any car event.
I had quite a bit of seat time in the back of Hindustan Ambassadors when I was in India. I am pretty sure they are based on the Oxford Mark 3. Tough little cars to survive the traffic of India’s cities.
I remember the Morris family very well. A Morris 6 was once my pride and joy
It had a straight 6, 2.2 litre single ohc engine. Speed was not very good but it was comfortable. Fuel consumption was horrific and with the loud pedal on the floor I could watch the fuel gauge head for E at a great rate of knots. It was followed by a long door Triumph TR2. Now that was a wondrous machine.
I am sure there is more in my memory but the train of thought is interrupted by a guy called Als Heimer. I remember early Vauxhauls during the war in Bath. Not in the bath but in the City of Bath. Oh yes, I now in my 80s
My family left the UK in 67. Our car was a 53 MO. We could only pass other cars on downhill sections of road. We sold the car to neighbours for £50 . They followed us to Canada a year later . No radio. No heater. Four in the tree. A clock but no radio. But boy the leather smelled good!
My father’s first car was a Morris 8, vintage 1938 which was followed by a 1948/49 split screen Morris Minor. I recall a family called Gamblin in our road. There were 3 children, Garon was the eldest, Peter the second and a daughter
whose name I forget. I do recall the father had a tremendous voice. Are you related. Hugh
I thought that the marine “forecastle” sounded more like ” Fossil “.
In the UK Vauxhall always sounded like ” Voxall “. I am a Southern Englishman
so that is my pronunciation but I guess folk from other parts of England may have their own pronunciations.
Hugh Anger.