The Very Last Minor Saloon - 50 years old today!

[Admin]

It's been hard to keep this a secret recently but finally the wraps are off and you can all see the transformation of the last Minor saloon - yes, the one that resembled a pile of scrap parked outside the Derby office - into the stunning example it is now.
Today's CCW has a teaser story, article to follow in Minor Matters

lastsaloon.jpg (159.5 KiB) Viewed 2431 times

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Well done to all involved in getting it ship shape again!

[les]

Had to install some anti blur software to read the words, interesting story.

[Admin]

Had to install some anti blur software to read the words, interesting story.

I figured that copying the words verbatim from CCW which is only out today would probably ruffle some feathers so I blurred it out!

Okay, here's the 'official' press release, which is ours so no issues reprinting it

Last Morris Minor Built returns to Cowley after 50 years

12 th November 2020

A historically significant Morris Minor has returned to the place where it rolled off the production line on the 12 th November 1970.
50 years after it was built, the last Morris Minor saloon to be produced has been relocated into the building where it was made at MINI Plant Oxford in Cowley, Oxfordshire and now forms part of the factory’s collection of historic vehicles.
The gleaming car is a credit to the professionals, specialists and volunteers from the Morris Minor Owners club who have worked tirelessly over the past four years to restore the car to its former glory. Today, the fully restored vehicle looks just as good as it did when it was first built. The transformation seemed impossible when the car was discovered in 2016 after languishing in the open for many years. The provenance of the vehicle was well established having previously been offered for sale in 1994. Sadly, the new owner at that time was unable to enjoy the pleasure of ownership due to ill health. After his demise, the car was abandoned and it deteriorated badly in the intervening years. The car was acquired by the Morris Minor Owners Club in 2016. Initially a phased restoration was planned. Substantial structural repairs were needed, and the services of a specialist welder and fabricator were enlisted. In 2018, thanks to a generous bequest
from a former member, things gathered pace and with the help of members with specialist skills, original components including the engine and gearbox were rebuilt. The bulk of the refurbishment and the reassembly of the car was undertaken by volunteer club members in Derby where the MMOC has its headquarters.
Club Secretary, Ray Newell who accompanied the car on its return to ‘T Building’ (which houses MINI Plant Oxford’s car collection) at a specially arranged socially distanced handover prior to the current lockdown said: “The car is a credit to those who have supported the club in getting it back on the road in time for this significant anniversary.
“We are grateful to staff at MINI Plant Oxford for their assistance in getting the car to into the factory’s museum and for housing and looking after it for the foreseeable future. We hope that post lock down that people will be able to come to view the vehicle and appreciate what is a wonderful example of this iconic, British car.’
Steve Wrelton, spokesman for MINI Plant Oxford, said: ‘The backstory and subsequent restoration of this car to its former glory is nothing short of staggering. Like the Mini that came after it, the Morris Minor was one of the most popular and recognisable cars in Britain. To have the last one built returning to its spiritual home and joining our car collection here at Plant Oxford is just fantastic.”

[philipkearney]

Fantastic achievement and well done to all who helped with this. So nice to see it completed and returned to Cowley in time for its fiftieth birthday. Can't wait to read about it the next issue of the magazine and may even have to go out and buy a copy of CCW for a bit of a taster !

[geoberni]

Same statement is on the MMOC Facerbook page. Like you say, it's the official Press Release.
A couple of photos on there too.
https://www.facebook.com/MorrisMinorOwn ... 1487733164

[Chipper]

What a great outcome, and a terrific looking restoration - well done! Interestingly, I notice they retained the stainless steel window surrounds, so maybe they were fitted originally when first built...

[ManyMinors]

The car looks fantastic! I don't know why the stainless steel window frames were re-fitted. The originals were painted in body colour.
There is plenty of photographic evidence from the time the car was built and publicity created. The car is a deluxe model so should have overriders fitted but I think the car had to be finished off in a rush for this deadline so it is understandable that a few details still remain unfinished.

[Chipper]

Aye, there don't appear to be any coachlines on the sides yet, either.

Out of interest, were the tie-rods originally painted silver?

[ManyMinors]

The tiebars had a plating on them originally, so did appear silver. For a short while anyway!

If we want to nitpick, the statement that the car has returned "into the building where it was made" is not correct. "T Building" at the BMW MINI Plant was part of Pressed Steel and not part of the Morris factory.

[Admin]

The tiebars had a plating on them originally, so did appear silver. For a short while anyway!

If we want to nitpick, the statement that the car has returned "into the building where it was made" is not correct. "T Building" at the BMW MINI Plant was part of Pressed Steel and not part of the Morris factory.

A tiny smidgeon of artistic licence . It is 'spiritually' correct, if not strictly 'geographically' so

[busguy]

The saving of this car in 2016 couldn't have resulted in any better final solution than this. Many members have been involved in getting this result, which was my original objective, and they all have done a brilliant job.

With all the uncertainty in the early days this could have gone pear shaped in so many ways. On 28/4/16 7.50am, I pledged in a discussion on here, to bid for it if nobody else did, as I knew the seller wanted to sell it through the posting on ebay.

Nobody else bid for it, so, now four years later, with the help of Ray Newell and MMOC, the car is in great condition, it's in its rightful resting place, and the MMOC owns the last Minor saloon off the production line. Well done to everyone involved. Objective achieved, and a job well done by everyone!

[philipkearney]

[quote=
A tiny smidgeon of artistic licence . It is 'spiritually' correct, if not strictly 'geographically' so
[/quote]

I don't think you can get much closer than that, definitely its spiritual home. When you think of all the factories that are long gone, Longbridge among them, getting the car back to Cowley is a huge triumph. Getting it into the Cowley Museum is even better.

[SteveClem]

A great result

[jagnut66]

Great job by all involved, glad to see it saved!
One point I haven't seen mentioned though, will we be seeing it on the road in the future (2021 and after), or is it now going to be just a museum piece?
Best wishes,
Mike.