55-452: Morris Twelve is a model of Morris car introduced without fanfare in the autumn of 1934 as little more than a larger engined Morris Ten Four for which just another £5 was asked. The chassis and body were of the slow-selling longer wheelbase Ten Six. The engine though awarded a tax rating of 11.98 hp had a cubic capacity of 1548cc compared with Morris's 1292cc (10 hp) Ten Four and 1378cc (12.09 hp) Ten Six . This resulted from
110-577: A Morris Cowley . When named Cowley it had been available with the Oxford's 1802cc engine as well as the 1548cc engine. This Twelve shared much with Morris's 1292cc Ten Four and 1378cc Ten Six using the Ten Four gearbox and ratios but with wider wheels and larger section tyres than either of the smaller-engined cars and it used, with modifications, the wheelbase of the Ten Six which was six inches more than
165-403: A 25% reduction in anxiety level for most drivers. Suburban streets shivered to the sound of grating gears in pre-synchromesh gearboxes). Easy-clean pressed steel wheels with six-stud fixing became available, initially as an option but in either case they carried 5.75—16 extra low pressure tyres of a smaller section than the previous model. A spare wheel with its tyre was carried in a sunken panel on
220-490: A bench seat at the rear, all with leather covering. A fitted radio was an option. A special version of the car was made for police use and had a 1707 cc engine and calibrated speedometer. The British Motor magazine tested a VA tourer which reached a top speed of just over 76 mph (122 km/h) and a 0-50 mph time of 15.8 seconds. With the windscreen folded down, the top speed increased to nearly 82 mph (132 km/h). The factory could also supply
275-468: A day. The Ministry of Aircraft Production took over the plant putting in managers from Supermarine and placing it under Vickers-Armstrongs (of which Supermarine was a part) supervision. After a major air raid damaged the Morris Bodies factory, the premises switched to the production of jerry cans , producing millions of these versatile containers for use during the rest of the war and following
330-528: A facelifted Marina) was the last Morris-badged passenger car, with production ending in the summer of 1984. The last Morris of all was a van variant of the Austin Metro , before the Morris brand was finally completely abandoned in 1987. After much restructuring of BL in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the former Morris plant at Cowley and its sister site the former Pressed Steel plant were turned over to
385-426: A further issue of ordinary shares to him, the car manufacturing businesses of Wolseley Motors Limited and The MG Car Company Limited. A separate private company, Wolseley Aero Engines Limited , was then formed to continue the development of his aviation interests. In 1936 Lord Nuffield sold Morris Commercial Cars Limited , his commercial vehicle enterprise, to Morris Motors. In 1938 William Morris, Baron Nuffield
440-522: A much-needed 4-seat version of the car. White and Poppe , who made the engine, were unable to supply the volume of units that Morris required, so Morris turned to Continental of Detroit, Michigan for the supply of a 1548 cc engine. Gearboxes and axles were also sourced in the US. In spite of the outbreak of the First World War the orders were maintained and, from mid-1915 a new larger car,
495-407: A planned launch in 2021 under the re-launched Morris Commercial marque, well over 30 years after the Morris brand had disappeared. WRM Motors Ltd began in 1912 when bicycle manufacturer William Morris moved on from the sale, hire, and repair of cars to car manufacturing. He planned a new light car assembled from bought-in components. In this way he was able to retain ownership by keeping within
550-471: A proper moving assembly line and creating Europe's largest integrated car plant. But Morris and Lord fell out, and after 15 years Lord left in 1936—threatening to "take Cowley apart brick by brick". Lord moved to Austin and they were to meet again in BMC—Morris, as Lord Nuffield, its first chairman. Lord succeeded him. As of 1 July 1935 Morris Motors acquired from W R Morris, now Lord Nuffield, in exchange for
605-409: A real boot with outside access to any luggage it held. This new container's nearly ten cubic feet might be amplified by leaving the lid open which then formed a luggage rack. The spare wheel with its tyre was now carried independently below the luggage compartment and fully enclosed. The four-speed gearbox had been given better synchromesh and silent helical type gears for second third and top. Aside from
SECTION 10
#1732793278936660-578: A separate MG factory was soon established south of Oxford in Abingdon, Oxfordshire . Having admired Budd's all-steel bodies Morris founded The Pressed Steel Company of Great Britain Limited in 1926 as a joint venture with Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company - Budd International of Philadelphia, USA. Pressed Steel's factory was located over the road from Morris's factory at Cowley and supplied Morris and many other motor manufacturers. Morris withdrew from
715-782: Is owned and operated by BMW, who use it to assemble the new MINI . The history of William Morris's business is commemorated in the Morris Motors Museum at the Oxford Bus Museum . Post-Morris cars to have been built at Cowley include the Austin/MG Maestro , Austin/MG Montego , Rover 600 , Rover 800 and (for a short time) the Rover 75 . Following the bankruptcy of the MG Rover Group in 2005, three competing bids were launched aiming to acquire
770-542: The British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), and subsequently, in 1975, the nationalised British Leyland Limited (BL). The Cowley complex remained the second largest single facility in the BL empire (after Longbridge ), but BL's history was a turbulent one – BMC was close to financial ruin, and the newly installed Leyland management failed to turn its fortunes around. With the replacement for
825-842: The Morris Marina and Leyland Princess being delayed into the 1980s, the Marina was restyled in 1980 to become the Morris Ital, while the Princess was restyled for 1982 to become the Austin Ambassador . British Leyland later confirmed that the Morris brand would be discontinued on the all-new replacement for these two cars, which was finally launched in April 1984 as the Austin Montego . The Morris Ital (essentially
880-781: The Nuffield Organization merged with its old rival the Austin Motor Company to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Nuffield brought the Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley marques into the merger. Leonard Lord was in charge, which led to Austin's domination of the organisation. Badge-engineering was important to BMC and for many years the various marques would be seen on several families of similar vehicles. In 1966, BMC acquired Jaguar to create British Motor Holdings (BMH), which subsequently merged with Leyland Motors in 1968 to form
935-461: The 1936 annual Motor Show when no new variations were offered (No Change for Olympia) Morris inserted large display advertisements offering to buyers of all their cars bigger than the Morris Eight a choice of: Easyclean wheels optional without extra cost Three months after they had been first offered as an option —during which 92% of buyers chose the four-speed gearbox— the four-speed gearbox
990-589: The 1990s. Part of Morris's manufacturing complex at Cowley, Oxford is now BMW Group 's Plant Oxford , factory of the MINI marque since its launch in 2001. The Morris trademark is currently owned by the China-based automotive company SAIC after being transferred from bankrupt subsidiary Nanjing Automotive . The Morris Commercial JE, an electric van with a 1940s design, was unveiled in November 2019 ahead of
1045-513: The 2-seat and 4-seat Morris Cowley was introduced. After the war the Continental engine was no longer available so Morris arranged for Hotchkiss of France to make a near copy in their Coventry factory. This was used to power new versions of the basic Cowley and more up-market Morris Oxford cars. With a reputation for producing high-quality cars and a policy of cutting prices, Morris's business continued to grow and increase its share of
1100-588: The British Empire. Both-Nuffield respirators were able to be produced by the thousand at about one-thirteenth the cost of the American design. In the summer of 1938 Morris agreed to build, equip and manage at government expense a huge new factory at Castle Bromwich specifically to manufacture Supermarine Spitfires . with intention to build bombers later. Nuffield's management failed; no Spitfires were delivered by May 1940 despite expectation of 60
1155-560: The British market overtaking Ford to become in 1924 the UK's biggest car manufacturer, holding a 51% share of the home market and remaining enormously profitable. Possessed of a very large cash income Morris had a policy of personally buying up suppliers' businesses. For example, in 1923 he bought Hotchkiss's Coventry business which later became Morris Engines branch. He also brought in F G Woollard which became Morris Commercial Cars to lead
SECTION 20
#17327932789361210-779: The Morris C4 truck, Morris ML ambulance, 500 Morris Commercial 8x8 GS Terrapin (amphibious vehicle)s , and the Morris Commercial CD series trucks. Production restarted after the Second World War, with the pre-war Eight and Ten designs. In 1948 the Eight was replaced by what is probably the most famous Morris car, the Morris Minor designed by Alec Issigonis (who later went on to design the Mini ) and reusing
1265-458: The Morris marque, being transferred to SAIC. The Morris badge shows an ox fording the River Isis , the traditional emblem of William Morris's home town of Oxford , used in the coat of arms of Oxford . Many of the model names are based on the tax horsepower rather than the actual horsepower. "Six" often indicates a 6-cylinder engine. MG VA The MG VA , or MG 1½-litre as it
1320-523: The Morris name remained in use until 1984, when the by-then Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin brand as well as expanding the more upmarket Rover brand. Until 2014, Morris Oxford vehicles (based on the 1954-59 Oxford) were manufactured with periodic enhancements in India by Hindustan Motors , and sold well there, even being imported to Britain in small numbers during
1375-419: The Ten Four. The wheelbase was almost an inch longer than the Ten Six. It also had a fuel tank which held a gallon more than either of the other cars. Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted on all four wheels, the handbrake on the rear wheels using a mechanical linkage. Suspension was by long semi-elliptic springs at front and rear with Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers. Steering was by Bishop Cam . Series II
1430-488: The assets of William Morris 's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same vehicles. By 1926 its production represented 42 per cent of British car manufacture—a remarkable expansion rate attributed to William Morris's practice of buying in major as well as minor components and assembling them in his own factory. Although it merged with Austin Motor Company to form the British Motor Corporation in 1952,
1485-425: The back of the car and a steel cover was supplied for it on the dearer sliding head model which also carried toughened glass in its side and rear windows. Electrical fittings now included a single acting foot-operated switch to dip the headlights and raise them when pressed again. A single electric windscreen wiper mounted on the lower screen rail was supplied to provide clear forward vision in poor weather Following
1540-446: The back of the car. Particular care had been taken to ensure draught-free ventilation by scuttle ventilators and hinged rear quarter-lights. The windscreen was hinged at the top for clearer sheltered wet-weather unmisted vision after dark. The front windows were fitted with louvres and, when open, the windows provided an extractor effect at their rear edge. The steering was by Bishop Cam . The rigid axle suspension for both front and rear
1595-468: The bounds of his own capital resources. A factory was opened in 1913 at former Oxford Military College at Cowley, Oxford , United Kingdom where Morris's first car, the 2-seat Morris Oxford "Bullnose" , was assembled. Nearly all the major components were bought in. In 1914 a coupé and van were added to the line-up, but the Bullnose chassis was too short and the 1018 cc engine too small to make
1650-460: The car as a Tickford drophead coupé or as a 2-door open four-seater tourer. The saloon was priced at around GBP325, the four-seater tourer GBP280 and the Tickford coupé GBP351 all prices depending on exact specification. 564 tourers and 591 coupés were made. A very few chassis, probably only two, went to external coachbuilders. Production stopped with the outbreak of World War II in 1939. After
1705-469: The car had good room for four occupants and their head clearance, he said, was not unduly low. It was also noted the 4-wheel brakes were hydraulic and used the Lockheed patents. The new engine greatly reduced the need for gear changing. The car was described as commendably stable and the front seat passengers travelled comfortably. However at the back with orthodox front suspension there was more movement but
Morris Twelve - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-537: The company's assets. One of the bids, led by Maserati CEO Martin Leach alongside Chinese state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation (SAIC) , included plans for a Morris Minor revival. Despite this, the bid was lost to the Nanjing Automobile Corporation and the new Minor was not produced, although Nanjing Automobile Corporation later merged with SAIC, with all assets, including
1815-452: The driver included an enlarged speedometer. Direction indicators were now concealed within the body and controlled from the steering wheel and given a driver's warning light in the centre of the wheel. The pedals were now mounted directly to the frame (chassis) and free from vibration. A new three-speed synchromesh gearbox was fitted along with standard Jackall built-in hydraulic jacks and Magna wired wheels. (A 3-speed gearbox produced at least
1870-548: The ending of hostilities. The Cowley plant was turned over to aircraft repair and production of Tiger Moth pilot trainers, as well as "mine sinkers" based on a design produced at the same plant during the First World War. Morris produced the popular Morris C8 Quad artillery prime mover towing artillery (such as the 25-pounder ) and anti-tank guns (such as the 17-pounder ) with some 10,200 made. Morris also produced some 2200 Morris Light Reconnaissance Cars , 100 Morris CS9 armoured cars, 21,319 Morris CS8 15cwt light trucks,
1925-490: The near-side. The restricted entrance behind, unless the seats were slid forward, was noted. The whole car's exterior was viewed as "tidy looking" and easy clean wheels were thought to help that attractive appearance. The back axle, it was complained, produced a light hum. Announced 20 August 1937 A new booted shape with better seating and a new engine was announced in August 1937 and designated series III. The electrical system
1980-456: The note that it performed just like a 14 horsepower car but that brought about a clash from the summer of 1936 when Morris began to supply a six-cylinder 1818cc Morris Fourteen . While both this new Twelve and the Ten variant Ten Six models appeared in the Morris catalogue for 1935 the slow selling Ten Six was soon dropped. The Twelve remained in production until war intervened and was replaced after
2035-614: The production of Austin and Rover-badged vehicles. They continued to be used by BL's Austin Rover Group and its successor the Rover Group , which was eventually bought by BMW , and then by a management consortium, leading to the creation of MG Rover . None of the former Morris buildings now exist. British Aerospace sold the site in 1992; it was then demolished and replaced with the Oxford Business Park. The adjacent former Pressed Steel site (now known as Plant Oxford)
2090-460: The re-organization of their engine production from batch to flow, thus increasing output from less than 300 units per week to 1200. By 1924 the factory was making 2000 units a week with only a small increase in work space and labour force. Cecil Kimber , head of Morris's own original 1909-founded Morris Garage sales hire and repair operation in Oxford, began building sporting versions of Morris cars in 1924 labelling them MG . They were so successful
2145-459: The rear ones adjustable from the dashboard. The four-door saloon body was made in-house by Morris and had the traditional MG grille flanked by two large chromium-plated headlights. Unlike the SA the front doors did not have separate quarter light windows. The spare wheel was carried on the left front wing, with a second spare on the other side as an option. Inside there were individual seats in front and
2200-592: The small car market helped Morris through the economic depression of the 1930s. At the 1934 London Motor Show the Minor was replaced by the Morris Eight , a direct response to the Ford Model Y and, though Leonard Lord's handiwork, heavily based on it. In 1932 W R Morris appointed Lord Managing Director of Morris Motors Limited and Lord swept through the Morris works, updating the production methods, introducing
2255-450: The small car name from 1928. The Ten was replaced by a new 1948 Morris Oxford MO , styled like a larger version of the Minor. A later Morris Oxford (the 1956 Morris Oxford III) was the basis for the design of India's Hindustan Ambassador , which continued in production until 2014. They used six engines and five (and a half) car bodies, of which the "specialist" three were obsolescent, the rest very closely related if not identical. In 1952
Morris Twelve - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-419: The springing, so far as it went, was good. Steering was a star feature, firm yet light and without wandering or hesitation. About 70 miles an hour could be reached on top gear. As The Times puts it, "the orthodox front suspension", Morris's obsolescent rigid front axle, forced the passengers well back in the car into the six-light saloon shape despite the new-found preference for carrying all passengers "within
2365-408: The transmission tunnel the floor was now quite flat without footwells. Easy-clean pressed steel wheels carried extra low pressure 5.50—16 tyres of a slightly smaller section than previously. Useful conveniences included clearer instrumentation, self-cancelling trafficators and now twin windscreen wipers with remote silent drive and independent operation. There was an automatically actuated stoplight at
2420-527: The vagaries of the Treasury's tax rating formula which took no account of the length of the engine's stroke. Very long stroke engines such as were given the Twelve provided good low speed torque at the expense of reliability at higher rpm. Such engines were unable to make full use of better fuels and the improved engine breathing techniques that were coming available. Morris briefly promoted the series II car with
2475-533: The venture in mid-1930. Budd sold their share to British interests at the beginning of 1936. The small car market was entered in 1928 with the Leonard Lord -designed Morris Minor , using an 847 cc engine from Morris's newly acquired Wolseley Motors . Lord had been sent there to modernise the works and Wolseley's products. The Minor was to provide the base for the MG Midgets . This timely spread into
2530-410: The war by the 1476cc but 13½ horsepower Morris Oxford MO . Each new model showed further integration of the structure of chassis and body. The post-war replacement, Morris Oxford MO, was close to full unitary construction. The Morris Twelve Four appeared in the autumn of 1934, probably overshadowed by the promotion of the new model Morris Eight. It was also after three years when it had been sold as
2585-425: The wheelbase". Once independent suspension was introduced, which was not in this case until 1948 and the Twelve's Oxford MO replacement, the engine could be right at the front of the car without leaving clearance below it for a rigid front axle. Morris Motors MG Rover Group (2000–2005) Morris Motors Limited was a British privately owned motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over
2640-401: Was announced on Friday 17 May 1935 along with a new Ten Four as a kind of extra note tagged to the main Ten Four display advertisement - "You can have a twelve horsepower model for £5 extra". The series II came with a new longer and lower body with all passengers seated within the wheelbase, narrow windscreen pillars and wide windscreen. Special construction of the body and frame bolted together
2695-494: Was controlled by long semi-elliptic springs aided by Armstrong hydraulic dampers. A Special coupé body, they were features of almost all the Morris range for more than a decade, was no longer available but a "rolling" chassis remained in the catalogue for those who wished to have their car fitted with special coachwork. These very complete chassis kits included wings, running-boards, headlamps, instruments, spare wheel and complete tool kit. The Times motoring correspondent declared
2750-436: Was designed to produce a strong double box section. New built in luggage accommodation at the rear of the body was accessible by lifting the rear seat's hinged backrest, the previous Twelve had no covered luggage space. An external folding luggage grid was continued from the last car to cope with any extra luggage. The, new to the Twelve, Special coupé continued to have its special inbuilt luggage container. New instrumentation for
2805-409: Was made standard equipment. The Times' testers said "the four-door six-light body offers ample space for four large persons, neither elbow nor leg room being cramped, there is unusually good headroom." They also reported that passengers were given a high view useful when touring. Entrance to the front seats was regarded as very fair and it was noted that it was possible for the driver to slide in from
SECTION 50
#17327932789362860-579: Was now 12-volt. The engine had been introduced to power the Wolseley 12/48 and the MG VA in October 1936 though that did not enter production until mid 1937. Badged Morris 12 but described in its early brochures as The Morris Twelve-Four (series III) its major advances on the previous 12 were the overhead valve engine, more rounded edges for the shorter smoother new body on a smaller wheelbase and now it had
2915-606: Was originally marketed, is a motor car that was produced by MG between February 1937 and September 1939 and was the smallest of the three sports saloons they produced in the late 1930s, the others being the SA and WA . The car used a tuned version of the push-rod, overhead valve four-cylinder Morris TPBG type engine that was also fitted to the Wolseley 12/48 and Morris Twelve series III . The MG version had twin SU carburettors and developed 54 bhp (40 kW) at 4500 rpm. Drive
2970-527: Was raised to Viscount Nuffield. The same year he transferred his newly acquired Riley car business to Morris Motors Limited for £100. Visiting London in 1938 during a polio epidemic Lord Nuffield saw a Both Iron Lung in use. He commissioned an improved design which could be produced using the techniques of car assembly and arranged production of approximately 1700 machines at the Cowley works, which he donated to hospitals throughout all parts of Britain and
3025-461: Was to the live rear axle via a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios, though on some early cars it was only on the top two speeds. 19-inch wire wheels were fitted, and the 10-inch (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. In-built hydraulic jacks were standard. Suspension was by half-elliptic springs all round with a live rear axle and beam front axle. Luvax shock absorbers were fitted,
#935064