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The Morris 1100 – Early Photo Shoot!
One of the strangest things regarding the Morris 1100 is that although it was launched on the 15th August, 1962 we are not aware of any surviving examples from that year...
...the 23rd August, 1962 saw three hundred workers in the trim shop at the Morris Motors factory, Cowley, Oxford, stop work after the management refused to remove a foreman from his job after a complaint was made by about 24 men. The following day, the main assembly line of the Morris 1100 was stopped by an unofficial strike of 145 men. Fifty other men had to be sent home and the dispute was over rates paid for waiting time when a shortage of components prevented the men earning their full rate – production of the ADO16 was hardly smooth and customer waiting lists rapidly grew. Don’t forget also that pre-launch stockpiles would have been affected by that last minute fascia change we featured last week. Nonetheless, official records show that 20,284 examples were built in 1962...
...One new car did find its way to celebrated Welshman and photojournalist, Geoff Charles and on the 25th October, 1962 he took these pictures. The ADO16 was a rather advanced motor car for its day and the top opening boot design was innovative, only being added to the car in the 12-months prior to launch as our prototype images that we shared with you last week highlighted.
With thanks to Honest John Classics and The National Library of Wales
We are the only truly global ADO16 club with contacts and representatives in over 40-countries including a healthy number of members in Wales. Our membership continues to grow and our Facebook Group staggeringly has over 2.150 members! You can join the only ADO16 club with a FREE membership level here: www.ado16.info/membership-join
I just checked DVLA and there are at least 6 Morris 1100 registered in 1962 surviving with the final one registered 1972 (no Austins until 1963 which is consistent). However, the records are very poor for this model as the year of registration is missing from 90% of survivors. The bigger issue is how few Morris and Austin 1100s have survived in the UK compared to the number built, now below the level of Maxis and Marinas and close to endangered species numbers.
Just checked the MG 1100 and there are at least three 1962 UK cars out there with many more missing their year so probably a few more.
Built from Aug means probably not registered until the new year
Another issue is how they were registered. My last 1300 countryman was on the V5 as an A40.
The Morris 1100 is Ready – Charles Griffin, Take A Bow!
We all credit Issigonis with the ADO16, and Moulton with its suspension but perhaps the most credit is deserved by Charles Griffin...
...once the basic ADO16 design had been decided the project to take the car into production was actually tasked to Charles Griffin – Chief Engineer for Passenger Cars at BMC. Indeed, there is a claim that Issigonis was far more interested in the Mini than the ADO16; the ADO16 was actually Charles Griffin’s baby and his work with the ADO16 was based at Longbridge...
...our fist two images feature Griffin putting a Morris 1100 through its paces shortly before launch, whilst the remainder of the images were featured by the press when the car was launched – complete with the last minute revision of a black fascia!
We are the only truly global ADO16 club with contacts and representatives in over 40-countries. Our membership continues to grow and our Facebook Group staggeringly has over 2.150 members! You can join the only ADO16 club with a FREE membership level here: www.ado16.info/membership-join
From what I’ve read Griffin toned down the famed Issigonis minimalism inside the cabin.
Wonderful pics, still love the lines of the Mk1, a sensation to drive, quiet, comfortable and with plenty of room inside and under the bonnet. We fitted a 1098 Cooper S engine into one in 1966, with a Downton head and twin SU’s, it was a joy to drive, wish I still had it 😂😂👍🍻
I would have loved to have been part of that design team. Working on the ADO16 must have been really exciting.
The Birth of British Leyland
Although it would be the 14th May before anything happened, the 17th January, 1968 saw the founding of the British Leyland Motor Corporation.
The Leyland Motor Corporation was a manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1967 respectively. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation, formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings...
...In 1966 the British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) acquired both Jaguar Cars and the Pressed Steel Company (the latter made the ADO16 bodies) and on the 14th December, 1966 became British Motor Holdings Limited (BMH)
The ADO16 would continue very successfully under this new corporate banner but it meant that from October, 1971 and for the first time, there would be a common badge on all ADO16 models – but as was the case with all British Leyland cars, only on the left hand side, just behind the front wheel arch...
...well, all British Leyland cars except the Vanden Plas Princess 1300. And, except the Wolseley 1300 – although someone got that wrong for one press image! Did the British Leyland right hand know what the left hand (wing) was doing...
...there were then just six ADO16 variants (in the UK) to carry the ‘flying wheel’ logo; Austin 1100 2-Door (single bar on grille); Austin 1100 4-Door (3-bar grille but no numbers); Austin 1300 2-Door (3-bar grille and 1300 badge); Austin 1300 4-Door (3-bar grille and 1300 badge); Austin 1300 Countryman and Austin 1300 GT.
We are the only truly global ADO16 club with contacts and representatives in over 40-countries. Our membership continues to grow and our Facebook Group staggeringly has over 2.150 members! You can join the only ADO16 club with a FREE membership level here: www.ado16.info/membership-join
Hate to see later post 68 cars with the BMC rosette stickers on them....😬
Very innovative mechanical and body designs for their year , brilliant
They were practical and user friendly cars....unfortunately they could not hold not hold on during the Japanese invasion of the car market !
Beautiful icons
Vale Riley Kestral 1300.
Morris 1100 – Pre-Launch Cars
None of the known development and prototype images of the ADO16, and we’ve featured them all over the past week, give any real indication of the interior and certainly don’t show under the bonnet.
Today’s post provides a small surprise; the Morris 1100 was launched with a black fascia but up until a very late stage the intention was for it to be grey – 737 NJO was one of a considerable number of pre-launch cars to be built (many of them can be seen at Cowley in a couple of our images) and was used for both BMC publicity purposes as well as being one of the actual launch cars.
Under the bonnet is as we all know, and at least in the 12-months prior to launch a solution was found to enable the boot lid to top hinge.
We are the only truly global ADO16 club with contacts and representatives in over 40-countries. Our membership continues to grow and our Facebook Group staggeringly has over 2.150 members! You can join the only ADO16 club with a FREE membership level here: www.ado16.info/membership-join
The Morris 1100 – Still On The Secret List
For the past week we’ve been featuring the prototype development of the ADO16. Yesterday’s post was an ado16.info scoop with never seen before images and showed that as late as June, 1961 the front design of the ADO16 had still not been settled...
...today’s image is also very rare and has only ever been previously shared by ado16.info – it shows that at least by July, 1962 the front end of the ADO16 had been finalised – the bonnet edge had been flattened and so too the top of the grille to now have a near horizontal edge. Over-riders had also been added to the bumper and for the first time chrome trim can be seen on the edge of the door frame. No doubt a Morris bonnet badge is under the tape and likewise it’s probably a fair assumption there was a letter M under the tape on the hubcap. Like yesterday’s car, this one is also LHD – although from the outset both 4-door and 2-door cars would be exported, all known prototype and pre-production images show only 4-door cars.
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The two door Morris 1100 (Mk1) was exported only to Denmark (I keep telling people 🙂). Are you aware of 2 door Morris 1100 Mk1 cars (as opposed to MG or Austin) being exported (or assembled) anywhere else ?
Funny that the 1100 was a replacement for the Minor as the Moggie saloons soldiered on to 1969 !
