1958 Morris Minor 1000

We’ve seen a fair few Moggy Minors at our Oxfordshire HQ over the years.

They are plentiful, much-loved, iconically British and were designed by the legend that was (and remains) Sir Alec Issigonis.

We can safely say, hand on heart, that we’ve never seen a better one than this.

Purists may scoff at the car’s engine, suspension and braking upgrades. 

We rebuke their disdain with our firmly held assertion that the objective of a far better driving experience is one that’s very much worth pursuing in the context of a 68-year-old Morris Minor.

This is a car that’s here to be used and enjoyed, as it has been by the vendor for the previous 28 years.

It was her first car and she bought it under the expert gaze of her father, a man who had a lifelong passion for, and knowledge of, classic cars.

The car accompanied the vendor when she attended the University of Oxford as an undergraduate, which seemed serendipitously apposite as Morris was, of course, a marque born in the city of dreaming spires.

The car’s backstory is an interesting one.

It was exported new to West Africa in 1958, returning to these shores via Ireland in 1960.

Once here, it was bought by a Miss Winifred Delaney, a distinguished military nursing officer who served in the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC). 

She rose to the rank of Major and was stationed at the Military Families' Hospital in Shorncliffe, Kent, as evidenced by the car’s original buff logbook.

She was born in County Meath and trained in Dublin, facts that might explain why the car’s journey from West Africa to Kent went via a somewhat circuitous route that involved Ireland.

The car starts on the button, purrs along contentedly, handles and performs better than it should (thanks to the upgrades) and is in every way a delight to the senses.

It goes as well as it looks, and it looks utterly sublime.

The car presents exceptionally handsomely from every angle.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are as crisp and consistent as you could reasonably wish for, and the paintwork, which is now maroon but was originally ‘Birch Grey’, is very good indeed.

The car has been looked after almost continuously by marque and model expert Charles Ware since it’s been in the vendor’s ownership.

Save for a couple of small dents to the centre caps, the wheels are in very good order.

Elsewhere, cosmetic faults and aberrations are very few and far between.

After peering at the car studiously for quite some time, we managed to identify the following very minor deviations from perfection: two small paint chips on the passenger side of the bonnet adjacent to the windscreen; a chip by the filler cap; some nascent pitting on the door handles; a paint blemish at the middle of the boot lid; some micro-blistering to the paint near the boot lid hinges; a scratch at the n/s/f section of the roof; and a few scratches on the side windows.

None of which adds up to anything to worry about whatsoever.

From what we can see, the badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in very good condition, as is the car’s brightwork.

The original trafficators were replaced by indicators early in the car’s life.

If you think that the exterior is beyond reproach and a joy to behold (and you’re right to think so), wait until you clap eyes on the interior. 

Extensively re-trimmed by Charles Ware’s saddlers and upholsterers of choice, the interior is squeaky clean, minty fresh and rather more luxurious and cosseting than it would have been when it left the factory.

Aside from the merest hint of a crease here and there, there are no signs of wear or tear anywhere to suggest to the occupants that they might be sitting in a car that left the factory in the year that Elvis was rocking the jailhouse, Elizabeth Taylor was a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Ian Fleming was introducing us to Dr. No.

The maroon upholstery with white piping is in irreproachable condition, front and rear, and the seats are as comfortable as they are supportive.

The carpets and mats have resisted the passage of time with commendable stoicism, as have the door cards.

The headlining was newly fitted in 2018 and is, accordingly, in fine fettle.

The painted maroon dashboard is excellent, as are the steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake.

The boot, unsurprisingly, is as good as the rest of it. 

The engine bay is clean, tidy and orderly, and all components on and ancillary to the engine look fine to us. 

The later 1,098cc engine was fitted new by Charles Ware in 2016 and the car was given an exhaustive chassis, bodywork and mechanical restoration by them in 2020 at a cost of around £13,000.

The engine has covered little more than 5,000 miles since then.

The engine upgrades included a fast road cam, duplex timing chains, an HIF38 carburettor with heated inlet manifold, and a three-branch free-flow exhaust system with twin boxes. 

All of this is mated to an upgraded clutch and a type 9 Ford Sierra 5-speed gearbox. 

The half shafts have been replaced with hardened units and the diff ratio changed from 4.55 to 3.9.

Electrically, the car now boasts a new alternator, wiring harness, extra fuse box, heated rear window, halogen headlamps, reversing lamps, oil pressure/temperature gauge, electric washers, hazard warning flashers, auxiliary 12 volt supply, Revotec electric fan, Lucas spot and fog lamps, and a JVC head unit.

The car’s undersides look sound and solid, thanks no doubt to the remedial and preventative work carried out by Charles Ware, and we’ve seen nothing at all to make us tut, frown or otherwise question the car’s structural integrity, honesty or character. 

The suspension has been upgraded all-round and features a front anti-roll bar. The front disc brakes are fitted with a servo unit. 

The car comes with a BMIHT certificate, from which we may glean that it left the factory as a ‘RHD, Export, De-Luxe’ model.

It is accompanied by copious bills, invoices and receipts for work carried out over the years, most of it courtesy of Charles Ware, who we think deserve an honourable mention for the quality of their work. 

It comes with plenty of old MoT certificates and tax discs, a workshop manual, a few spares, a couple of Haynes manuals, a recent HPI report and full sets of keys.

You’ll be a long time waiting for a better Moggy Minor than this to come along.

Of course, if you are so minded, you could remove all of the sensitively considered and expertly fitted upgrades and return the car to its original 1958 spec.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Personally, we wouldn’t change a thing.

In case you hadn’t gathered by now, we like it a great deal.

It’s a cracker.

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £7,000 - £10,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.