Wigan Album

My dad used to have the morris minor estate it was was awful I hated going in it in the 70s.

Would this car have been around in 1967, it looks like one my boyfriend owned, even the colour is the same.

Most cars of that era were awful. Awful steering and they rusted to bits in no time at all. Despite those things they did have alot of charm and soul about them. Today's square boxes are devoid of any soul and character.

Veronica, yes the moggy Minors were in production from 1948 until 1971.
Today they are a sort after car. I've owned two myself.

Thanks Garry, I thought it was. I remember coming home from somewhere in the dark in Winter with the side windows open it was freezing, so the windows could clear. I don't remember a heater in it!

Al , What you've got to remember is progress and technology.
Yes older vehicles did corrode at that era, some more than others.
Only top of the range cars had power steering, most cars didn't even have rack and pinion steering but a steering box...you would have to turn the steering wheel several times to each left to right lock. The biggest problem for MOT at that time was corrosion, to day modern vehicles are more likely to fail test on emissions or warning lights.

The most common MoT failures today are ball-joints, suspension bushes and broken springs. A legacy to the condition of the roads and the standard of parts used.

Well it shouldn't get to Mot in that state, James. These defects should be seen on routine services. I have a VW Golf mk5 2004 over 100, 000 miles, never had broken springs, ball joints, track rod ends or anything else. Past MOT every year and no advisories. Always serviced.

Suspension and steering joints have always been an issue for Mot not just now. Broken coil springs never had one break yet.
I've had rear spring leaves snap on my old Morris Minor many years ago.

You can criticise todays soulless square boxes as much as you like but I in the event of an accident I would prefer to be in one than anything that pre-dates 1990. I read recently that more people had died in minis than any other British car. Part of this will be down to the sheer number of them that were once on the road but no doubt the majority of them were caused by the total lack of any safety features in the design.

I would guess the most common reasons for MOT failure are down to components that have a short life span, bulbs, tyres, wipers, brakes.

Mike w is half correct, genuine parts will last much longer than spurious components . I understand genuine part cost more but last much longer and more importantly safer.

Brakes, tyres and wipers is down to the driver to how long they last.

The survival rate of Morris Minors is very high compared to nearly every other car from the 1950s/60s. You still see the occasional one out and about from time to time and I've seen at least twenty in Wigan alone this year. In 1992 there were still thousands of them alive in Britain as a two and four door saloon, Traveller estate, van and pretty little convertible called Tourer, but you hardly saw an Austin A40 from the same BMC stable with the same 948cc engine that was also in the early Triumph Heralds. The main dealer for BMC cars in Wigan was Timberlakes in Library Street.

That is very true mr x.

My first car was a little Moggie and the one I learned to drive in,I didn't like it at the time and couldn't wait to exchange it , but I would love to own one now...the reg no was MLG which my F-I-L said stood for Mo's little gallopy.