Lot Ended
Description
Restored and repainted about 5 years ago; later Series E engine and
four-speed gearbox fitted for enhanced driving in modern traffic; nice
transferable number of particular interest to Ferrari 599 owners
One of the great
automotive success stories, it is no exaggeration to say that the Eight was the
car that saved Morris, offering a properly tempting alternative to the
all-conquering Austin Seven. Cheap and cheerful with lively road manners and
room for all the family if one opted for the four-seater version, it was far
more suited to Britain's increasingly crowded roads than the larger models that
had formerly underpinned the Morris range.
Better equipped than most of
its 1934 competitors, it boasted electric wipers, a three-speed box with
synchromesh on the top two gears and effective Lockheed hydraulic brakes.
Powered by a remarkably robust 23bhp 918cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with
three-bearing crankshaft and single SU carburettor, it was good for 60mph and
40mpg.
Available as a two- or four-seat tourer and a two- or four-door
saloon, it proved so successful that over 164,000 had been sold by the time it
was replaced by the Series II in 1937, around 20,000 of them in open Tourer
form.
First registered in Cambridgeshire in May
1936, this Two-Seater Tourer has had just four owners from new, according to the
V5C, the first keeping it until 2021. From July 2021 to August 2022 it was
owned by a Mr P Hinton of Devon who appears to have treated the car to a fairly
substantial restoration including a full repaint, new rear lights, new wiring,
new dynamo, all new brakes, new suspension components plus much else
besides.
The interior has clearly been retrimmed
to a good standard at some point in the not-too-distant past. The hood looks
fairly new too and some side screens are also included.
Our vendor acquired the car in August 2022 and has improved it still
further. This includes removing the original 23bhp UB engine and 3-speed gearbox
and fitting a reconditioned 29bhp Series E USHM engine and 4-speed gearbox. The
engine cost £750 and the gearbox £100 with another £3,036 spent on getting them
professionally installed in June 2023 by Creed and Shore Motorworks of
Whitchurch.
The steering box was also overhauled
in October 2022 by early MG specialist Andy King of Melton Mowbray at a cost of
£400. There are also invoices for a new exhaust, various new hoses, ignition
parts etc, all adding up to a sensible package of upgrades that should improve
usability on modern roads.
The vendor advises
that the car has covered very few miles since the reconditioned engine was
fitted, so the cylinder head bolts should be checked and tightened after each
run as part of the bedding-in process for the next 500 miles.
He also advises that, as a consequence of
fitting the later four-speed gearbox, the speedometer no longer indicates the
correct road speed (at 30mph it reads 50mph and at 40mph it reads 60mph). He was
intending to fit a digital speedo and a suitable connection for this is fitted
next to the steering column.
The Morris has been
starting readily on the button during its time with us for photography and video
purposes, with healthy oil pressure. It also comes with an agreed insurance
valuation for £12,000 dated August 2023.
As you can see in the photos,
this subtly uprated Series 1 two-seater is in great shape for a 90-year-old and
is on offer here at a fraction of the costs lavished upon it by the last two
owners. The icing on the cake is the original BER 599 number plate, which
is transferable according to the V5C and would no doubt have enormous appeal to
a Ferrari 599 owner…
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com