What's the Greatest Machine of the 1930s...the Morris Eight?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- The 1930s was a decade of massive road building and soaring car ownership and this contender for machine of the decade is one of the great mass-produced, affordable cars of the era. The challenge for this British car was to be good enough to fight off competition from the well-established Ford models dating back to the Model T (1908-27).
The Series I Morris 8 was introduced in Britain in 1935, the same year as the compulsory driving test, which many people in the 1930’s passed in this very car. It’s powered by a 918cc four cylinder engine producing 23.5 brake horsepower and a very economical 45mpg. With a three-speed gearbox its top speed was clocked at a fairly impressive 58mph - probably quite enough for a car with notorious poor headlights and no indicators! But those were pretty much the only weak points - the Morris 8 dashboard features a full set of dials and gauges, it has electric windscreen wipers, hydraulic brakes, it was comfortable, stable to drive and looks great. An iconic car treasured by modern car collectors in their thousands.
What makes it great: It brought car ownership to the masses.
Time Warp: The Morris 8 could be bought for £118 when it was originally introduced in 1935, which is about £7000 in today’s terms, or roughly what you’d pay for a small, economical hatchback.
From 'Britain's Greatest Machines with Chris Barrie'.
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My dad learned to drive in the mid 50s, and his first car was a 1938 Morris 8. My mum said that it had a cellulose roof, but my dad would religiously lock the doors, even though anyone could just reach through the soft top and unlock the doors. He did say that someone once stole the 6v battery, that was in the mid 60s. My dad had a lot of what are now classic cars: an Austin A60 automatic, a Riley 1300, even a Renault 12L. If he were alive today, I'm sure he would get a thrill out of seeing this video!
John B yea most people's da had a few "What are now considered classic cars" you fucking numpty. That's how this passage of time thing works..
I was amused by the reference to hand signals, they were still in place when I took my test in 1967. Everyone 'knew' that the examiners were not allowed to pass more than a fixed number. It was explained to me later by a retired examiner that they were disciplined if their overall rates differed wildly from the average. As few examiners were particularly numerate, they simply translated it into a daily pass rate, if they passed several people, they needed to fail a few. My examiner insisted on hand signals throughout the test, gave me a three point turn on a cobbled one in seven hill and told me to do an illegal maneouvre, which I refused to do and explained why. He told me I had passed with the worst possible grace. I dread to think what he did to the next candidate.
My first car was a morris 8 wire wheels - £10- my second was another morris 8 easy clean wheels
£6.10 shillings, Loved them, I was 19 years old - I'm now 82
Great for the DIY enthusiast. Could have made the Austin 8, Morris Minor and the VW Beetle forever with periodic upgrades without the electronic BS of to-day!
There were still quite a few of these around in the early sixties . They were cheap roundabouts ten to twenty pounds secured a tidy saloon .
My first car was a 1935 Morris 8 2 seater tourer bought in 1969 for £100. Which took me over a year to save up the money doing all sorts of jobs. It was a brilliant reliable, robust fun car to drive. I did thousands of miles in her, and even drove it on the M4 in those carefree days. I sold it to Dave Parrish (the Morris 8 guru now deceased) in 1977, so I could buy some furniture for my first house. Dave sold it to a German collector, so my beloved car still exists. I would definitely own another one today.
A long shot but I don't suppose it was CME 224?
My first car was an eight tourer like this one only mine was longer and plenty of room for two passengers in the back.Registration DOC 881 bought for £12.10 from City motors Worcester Street in Gloucester.I passed my test in it in 1963.
my dad bought a Morris 8 GPO engineers van, in the early 60's at an auction for 10 pounds, with new tyres and battery, as the GPO would not sell any vehicle which was not road legal.. just put your foot on the floor solinoid to start it.
Wouldn’t want to hit anything in it though!! My granny had a Morris 8 which was used by my Dad in the early fifties and my Mum had a Y series Ford until the back axle went in the middle of the night miles from anywhere. I was about 4 and thought I’d help my Mum get to work by filling up the petrol tank with water - for some reason she wasn’t amused!!
Hydraulic brakes on the Morris 8.
Austin 7 used cables.
Ford 8 used rods.
neil piper Austin 7 was a 20s car and built to be as cheap as possible. Give it a rest champ..
@@colinjohnston8519 Austin 7 was a 1920s car Morris 8 was a 1930s gem
No way! One of the greatest machines had to be a Riley - twin cam hemi engine in an AFFORDABLE production car!
Nah Riley engineers never spoke to each other a mechanical nightmare on 4 rubber tyres.!
Definitely not the Morris 8 The car from a UK is without question the Austin 7 it set the standard for pedal layout, economy, it was light so a non male could drive it went from 1922 to 1938 330,000 made and over 12,000+ still on the world's roads cheaper than the opposition but the Morris 8 is a good second!
Hola! muy lindo video, excelente el morris. Desde Colonia Uruguay.
When I knew little about cars I bought a pretty Morris 8 series I of 1936. I discovered later on that a valve seat was missing and firing on only three cylinders I am surprised I did not break the crankshaft (to which, I gather, they were susceptible. I also had to have welded, the offside main frame of the chassis which had rusted through under the driver's seat. However, I had not the tools or the money to take out the rear axles to renew the brakes and my father, poor chap, garaged it and sold it to a Morris 8 expert. I was conned because I bought it with a recent MOT from a firm connected with the seller's family. A pity, as it was a very pretty car with a lovely pre-war radiator. I wish I had it now!
what a shame! Have you thought about getting another? I'm thinking of it bit nervous about it though!
My brothers first car was an 8 tourer
Nice 👍
Iv got a 38 and 48 I’m building into custom rat rods
"Hand signals" not "arm signals"! Thr clue was in the Highwsy Code he claimed to have read... also, thede card mivht hsvr been cheaper for middle or upper class folk, in the 1930s, but fir 95 per cent of the population it was just a dream...
He's lost his silver "H" off his forehead.
THE BOBSTER T3ME well he would since he's not acting in that show. Awwwe did no body explaine to to you how the tv thing works? Fucking idiot.
I think he sold it for scrap money.
Greatest Machine of the 1930s? The ad shows the Morris Eight, (with a 4 cylinder engine) selling for 142 Pounds, ($710.00 US), but in that same year in America a Ford Victoria with a V8 engine sold for $610.00 US, (or 122 Pounds). Maybe the title should be, "Greatest Machine of the 1930s in Briton".
Considering that either the Morris 8 or Austin 7 got 40 MPG (or better) and your Ford used 40 gallons a mile.... you can have it.
American cars are pointlessly over sized, they cannot steer, cannot brake, and they consume gas in alarming quantities because of the American compulsion to use V8's for everything even though the bulk of that HP will never be used. Nobody who owns a classic American car actually "drives" it (as in any sort of rally or destination driving) They go 4 miles down the road to a dairy queen every other saturday evening where they sit for hours looking at it. (and I won't even get into the fact nobody can be bothered to drive stick)
And for the record, all this condemnation is coming from an American. I would bet that there are more stock Morris 8's on the road today than stock Victorias. (meaning non rods) That in itself is telling, especially since fewer Morrises were probably made.
@@56squadron; and the German Lloyd 300 got over 60 mpg, but it was still a piece of crap. If you like under-powered cars that you can touch both doors by stretching out your arms, the cramped crap that Britain produced for the "common" driver was for you. My old 1955 Ford Victoria HT was vastly superior to any 'low priced car" the British auto industry ever producer. America still makes great cars for average drivers, does Britain? NO!
@@oldgysgt - In other words your only defense is to bring up an obscure german car that has nothing to do with this conversation.
I never understood the obsession of having a car built around a living room sofa, and it is just another reason americans can't drive and their cars suck. Now, nobody is saying you don't have the right to like what you like, but you are the one who started the argument and claimed superiority. A 1955 Ford Victoria is a road cow that couldn't get out of it's own way. I literally wouldn't take one for free. Meanwhile in 1955 Britain they were driving Jaguar XK120's. Seriously... give it a rest.
An XK120 is a car owned by people who love to drive.
A 55 Ford Victoria is a car owned by a fat guy named Earl who takes it to Barneys Bowl-A Rama.... and that extra wide seat comes in handy fitting in 3 cases of Schlitz and a pizza on the ride back home.
@@56squadron; do you drive a British made car? I bet not, and neither does anyone else.
Well considering this piece came from a programme called "Great BRITISH Machines " I wouldn't have thought it was needed to state the obvious. And if you hate british cars so much why are you watching this?
Who wrote the script? Freeing people from the tyranny of buses. Please free me from the motor car.
Leonard Lord? He had nothing to do with Morris until the 50's when they joined Austin to form BMC, wouldn't William Morris be more accurate?
Sam Jones, Len Lord worked for Morris Motors from 1923 to 1938, leaving after a dispute with William Morris, when he went to Austin. It is said that he vowed to destroy Morris, and some would say that he succeeded. In fact you could say that the creation of BMC, and the subsequent mergers, destroyed almost the entire British owned motor industry.
660einzylinder I believe he said he would destroy Morris brick by brick.