In Celebration of Specials...

This extract from a larger advertisement drawn by Harold Connolly is now available to view within the Member's Area. The photo of the two Australian Minor's on the right appear hear courtesy of Harry Edwards the Morris Register Historian. It depicts two surviving Holden bodied cars, an OHC 1929 Roadster on the left and a lwb S.V. Coupe on the right. These and many other images and articles concerning Minors exported to Australia and New Zealand will appear on the Antipodean Minors page when it is launched in the autumn.

3rd September: More Minor advertisements have been posted within the members area, including a wonderful full colour ad drawn by Harold Connolly of M.G. Midget fame.

2nd September: Landmarks are worth celebrating and 100,000 hits is quite a milestone - so thanks to all 242 site members for repeatedly coming back for more!

The Autocar magazine belatedly announced the pending arrival of the £100 Minor with a somewhat muted statement. Read their December 26th 1930 announcement here.

Welcome to new member Richard Mace.

31st August: During the course of 1930 and 1931 the Kent based coachbuilding firm of Maltby's Motor Works & Garage Ltd. manufactured two distinct bodies for the Minor chassis. Images of both versions can be found here along with a December 1930 Autocar article about the company's products.

29th August: The last of the S.V. Minor 'economy' models to be launched was the Tourer in March 1931. This four seat 'open' car was never a top selling model in either S.V. or O.H.C. guise, but was practicle and sold sufficiently well to remain in production from 1928 until the end in 1934. Read the Morris Owner magazine launch article here.

27th August: One of the twentieth century's greatest fictional characters

takes on the mantle of a latter day Sherlock Holmes when he endeavours to solve an extraordinary crime wave on his own doorstep! Biggles is back by popular demand - read it here from Saturday onwards!

26th August: There has been a tremendous membership response following the announcement yesterday of the venue for the 2011 PWMN Rally. Eleven cars and crews are now provisionally booked to attend with interest coming from across the U.K. and Europe. Thank You!

The announcement of the £100 Minor in December 1930 created massive media interest. Originally planned to be a single car range, Morris took an early decision in the light of this interest, to extend the number of S.V. models available. The first of these, the Fabric and Coachbuilt Saloons, were announced in February 1931. Read the Morris Owner's launch article here.

25th August: Following the success of the Network's first rally earlier this year, the venue and dates for the 2011 PWMN Rally have now been set. Provisional details are available to view on the new rally page which can be found here . If you don't want to miss the fun, reserve these dates in the planner sections of your diaries today!

24th August: Welcome to new members Gerald Comstive and Simon Kernahan. 

In June 1931 the Morris Owner magazine published an article on how to de-carbonise the S.V. Minor engine. The article is published here today and also has a permanent home on the 'Technical Bits' page.

23rd August: Long time Morris enthusiast Paul Harris, wrote an article for the Morris Register Journal in 1979 entitled 'Minor Matters' in which he tells of how his love affair with these cars was kindled and then blossomed. Read it here. With thanks to Paul for permitting re-publication.

21st August: Further additions have been made to the Red & White Minors page. View the page here.

20th August: A Light Car article which was first published in 1934 provides an insightful look into the running of a much used and abused 1929 Midget in the mid thirties. Read it here.

19th August: Welcome to new member Brenda Kucinskas from Australia.

A number of new (to this website) Minor related Morris Owner cover images have been added the Minor Ads & Cover Shots page within the Member's Area.

18th August: It wasn't that often that Morris Minors received a mention within the hallowed covers of Motor Sport magazine. However, the January 1932 edition was an exception as it contained a half page report on the newly launched McEvoy Minor, a car that was to have some competitive success over the next two years. Read about it here.

17th August: Stefan Marjoram is an artist and photographer employed by the Aardman organisation, makers of Wallace & Grommit and Shaun the Sheep. His artistic talent can be seen to good effect on the Minor Magazine 2 page, where his pencil and watercolour image of a 1932 Minor two-seater can be found.

16th August: Welcome to new member Mark West.

Travelling from the south of England to Edinburgh and back for a weekend break is probably a viable proposition in a modern car using the motorway network. How about making the same trip (1000 miles return), over a similar time period in a 1931 Side Valve Morris Minor Saloon? Thirties Minor drivers were adventurous - read how it was done here.

9th August: In the summer of 1931 a S.V. Minor van was taken for a 3000 mile trek around the Indian sub continent. Read all about it here.

7th August: Welcome to new member Michael Dawney.

The Forum hosting company have today sent the PWMN an electronic birthday card to celebrate the Forum's second birthday! If you don't visit this area of the website why not give it a try via the blue button at the top of this page. It requires a seperate 'log in' process but it is well worth the effort. Technical help is available in abundance as are opinions, Minor related eBay sale items and much more besides...

4th August: Welcome to new member Tony Wilkinson.

G.E.T. Eyston was a prolific record breaker in the decade running upto the Second World War. His exploits at the French track of Montlhery in a much modified and sleeved down version of the Midget are the stuff of legend. Read here his fascinating first hand account of how he cracked numerous class records, including breaking the 100 MPH barrier, in a souped up Morris Minor!

3rd August: Welcome to new member Grant Sellers.

Minor Specials began appearing towards the end of 1929. Before this the Austin Seven was the favoured small car chassis for coachbuilders. Austin however didn't have it all there own way as this summer 1929 Light Car article illustrates....

1st August: Michael McEvoy's first body for the Hornet chassis was a doorless open sports car and was said to be capable of 75mph. After this Autocar road test was completed the car was promptly stolen!

Westerham, Kent Postcard: Yet another Kentish postcard image this week following on from last weeks Tenterdon street scene. This late fifties or early sixties shot shows a Minor Family Eight parked outside a pub alongside a Ford Popular and a fifties French (?) car, perhaps a Renault? To the left a converted Austin tradesmans van, fitted with side windows will have circumvented the prevailing Purchase Tax laws, the loophole subsequently being closed. This photograph possibly pre-dates the launch of the Ten Year Test which was introduced in 1960 to ensure all road vehicles reached minimum safety standards. Following its introduction many pre-war vehicles disappeared from Britains roads almost overnight, heralding the great scrap yard boom years. This is the period during which the country's scrap yards became Meccas for those still driving pre-war vehicles, as spare parts were both plentiful and very cheap.

© Pre-war Minor Network 2010