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1937 Morris Eight Ashley Cleave Special
This sporting special has featured both here and on the forum previously and while not a Minor it was perhaps inspired by the two Skinner specials, both of which were competing at the time of its construction. It was built in 1937 from the remains of a crashed Morris Eight Saloon and featured a Minor four-speed gearbox while its Eight engine was supercharged using a Centric blower. It was constructed and driven by W. A. (Ashley) Cleave who won many awards in the car at pre-war hillclimb venues such as Shelsley Walsh and Prescott before being stored for the duration. After the war Cleave rebuilt his car as seen above (Prescott May 1964) with a larger 1250 cc blown Morris engine which reputedly enabled the vehicle to cover the standing quarter mile in 15.2 seconds and could reach 115 mph. Cleave continued to compete into his seventies with the MAC recording the driver and car taking part at a Shelsley meeting in 1972. The car now has a new home and is currently under restoration. (Photo – PWMN collection Bibliographical info. – Tom Bourne Morris Register Historian.)
