Description
I have very reluctantly decided to part with my lovely 1955 Morris Minor series 2 4 door “ERNIE”. I bought this for my Wife! Well at least that was what I told her! Unfortunately for me she wants a Classic Mini and as I have another classic this one will have to go.
Firstly, don’t be put off by the obvious patina, this car is absolutely rock solid, has never been welded, is perfect underneath, has a mint original interior and has been fully rebuilt mechanically. It literally drives like a new 1955 Minor would have done; it even has a new set of very expensive crossply tyres.
In addition, the car comes with an incredible history file. The file is huge and goes as far back as the original owner, Ernest Leonard, passing his driving test in 1955! There are brochures, correspondence from the suppling dealer, Stuart and Arden, the bill of sale, warranty, underseal warranty, maintenance records, unbelievably even itineraries and maps for holidays from the RAC! Plus, lots more, 2 big files including all the recent renovation invoices etc.
I understand that in 1965 Ernest fell ill at the wheel and unfortunately crashed the car, causing damage to the engine. I have the invoice for a Goldseal engine and gearbox plus some other repairs at the time. It then appears that the car was driven home and then rather strangely left in the garage for 51 years!! Yes, that’s correct, the car didn’t emerge from the garage until 2016, I believe Ernest had passed away around this time. Why this happened I don’t suppose we will ever know, maybe Ernest had epilepsy or similar or maybe he bought a new car but couldn’t part with his beloved Morris?
After its emergence from the garage, the second owner decided to give the car a very thorough overhaul. The wings and sill covers were removed, and the structure was found to be in perfect condition, so the car was reassembled and re undersealed, at this time it was, and in my opinion correctly, decided to leave the car in its original patina condition but give the car a complete mechanical overhaul.
The engine was seized unfortunately, so it was stripped and rebuilt, the head was converted to unleaded spec, electronic ignition and a Dynamator was fitted, all the hoses and pipes were replaced, the carb rebuilt etc. The brakes were replaced along with the pipes and hoses, the suspension was also Polybushed at the same time. The result of this is a Minor that drives just like it would have done when new, the engine really is like a sewing machine and starts instantly every time hot or cold.
The second owner used the car for a while and then the car was sold into the trade, and it appears to have then sat for a few years until I bought it a couple of years ago. I immediately started using the car and as expected a couple of minor issues arose, 1 front wheel cylinder failed, and the exhaust failed. I completely rebuilt the front brakes with new quality parts and fitted a new exhaust, changed the oil and filter and set about using the car as much as possible on dry days. I have also fitted flashing LED Trafficator bulbs and a new Trafficator control unit. I have completed around 1000 trouble free miles since then and continued to meticulously maintain the car as I do with all my cars. The car has also been wax injected and the patina is protected with Ancor Wax.
There are a great many restored, mint and shiny Morris Minors out there but whenever I show this car it gets a lot of attention, everyone seems to love it and if someone opens a door on it it’s not so upsetting!
I have attached lots of recent photos including some from it's discovery in 2016 and can send any more you may require.
Any inspection is welcome, thanks for looking
£5250 onoThis charming little Morris has an incredible history and an enormous character , It's absolutely brilliant fun to run around in and very reliable. Ernie the Morris get loads of attention all the time.
