1937 Morris 8 Series 1 Four-Seater Tourer

Description

AMENDMENT

Treated to a body-off restoration a dozen years ago and only lightly used since

One of the great automotive success stories of the Thirties and one of the best-loved pre-war cars, it is no exaggeration to say that the Eight was the car that saved Morris. Small and affordable but with room for all the family, it was far more suited to Britain's increasingly crowded roads than the larger models that had formerly underpinned the Morris range. So successful was it that within three years of its introduction in June 1935, over 116,000 had been sold by the time it was replaced by the Series II in 1937.

Available as a two or four-seat tourer and a two or four-door saloon, the Eight was capable of 60mph and 40mpg from its 23.5bhp 918cc side-valve engine, driving through a three-speed box with synchromesh on the top two gears. It also benefited from hydraulic brakes and a good level of equipment - all this for the princely sum of just £120 brand new.

First registered in London in March 1937, this Morris Eight four-seat tourer comes with no early history but a green VE60 logbook shows that by 1971 it was resident in Surrey. By the early 2000s it had moved to Norfolk where a previous owner treated it to a full body-off restoration between 2006 and 2011.

The full extent of the work carried out is far too detailed to list in full here, but is amply covered in dozens of invoices and numerous photos on file. Rest assured it was a very thorough job and all aspects were attended to including a rebuilt engine, a new wiring loom and a full interior retrim. Judging from the online MOT history, the odometer was set to zero when the restoration was completed and the car has only covered 769 miles since.

Our vendor acquired the car from RS Cars of Bedfordshire in 2022 and tells us that it runs well with a very sweet engine. However, he has recently moved house and lost his large indoor storage area so the Morris has to go.

As you can see in the photos, Emily (as she is affectionately known) looks very smart all round and no doubt has another 80 years of useful life ahead of her.

AMENDMENT: We have not been able to get this car started due to an electrical problem of some sort

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com