THE MORRIS 1100 AT SIXTY

On the 15^th of August 1962, the British Motor Corporation invited the ADO16, the car that would head the UK’s list of best-selling cars for many years. Company politics meant it was sold as a Morris, an MG, an Austin, a Vanden Plas, a Wolseley, and a Riley. But, most importantly, it set the template for future generations of FWD transverse engine saloons in its class. Here are just twenty facts about the original Morris 1100, a vehicle that was as important to BMC as the Mini:

• The Morris 1100’s origins date from 1958, when BMC initiated Project XC9002, a front-drive saloon that would bridge the gap between its 1.5-litre products and smaller models.
• The project was subsequently known as ADO16 and was developed under the auspices of Alec Issigonis. The styling was by Pininfarina, following their work on the 1958 Austin A40.
• BMC planned for the ADO16 to have been powered by the Morris Minor’s 948cc engine, but this proved to lack sufficient torque. One option was a Lancia-inspired 1.1-litre V4, but Issigonis later stated this did not work in a transverse layout. The solution was to expand the A-Series plant to 1,098cc.
• Charles Griffin, the Chief Engineer of Morris Motors, had the idea to fit the ADO16 with Hydrolastic suspension over the initial objections of Issigonis. Nor was the great man keen on equipping it with Lockheed front disc brakes.
• The four-speed gearbox had synchromesh on only the top three ratios. According to Issigonis, “I don’t like synchromesh on bottom gear. I find that it is difficult to get into gear with it”.
• Production commenced at Cowley in March of 1962.
• The decision to launch the ADO16 as a Morris was due to BMC’s rival networks of Nuffield Group and Austin dealerships. The former believed the latter could access a broader range of vehicles, so the new model’s badging was a method of preventing further disputes.
• On the launch date, BMC proudly boasted they had already built 10,000 ADO16s and that every Morris dealer in the world had an example.
• The cost of the Morris 1100 was £661 0s 3d for the two-door, £681 12s 9d for the two-door De Luxe, £674 15s 3d for the four-door, and £695 7s for the four-door De Luxe.
• Despite appearing in the UK-market sales material, the two-door versions were for export only.
• De Luxe trim gave the proud owner extra brightwork, bumper over-riders, twin sun visors, dual horns, and front door pockets; a heater remained a £3 15s extra.
• The top speed of the ADO16 was 78 mph, with a 0-60 time of 20 seconds.
• BMC marketed the Morris 1100 as “The car you always hoped would happen” with “Float on Fluid” suspension.
• Meanwhile, the brochure claimed: “the going is motorway-smooth in the new Morris 1100!”.
• The original choices of colour were Dove Grey, Smoke Grey, Tartan Red, Fiesta Yellow, Connaught Green, and Old English White. Black paintwork was “available to special order”.
• Your friendly local Morris dealer also offered a wide range of accessories for your ADO16, ranging from a badge bar and a roof rack to wing mirrors and an “anti-mist panel” for the rear screen.
• The automotive press lavished praise on the latest Morris. Autocar stated, “The staff of this journal have never before been so unanimously enthusiastic about the overall qualities of a car; the few criticisms are minor in character”. Motor Sport believed that providing the ADO16 was “better and more conscientiously put together than the early Minis, they cannot fail to attain glorious sales”.
• The Corporation assured conservative-minded buyers the ADO16 would not mean the demise of the Morris Minor 1000.
• Griffin told Motor, “the public cannot afford to buy transport which is merely fashionable, and will be quickly dated” – a possible veiled reference to the Ford Anglia 105E.
• The Morris 1100 was the last Cowley product to be pictured with Lord Nuffield before his death on the 22^nd of August 1963.