Morris Minor Pickup

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Launched at the 1948 Motor Show, the Morris Minor went on to become the UK's most successful post-war car to date with one million sold by January 1961.

The Issigonis design set new standards in comfort, ride and road holding using monocoque construction with torsion bar independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and a four-speed synchromesh gearbox. Engine sizes went from 803cc to 1,098cc with two- and four-door saloons offered along with a Traveller estate, a Van and a Pickup. By the time production ceased in 1971, more than 1.5 million Minors of all types had been sold.

Once a common sight on Britain’s roads, the Pickup has become the rarest surviving variant. Worked into the ground with their tireless capacity for hard labour, the ignominious end for most of these lightweight commercials was either the scrapyard or, if they were lucky, the nearest hedgerow where they gasped their last breath.

Somehow the Pickup in our sale today survived intact, being first registered in October 1967 and having had only four owners to date, according to the V5C. In 2003 it was treated to a no-expense-spared restoration, all fully documented in the history file. This included a total body rebuild including new front wings, new front panel, new ‘Expressed Steel’ rear tailgate (costing over £300), a new bumper, reconditioned doors and a new grill. Repair panels were let into the original pickup truck sides and any chassis work was attended to as required, the whole shell then being painted in Carmine Red.

A reconditioned 1,098cc unleaded head engine was sourced from the Moggy Factory in 2003 and a new radiator fitted. New shock absorbers were fitted and the brakes uprated with servo assistance, although the rest of the running gear is standard. The interior was retrimmed using new seat covers from Morris specialist Newton Commercial along with new inertia reel seatbelts, new carpets and thick soundproofing. To show the attention to detail, even the pedal rubbers were replaced with new ones from Bull Motif Spares Ltd.

The pickup bed has new floor boards, painted black, while a high quality tonneau cover made from the same material used for Rolls-Royce hoods keeps the load area clean and dry. The correct bonnet side mouldings have been retained (different to those on the saloons) but the doors have gained chrome quarter lights instead of the painted originals.

A new speedometer was also fitted and the 5,253 miles showing is the distance travelled since the restoration was completed. Having covered less than 800 miles in the last five years, the vendor has decided that the time has come to pass the Pickup on to someone with more time in which to enjoy it.

It has just completed its last ‘job of work’ transporting a couple of Cathedral School students to their prom at Hampton Court, Herefordshire. The pair sat in the load area with a dressed table and chairs sipping champagne making a most stylish entrance. Issigonis hadn’t seen that one coming!