If they were so good, where are they all now?

[Colin Morgan]

Praise indeed:

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1443757


  Morris 8.jpg (Size: 97.62 KB / Downloads: 501)


(The Honest John site shows about 100 are now registered for the road - less than 0.1%.)

[Ian Dunford]

I once parked our Clifton alongside a Bullnose Morris.
Very glad we own an Austin.

[Mike Costigan]

There are many 'good' pre-War cars that have survived in penny numbers; I think there are three reasons why the Seven has bucked the trend and survived in the numbers it has: 

It was small enough to be put in the back of the shed/garage/barn/field when it became outdated/unwanted/broken-down.

It was made of excellent materials which meant it was able to continue to function when most other cars curled up and died (a friend used a Frazer Nash as daily transport in the 1960s. When he decided to rebuild it he purchased a Ruby to tide him over - it gave such good service that when the 'Nash was back on the road he decided to 'refresh' the Ruby. He claimed there were something like eighteen faults, any one of which would have stopped the 'Nash dead... but the Ruby was still going without complaint).

And probably most significant, the 750 Motor Club adopting the Seven as the basis for their economy formula ensured a continuing supply of consumable components when items for other cars just dried up.

I have run both a mid-20s Austin Twelve and a late-20s Morris Cowley, and I can confirm the design and build quality and specification of the Austin was far superior. Apart from the fitment of a dynostarter, I cannot think of one aspect of the Morris that I preferred over the Austin.

[Colin Morgan]

When I watched the film showing the level of care and checking that went into - for example - the production of Austin gearboxes I was was less surprised how well the the one in my car performs - the 2/3/4 synchromesh is still perfect. This fundamental engineering quality must have stood the pre-war cars in good stead - as you say, kept the Austins going when other cars would have failed? And this, and the racing and Special building, would have provided the incentive to collect and keep spares - that were perhaps not needed - helping keep cars on the road even today.

[Steve kay]

Some are quite near to me. I say some because the chap who owns them, last time I discussed Morris 8s with him, could not remember whether he had four or five. He also owns a couple of V8 Pilots, and every year I offer to buy or hire one for the annual trip to Pendine, without luck. Back to the workshop to work out what I am doing completely wrong offering up the three speed box to the engine.

[Austin in the Shed]

Not familiar with the Morris 8 but didn't they have boxed chassis with lots of holes/ mud traps in them.I remember one back in a scrapyard 30-40 years ago and seeing the chassis rotted out there.
I think there are probably many more than three reasons why Sevens survived in the numbers they have,Including the war lay up for many,scarcity and cost after WW2 and by the time there was cheap and available cars to replace the mostly worn out ones they may have survived because of the rising interest of old cars in general.
One of mine survived having being used as student transport c1960,valued by its owner then laid up when the dreaded mot came in for the next 20 odd years.
I as many got an interest in them early and owned the first at 15 I think.Many people now say the interest in a model of car comes around 40 after it was produced,my first car was 40 years old when I purchased it.
Others say,particularly with motorcycles you hanker for the bikes of your youth,maybe not being able to afford one at the time but admired when young.

[Hedd_Jones]

My grandfather had 2, very good cars, robust, but no character.

I think part of it also is that they were not made in the 'vintage' period, so '8' specials are are also not a 'thing'.

To be fair all 30's saloons suffer from popularity, father had a 1931 Singer 10 - sidevalve job. Kept it until the mid 80's. The singer club has a picture of one claiming it to be the only survivor, but it isnt the one dad had, so there must be 2!. And of course the 30's painted rad Sevens, i.e the Ruby etc are considered generally the least desirable model.

The purely mechanical nature of a 7 in terms of its brakes that mean generally that you cant kill them, they may end up rubbish, but they still work. Once the rubbers had gone off in your morris by the mid 1960's it was a small fortune in wheel cylinders and master cylinder for what amounts to a worthless car and so they were parked, and like all pre war cars rusted in abundance. This is also true of many of the other 30's cars also with hydraulic brakes etc.

The 3 speed box on the Pre Series, Series I and II also was quite dated. Just like a cheap Ford Pop

[Tony Griffiths]

Assuming 290,000 Austin Sevens built and perhaps 12,000 (?) left, that's a survival rate of 4.14%. But, see this: https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/how-ma...stin/seven

[Colin Morgan]

I remember seeing an Austin 8 in a garden in the 1970s - it was too far gone to have been rescued - the early '20s Seven chassis design really helped?

[Tony Griffiths]

I remember seeing an Austin 8 in a garden in the 1970s - it was too far gone to have been rescued - the early '20s Seven chassis design really helped?

..that and the oil leaks...