Date | Change Description |
October 1948 | First Minor rolls off production line Car Number SMM501 Engine Type USHM2 |
June 1949 | Car No.RHD#3389 LHD#6142: small, round twin rear lights replace single rear lamp (mounted vertically in USA). Car No.RHD#17580 LHD#7967: larger squared-off variety of rear lamps fitted. |
September 1949 | Improved draught and water sealing. Choke control altered slightly. Seats given more forwards adjustment. |
Late 1949 | Front suspension tiebar mounting strengthened RHD#904 LHD#5600. Rear suspension - front shackle renewable bush plates fitted, RHD#17840 LHD#8700. Cellulose paint replaced by synthetic enamel RHD#12118 RHD LHD#5856. All US market cars fitted with headlamps in wings. |
October 1950 - on | Four-door Series MM Minor introduced, also with headlamps situated in wings. Indicators fitted high in central door pillar instead of low down as on two-door cars. Some cars (two-door and four-door) fitted with leather front seats, Vyanide being retained in the rear. RHD#69832 LHD#71098 - front doors closed with straps instead of cord. Four-door cars fitted with one-piece bumpers instead of earlier split type. RHD#72985 RHD - passenger windscreen wiper fitted as standard. |
January 1951 | RHD#83390 LHD#81595 - all Minors built with headlamps mounted in the wings with sidelamps placed where the headiamps used to be. All wing mounted headlamps were 7" instead of former 5" units. |
March 1951 | A nickel shortage led to painted grille and hub caps being fitted - RHD#91076 LHD#89726. Hub caps only were restored to chrome plated finish six months later. |
April 1951 | Optional water pump fitted to engine, allowing use of heater. Complete cost £RHD#83206 LDH#81502 LHD - all cars now fitted with one-piece bumpers in place of earlier split type. |
June 1951 - on | RHD#100920 LHD#102836 - Tourer sidescreens of fixed type and revised hood fitted. Door-mounted ashtray discontinued on four-door at RHD#131460 LHD#126597 and on two-door at RHD#124810 LHD#122788, replaced by fascia mounted ashtray. RHD#139359 LHD#139514 - glove box emblem changed from chrome and enamel to plastic. Bootlid lock strengthened. |
September 1951 | RHD#114923 LHD#89910 - rubber bushed top suspension link introduced to cure suspension 'clonk'. Later fitted as a modification to most cars. At same time in 1952 a secondary steering rack damper was introduced. |
Late 1952 - on | Series MM engine replaced by A-series engine, in export four-door car at first. Two-door saloon and Tourer still fitted with Morris 8 engine until 23 February 1953, when last Series MM Minor built. |
August 1952 | First OHV engine fitted in four-door saloon (sidevalve engine continued in some), #160001. |
January 1953 | All models fitted with ohv engine, #180001. |
October 1953 | New page_textDe Luxe models introduced featuring heater, leather seats, overriders and passenger sun visor. Two-door saloon #221842, four-door saloon #221803, Convertible #221914. |
January 1954 | 'A' type rear axle and standard swivel pin assembly introduced #228267. Wedge type fan belt at engine no. 72610. |
Early 1954 | Sprung-type semibucket seats replaced by more modern, flatter far less comfortable front seats. Also around this time and until late 1954, 10,000 cars were fitted with separate rear reflectors as a stop-gap way of satisfying new rear reflector regulations. |
June 1954 | Enginesteady cable fitted, 264013. |
October 1954 | Horizontal grill bars introduced. Revised instrument and control panel. Separate speedometer, fuel and oil pressure gauges replaced by single separate instrument with open gloveboxes each side - two-door saloon #291140, four-door saloon #290173, Convertible #291336, Traveller #289687. Rubber-buffered tie-rod mounted between engine and bulkhead to act as engine steady and to cut out clutch judder. New larger rear light fitting incorporating reflector in lens cover fitted, #293051. |
August 1956 | Coloured hoods fitted to Convertible, #433571. During its production run, the Series II received few other changes but they included: - discontinuation of front wing beading - hardboard replacing millboard door trim - grease nipples added to handbrake cables - shorter gear lever - repositioned pedals - different gearbox cover and carpets to give more foot room Car #433571 on, Tourer given a coloured hood, mottled green for green cars, mottled red for all others. Seats became fixed-back for two-door cars. |
October 1956 | Series II discontinued. Final chassis number #448714. |
October 1956 | Standard and De Luxe two- and four-door saloons, Convertible and Traveller introduced, designated'Minor 1000'. 948cc engine fitted. Single-piece and enlarged curved windscreen and larger rear window. Dished steering wheel. Horn and trafficator control on steering column. Glovebox lids fitted. Deeper rear wings. Shorter geariever, and deeper gearbox cover. 'Minor 1000' motif on sides of bonnet, #448801. New type of shorter handbrake fitted with end push-button instead of side-mounted lever. Gear-lever carried in aluminium remote-control extension. Self-parking wipers, though still not of parallel movement type. |
December 1956 | New strengthened steering swivel pin assembly fitted, #462458. |
Early 1957 | Plastic gear lever knob with rubber insert Boot lid handle and lock strengthened Car No. 463443 - on. New steering rack oil seal fitted. |
March 1957 | Fuel tank enlarged from 5 to 6.5 gallons, #487048 Saloon, #485127 Traveller Mud deflector plates made available for rear brake drums. |
September 1957 | Canvas hood on convertible replaced by plastic coated material, #524944. |
November 1957 | Gearlever reset and lengthened. Traveller #552906 |
October 1958 | Courtesy light switches fitted in front doors, #654750. |
December 1958 | Rear spring design changed from 7 x 1/4" leaves to 5 x 1/4" leaves, #680464 Saloon and Tourer only. |
February 1959 | Early type dry paper element air cleaner, Saloon #698137, Traveller #693918. |
March 1959 | Wider opening doors Self-cancelling direction indicator switch fitted to steering column Horn button moved to centre of steering wheel Traveller #704254, four-door saloon #705224, two-door saloon #705622. |
September 1959 | Combined inlet and exhaust manifold. Foot space between gearbox cover and clutch pedal increased. PVC interior roof lining fitted instead of cloth. Front passenger seat on two-door saloon and Traveller modified to give better access to rear seats, #750470. |
During 1960 | HS type SU carburettor introduced, Engine No. 9M/U/H 353449. |
January 1961 | Morris Minor 1000000 produced as special edition of 349 cars. Special features included Lilac colour, white upholstery with black piping, 'Minor 1000000' badging on sides of bonnet and on boot lid and special wheel rim embellishers. #1000000 - #1000349 (these car numbers designated out of sequence). |
October 1961 | Flashing direction indicators incorporated into front and rear lamps. Semaphore type direction indicators discontinued. Glove compartment lid removed. Windscreen washers fitted on De Luxe models. Seatbelts anchorage points built into all models. New range of colours and upholstery offered Two-door saloon #925555, four-door saloon #925448, Convertible #947088, Traveller #925679 |
April 1963 | Fresh air heater introduced. Air intake on radiator cowl. Redesigned windscreen washer system, #1039564. |
October 1963 | Windscreen wiper blades lengthened and now work in tandem. Zone-toughened windscreen introduced. New design combined side/flasher lamps at front and rear. Extra round amber flashing indicating light fitted to rear of Traveller. New type air cleaner fitted to prevent carburettor icing in cold weather. Nearside (front passenger) door lock fitted to two-door models. Two-door saloon #1043218, four-door saloon #1043752, Convertible #1043271, Traveller #1043226 |
October 1964 | New design fascia panel. Better trim and more comfortable seating. Automatic boot lid support. Glovebox on passenger side fitted with lid. Combined ignition and starter switch. Other switches modified to 'flick' type. Swivel ashtrays under parcel shelf. Crushable sun visors. Plastic rimmed interior mirror. Two-spoke safety dished steering wheel. Fresh air heater performance improved. Blocked oil filter warning light fitted. Crackle finish heater fitted - still offered as optional. Two-door saloon #1082280, four-door saloon #1082284, Convertible #1082717, Traveller #1082537 |
October 1966 | Sealed-beam headlamps fitted. Fuse in sidelamp circuit introduced, #1159663. |
October 1967 | New type paper air cleaner element introduced, #1196653. |
June 1969 | Convertible discontinued. Final Car Number #1254328. |
Late 1969 | Oil filter switch ceased to be fitted. Amber warning lens fitted but not used. |
1970 | During the last months of production some models were fitted with an alternator instead of a dynamo. |
November 1970 | Saloon production discontinued. Final Car Numbers, two-door saloon #1288377. |
1971 | During the last months of production some of the vehicles assembled at the Morris Commercial Cars plant at Adderley Park, Birmingham were fitted with steering column ignition locks, four-door saloon #1288299. |
April 1971 | Traveller production discontinued. Final Car Number #1294082. |