F-f-f-fetch your cloth

I've wanted a Morris Minor for as long as I've been aware of what one is, I think since I was about seven or eight. I'm not sure how I was first exposed to them. It might've been reruns of Open All Hours that the BBC showed at the time (I remain a fan of that programme), although my parents are both into old cars so it may just have been through them.
Nurse Gladys Emmanuel behind the wheel of her Minor (or one of them, four or five were used for filming!)
I distinctly remember once running around with friends at school pretending to drive cars and I specifically chose a "souped-up Morris Minor". Over the years I've doodled probably thousands of Moggies, amassed a small collection of toys and models, gone back and forth on whether I'd prefer a Traveller (the woody estate) or a saloon, and of course looked at many on Ebay! Which is where I did eventually find mine.

But why though?

I really can't put my finger on why exactly the Minor has become a favourite car of mine, but here are a number of things I like about them.
  • They're kind of cute, with a happy little face, but not too cutesy and a modified one can still look a bit purposeful, a bit "mean and moody".
  • They were one of the best small cars of their time and remain a very useable vehicle.
  • A-series engines: a generally fairly reliable, solid little motor - and tuneable too!
  • People love 'em, they make people smile, and because they were so popular pretty much anyone of a certain age (older than me) has some memory attached to them.
  • I like how a Greek man took inspiration from American cars and created something very British!