Morris Minor Series 2 1954

Morris Minor Series 2 1954

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An important range of improvements to the Morris Minor came in October 1954. Aside of tackling the question of more power, the 1954 face-lift introduced a much more modern looking and better-equipped vehicle. Gone was the old and slightly fussy radiator grille, replaced by an up-to-date horizontally slatted type, painted in off-white or body colour. The sidelights previously mounted in the front panel, were now carried in the wings themselves, beneath the headlamps. On the inside of the Morris Minor Series 2, the dashboard was revised with the speedometer centrally mounted, while changes to the seats and trim had the desired effect of modernising the interior considerably. Few mechanical changes came with the new look.

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E-type Jaguar Cars XKE Series 1 3.8, 4.2, 1 ½ (Two Plus Two), Series 2, 3,

What Is Your Favourite British Classic Car?

E-type Jaguar Cars (XKE)

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When in 1961 Jaguar unveiled the sensational E-type (or XKE as it was to be known in North America), it immediately became the most coveted sports car in the world. As the XK series had before it, the model set new standards of sports car performance, comfort, and value for money. During its 14 year life, the car was offered with three engines and three distinct body styles (Drop-head Roadster, Fixed-head Coupe and 2-plus-2) and when production ceased in 1975, 72,506 E-Types had been built.

E-Type Series 1 3.8 (XK-E)

The original 3.8 model was launched at Geneva Motor Show of 1961. Embodying all the main ingredients of Jaguar's greatest sports-racing car, the D-Type, it was a remarkable piece of engineering and one of the most clear cut examples of what were purely racing design features being transferred to a road car. Available as a drop-head roadster or a fixed-head coupe, the new model had few peers. It was fast, with beautiful lines and for many it represented the climax of the true British sports car.

E-Type Series 1 4.2 (XK-E)

The desire for more torque for the saloon car range led Jaguar to expand the "old faithful" XK unit from 3781 to 436cc and from October 1964 it was fitted into E-Types. The 4.2 E-Type was little different externally to its predecessor but changes had been made under the skin. Most significant of these was the new gearbox with synchromesh on all forward gears, together with a few interior improvements, making the new 4.2 E-Type more pleasurable to drive and quite literally in a class of its own.

E-Type Series 1 ½ (Two Plus Two) (XK-E)

Introduced in March 1966, the 2-plus-2 made the E-Type into a viable family car.9" longer and 2" taller than the standard fixed-head coupe, the extra dimensions were well disguised and barely affected the sleek and sporting lines. A versatile and useful high speed tourer identified by a more angled screen and bright strips on door shoulders, the 2-plus-2 accounted for almost half of closed Series 4.2 production. The Series 1.5 was really an interim model not acknowledged as a distinct model by Jaguar.

E-Type Series 2 (XK-E)

Stricter North American regulations concerning such items as light position, impact penetration and toxidity of exhaust emissions led to the Series II appearing in October 1968. Obvious changes were the larger "mouth" with fatter decorative bar, headlamps brought forward by 2" and larger sidelights beneath the bumpers. Internally, a snap off rear view mirror was fitted, along with rocker instead of toggle switches and redesigned doors accommodated anti-burst locks. Wire wheels now had smooth centres. With the advent of the Series II there were what accounted to radical changes to the E-Type's appearance. Gone were the slim sidelights and delicate bumpers and although still stunningly beautiful, the car had lost a little of its original charm. In North America, the E-Type's main export market, the edge was being taken off performance from the effects of "enforced plumbing" to control exhaust emissions. It is doubtful if the last of the 117bhp emission cars managed 130mph.

E-Type Series 3 (XK-E)

It needed the 12-cylinder engine to redress the balance and ten years from the announcement of the original, the third and last version of the Jaguar E arrived. The magnificent aluminium V12 5343cc power plant was beautifully smooth and put the car firmly back in the 150mph class. Few cars could match its top speed of 120/130mph cruising ability, even amongst exotica from Italy, and none at all the silence and smoothness of its Jaguar engine.

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Classic Morgan Sports Cars: Morgan Plus 8, Plus 4 Plus

What Is your Favorite Sports Car?

Morgan Cars

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Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan started out as a railway apprentice at Swindon, but in 1906, and with the blessing of his clergyman father, opened his own garage in Malvern Link. Three years later he designed a lightweight chassis for a three-wheeler to take an air-cooled vee-twin engine and commissioned Mr Stephenson Peach, engineering master at nearby Malvern College to machine components for him. The tiller-steered single-seater prototype became the forerunner of over 15,000 Morgan three-wheelers made until 1952. Four-wheeled production started in 1936 with the 4-4 (4 wheels, 4 seats) and in essence the cars have changed little to the present day. Still occupying its Pickersleigh Road, Malvern Link factory, Morgan has remained 100% family owned and is truly unique amongst British sports-car manufacturers. This guide features a selection of six classic Morgans from the F-type 4-cylinder model of 1933 to the V8-engined Plus 8 of 1968.

Morgan Three Wheeled Morgan 1912-1952

The Morgan three-wheeler arrived on the scene in 1912, before the cyclecar craze that hit its peak in the 1920s, and it outlasted every other make of cyclecar, for the last Morgan three-wheeler was built in 1952. It owed its longevity not only to ingenious design, which enabled it to combine low weight with high performance but also to the business acumen of HFS Morgan. The F4 model was introduced in 1933 and featured the car-derived Ford 8HP four-cylinder engine.

Morgan 4-4 Series 1 1936-1950

Called the 4-4, standing for four wheels, four cylinders, Morgan announced their first four-wheeler in "The Light Car and Cyclecar" in 1935. The prototype was based on the Morgan F-type chassis and powered by a Ford 993cc side valve engine, although production models would be fitted with the more powerful and sporty 34bhp Coventry Climax 1122cc engine and later the 39bhp Standard "Special" engine, retrospectively known as the Series I.

Morgan 4/4 Series 2-5 1955-1968

In 1954, after a gap of four years, Morgan re-introduced the 4/4 as a lower powered more economical model to run alongside Plus 4. The new 4/4 was a fully cowled model whereas the last 4/4 had been a "flat-rad" and the engine was a Ford, rather than Standard Triumph product. This revived ties that went back to the days of the three-wheelers. As Ford changed its engines, Morgan followed and the 4/4's performance improved as it went through the 105E Anglia (Series III), 109E Classic (Series IV) and 116E Cortina (Series V) engines.

Morgan Plus 4 1950-1969

The Plus in Plus 4 stands for extra power, provided in the first instance by the four cylinders of the 2038cc Standard Vanguard engine and then by the engines of the Triumph TRs. Introduced in 1950, the two-seater reached production first, followed by the four-seater and the coupe within the space of a year. By 1954, after some experimentation, the classic "high-cowled" style was achieved.

Morgan Plus 4 Plus 1963-1966

The 1960s was a difficult time for the company. Morgan's old-fashioned styling was out of vogue and competition was fierce with an ever increasing array of new sports cars on offer from the likes of MG, Triumph and Lotus. In an attempt to modernise the Morgan, the Plus 4 Plus was introduced in 1964. It used a Plus 4 chassis, with the same TR4/TR4A engine, exhaust system, gearbox and back axle as the standard Plus 4 of the time. The body however was a fixed-head coupe, with two doors and an externally opening boot. Only 26 were made in two years.

Morgan Plus 8 1968 on

The introduction of the Rover V8-engined Morgan Plus 8 in 1968 added a genuine high-performance model to the company's range. Retaining Morgan's traditional design, with styling as the Plus 4, the Plus 8 addressed the needs of the Morgan's sporting customers. Enthusiastically received by the motoring press and tested by Autocar in September 1968, a prototype Plus 8 achieved a maximum speed of 124mph and 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds.

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