" "Morris" and "Mini" as good a double act as Morecambe and Wise! And British, too!"

From an insert by Atlas Editions.

"What a shame they don't make them like that any more"...

I know this model will originally have been designed in Britain (it is a replica of a British great British car) but the manufacturing content is probably more Chinese than the modern Longbridge MG(!)

Interesting that "Morris" is seen so positively!

Morris can lay claim to the Mini.

Issigonis was a Morris engineer - his first 'design' was a suspension system for the 1938 Morris Ten 'M', but in the event it was decided to be too complex and was slated to be fitted to the MG Y-Type in 1939/40. Of course, the war delayed that car and it came out in 1946. The chassis and suspension system was used in the T-type MG sportscars, then in the MGA, then, finally, the MGB. So his original design of front lever arm dampers survived until 1980!

He went on to develop the post-war Morris range - primarily working on the Minor, leaving the rest of the team to 'scale' the Minor into the larger Oxford and the bigger Six. Once the Minor was in production, he and his team (which included Jack Daniels) began work on an experimental FWD Minor. Issigonis left to go to Alvis but returned in 1956 by which time experimental Minors were running with early hydrolastic suspension. Issigonis set to work on the Mini and the 1100 at Longbridge but the first Mini was a Morris, as was the first 1100. Issigonis attended the launch of every Morris car except the Marina. He didn't always turn up for the other brands!

In addition - look at the sill line of the 1954 Oxford series III and the 1956 series III - there's a bulge that runs along the sill and the edge of the wheel arch - the same thing is on the 1100, 1800 and Maxi.

So Morris was first with monocoque construction, independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, FWD and hydrolastic. Not much point in any technology from Austin...