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SCMP Reporter

ON November 12, 1970, the last Morris Minor 1000 was driven from the assembly line in Cowley, England, ending a production run of 23 years in which 1.288 million Minors were built.

    Few cars had ever been so well loved and enduring, and though the car's low price meant the Minor made little money for its manufacturer, it carried the torch for the then great British motor industry.

    But, by 1970, the rudimentary specification and rugged build of the Minor seemed antiquated and it slipped away unnoticed.

    Mr David Johnson, a designer, believes that the very reasons for the demise of the Minor in 1970 make the car desirable now.

      He feels that the car's old-fashioned character and simplicity is just what is needed in Hongkong.

   And he has put his money where his mouth is by setting up his own company to import the old cars to the territory.

   ''It's reliable, economical, durable and environmentally friendly and, above all else, fun. In a traffic jam or on a winding road, it gives more smiles per gallon than any similarly priced modern 'econobox', '' he said.

    The name of Mr Johnson's operation, Let The Good Times Roll Motor Company, is a clue to the way that the operation is run.

    Mr Johnson is no sharp-suited car salesman with a persuasive manner. He is disarmingly honest and straightforward. He loves Morris Minors and believes that other people in Hongkong will too.

    He has already imported five Minors, and the stock comes in all shapes and sizes, from the small truck version with its open flat-bed rear which is intended as a promotional vehicle, to the more elegant convertibles.

    None are restored to as-new condition. Mr Johnson prefers to offer cars with a hint of age at sensible prices.

    These prices range from $50,000 to $100,000, and the cars come with membership of the British Morris Minors Club and a directory of the garages in Hongkong happy to maintain your Minor.

    All the cars are at least 20 years old and each has its own distinct personality.

  Modern car manufacturers aim to make their products all the same, but the original hand assembly and years of use have made each Morris different.

    Driving each car to the photo location showed their different natures. Some grumbled, some were more spirited, and some had a wonderful rasp through the narrow-bore exhaust.

  But all start quickly and the little 948 cc and 1,098 cc engines settle down and tick over contentedly. The cars give the impression that their solid old frames and engines will soldier on for at least another 20 years.

    The Minor was one of the first cars to use a monocoque body - with the chassis and body integrated into one structure - rather than a separate body and chassis. And Morris also over-engineered the car just to be on the safe side.

    The result is a car built more like a house than a light-weight modern production car.

    Maintenance is easy and Mr Johnson reckons that the kit of light bulbs, fan belt and spark plugs that he supplies with each car is all the owner is likely to need for years.

    The great designer, Sir Alec Issigonis, was responsible for the design of the Morris Minor, starting his sketches before the end of World War II.

    The only major revision to the car came before production when Lord Nuffield, director of Morris, complained that the car looked like a poached egg and was too thin.

  The engineers worked overnight widening the car by splitting it down the middle and adding a four-inch section to the centre.

      Mr Johnson and the Let The Good Times Roll Motor Company can be contacted on 812 3878.

   The split front bumper and the centre band of the bonnet show where the addition was made and careful examination reveals a flattened section running along the middle of the roof.

    Lord Nuffield declared himself pleased with the alterations and approved the car for production. Hardly anything else was changed over the ensuing 23 years.



Minors let good times roll