MG TD Midget(1950-53)
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| Morris Minor |
Replacing the TC Midget in 1950, the TD carried on the Morris Garages tradition for cheap, fun roadsters, which were sold alongside its larger, more expensive models and the Morris saloon range. It did, however, have several enhancements over its predecessor - independent suspension with coil springs, rack and pinion steering, and a small front bumper. Apart from that, it still looked very similar to the TC, and had the same 1252cc, 54 bhp engine, though output was increased to 57 bhp in 1952. There was also a thriving cottage industry tuning, tweaking and uprating MGs for both keen road drivers and budding privateer racers. The TD's chassis also provided the basis of the YA and YB saloons and export-only YT Tourer convertible, as well as the hardly-developed TF roadster of 1953. These were the last MGs with truly vintage roots, the company launching the far more contemporary MGA and Midget in the late '50s and early '60s, before scoring massive success from 1962 with best-selling MGB.
Morris Minor(1948-53)
The Minor name dates back to the 1928, when Morris used it on its 8 hp model, but it is, of course, most associated with the range first launched in 1948. One of the most advanced small cars of its time, it was designed by a young British-Greek-German engineer called Alec Issigonis, who went on to create the Mini. Issigonis had designed rack-and-pinion steering and a new wishbone and coil-sprung independent front suspension system, which made its debut on the MG Y-Type saloon of 1947. However, Issigonis' main project was a small mass-production car, an affordable vehicle to mobilise the general public again after the war (similar projects were underway elsewhere in Europe, with the Citroen 2CV, the Fiat 500 and the Volkswagen Beetle). The first-generation "low-lamp" MM-Series Minor showcased Issigonis' engineering, as well as setting the blueprint for a compact, easy-to-drive runaround. It had a low centre of gravity, reduced weight and much-improved interior space - not least because Issigonis suddenly decided to add four inches to the car's width late in the development programme - and it was much easier to drive than its predecessors if somewhat slow, with its 919cc sidevalve engine. The MM-Series was offered as a two- or four-door saloon, or in the rare Tourer convertible form, and continued on sale into 1953, although the Series II models were launched mid-year. The two-doors were the first Minors to receive the BMC A-Series engine (as in the Austin A30 plus an SU carburettor), but the other models got it later, including the covetable "woodie" Traveller estate car of 1953. The launch of the new range, and the continuing popularity of the MM-Series models, meant that the Morris Minor was the best-selling car in Britain in the Coronation year. Also popular in '52 were the larger Morris Oxford MO-Series, which also came with a "woodie" estate body, and the Six, a larger version of the Oxford but with more traditional pre-war styling.
