The chassis of this Series E Morris 8 has a sectioned engine and gearbox and was originally a display piece to show the operation of the various parts which were run with an electric motor. The Series E Morris 8s were made by Morris Motors Ltd in Cowley near Oxford, England, from 1939 to 1948.

The Morris 8 was a popular British family car of the 1930s and 1940s though large numbers were also sold in Australia. It performed well in suburban traffic and the Series E had the advantage of synchromesh on the top three gears. It could cruise all day at a steady 45 mph (72.4 kph) and was virtually trouble free. The only problems were corrosion in the side members and in the open tourer models the doors would suddenly fly open (suicide doors). The installation of simple sliding bolt catches solved this problem. The advertising slogan for the Morris 8 was "The Modern Car"!

This Series E Morris 8 chassis was donated to the Museum in 1950, two years after the last of the Morris 8s were made in England. It may have been used in Morris show rooms to demonstrate the car's internal workings to prospective purchasers or dealers. Its donation to the Museum by Nuffield Australia at the time was to illustrate contemporary automotive technology while today its significance is more a historical one. It is one of a number of sectioned chassis and car bodies in the Museum's collection acquired when the Museum's exhibition role was primarily focused on technical education.

Sedgwick, Michael, "The Morris Eight" Profile Publications, No.52, 1967.

Margaret Simpson
Curator, Science & Industry
June 2008

William Morris (1877-1963) (later Lord Nuffield) founded the famous Morris firm and began planning to build a light car which would sell at a low price in 1910. The prototype Morris Oxford was assembled with components from various British sources at his Morris Garages in Longwall Street, Oxford. In order to put it into production Morris purchased a much larger site, a former military training college and school at Cowley, later a southern suburb of Oxford. The first production Morris Oxford was a two-seater made in 1913, which sold in both Britain and on the Continent.

By the 1930s a bewildering range of Morris cars was available and in 1935, after the Cowley factory was modernised, a simplified range was released, the best selling model of which was the 918 cc side valve Morris Eight. It was made in a two-door and four-door sedans and open tourer styles. A completely new engine was made under Leonard Lord who became Managing Director in 1933.

Morris Eight cars were produced from June 1935 to 1953 in four series: Series I from June 1935 to the end of 1937, Series II cars in 1938, Series E from 1939 to 1948, and Series Z from 1940 to 1953.

The Series E Morris 8 of which this chassis is an example, was unveiled by Morris at Earls Court in October 1938. The chassis was almost unchanged from the earlier models though the radiator grill was streamlined. The new bodies dispensed with running boards and the sedans had an integral boot.

Jarman L.P., & R. I. Barraclough, "The 'Bullnose' Morris Cowley", Profile Publications, No. 63, 1967.

Sedgwick, Michael "The Morris Eight", Profile Publications, No.52, 1967.

William Morris established Morris (NSW) Pty Ltd in 1927 to co-ordinate the sale of Morris cars in this State. In 1932 York Motors in William Street, Sydney, became the NSW distributors for Morris (and other car makes) after its founder, Dick Cobden, met William Morris. Business was so good that special ships were chartered just to bring out Morris cars to Sydney. Immediately after the Second World War, William Morris again visited Sydney and learnt that the huge 100-acre (40-ha) Victoria Park racecourse (also used for racing cars and motorcycles) at Zetland was up for sale. He thought it would be an ideal site for an industrial complex to house a Morris factory and supplier companies. When his fellow directors disagreed, Morris purchased it personally anyway and later sold nearly half to Olympic Tyres and other component manufacturers for enough to cover the entire purchase. When Australian sales of Nuffield cars (mainly Morris and MGs) rose, the Morris Board voted to buy Nuffield's 54 acres (22 ha) and a Morris assembly plant, Nuffield Australia, opened at Zetland, in 1950. It became the group headquarters for the British Motor Corporation Australia (BMC) in 1953.

In the same year the Morris factory opened, this Morris 8 Series E chassis was donated to the Museum by George Alfred Lloyd, Managing Director of Nuffield (Aust) Pty Ltd, Joynton Avenue, Zetland.

In 1989 the chassis was conserved by the Museum and the damaged display drive sprocket and shaft were removed.

Davis, Pedr, "The Australian Dictionary of Motoring", Pedr Davis Ltd, Sydney, 2001.

Automobile chassis, full size, sectioned, Morris 8, Series E, metal, made by Morris Motors Ltd, Cowley, Oxford, England, 1939-1948. Complete with stands and electric motor motor (SB).

This is a motor car chassis with a number of sectioned components including the radiator grille, radiator core, radiator header tank, generator, timing case, engine, bell housing, gearbox and chassis rail. The chassis is of a double box section type and the vehicle features a four-cylinder in-line engine with a detachable cylinder head and 3-bearing crankshaft. Fuel was delivered by an SU electric pump from a rear tank. Electrical power was produced by a 6-volt generator. Steering is by Bishop cam. The gearbox has four forward speeds with synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and top gears and is connected to the engine via a single dry plate clutch which connects to Hardy Spicer universal joints. Suspension is by semi-elliptic springs front and rear with Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers. Braking is by 8-inch (20.3 cm) Lockheed drum brakes on all four (pressed steel) wheels. The radiator emblem reads "Morris 8" and the grille is curved.

Specifications
Engine: four cylinder
Bore and stoke: 57 mm x 90 mm
Capacity: 918.6 cc
Compression ratio: 6.5:1
Carburettor: SU
Electrical system (lighting & starting): 6-volt Lucas
R.A.C. Rating: 8.05 hp
Output: 29.5 bhp (22 kW) at 4,400 rpm.
Ignition: 6-volt coil
Gears: Four forward, one reverse
Clutch: single dry plate
Acceleration: 0 to 50 mph (80 kph) in 33.2 seconds
Wheelbase: 7 ft 5 inches (2.26 m)
Track: 4 ft ¾ inch (1.24 m)

Made: 1939 - 1948

B1134

1939 - 1948

1160 mm

1350 mm