In Bath, England, 1994, I met Charles Ware and dozens of Morris Minors in various states of repair, from rusty chasses to gloriously shiny new painted purring fully restored Travelers. I wanted the pearly Dove Gray saloon. It had sold.
Charles Ware, coiner of the phrase "Durable Car Ownership", offered to restore a car to my specifications. I wanted a Morris Minor. I had wanted a Morris Minor since I saw my first one in Seattle in 1971, at nineteen. That car was a pea soup green 1953 Morris Minor rescued from a backyard briar patch. That car had already sold when I rapped on the seller's door with $400 in my fist.
I ordered a 1967 4-door Maroon Saloon from the Morris Minor Centre in Bath, England, with the 1098 cc engine. I asked that it be converted to left hand drive and to run on unleaded fuel. No problem, said Mr. Ware. My car arrived in Tacoma, Washington in March, 2005. Gorgeous is the wrong word, but giddily cute is a workable descriptive phrase.
Why am I selling this car? Buying it was a wish fulfilled, and owning it has been fun, but it's been 14 years, and I don't have the time to do right by this charming little car. It needs a new owner to love and care for it.
Facts about this Morris Minor 1000:
4 door
left hand drive
1098 cc engine
71,000 Miles on it
restored in 1995 by Charles Ware, The Morris Minor Centre, Bath, England
Maroon exterior
red interior
Drives good.
No rust.
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