Like many other car manufacturers, William Morris started out as a cycle manufacturer in the 1890’s, moving on to motorcycles in 1902. It’s car business grew out of a thriving Oxford garage business and their first car, ingeniously named the ‘Oxford’, appeared in 1913. It’s distinctive feature which remained with all their cars up until 1926 was the rounded ‘bullnose’ radiator. Their other car of the time which shared its name was the Cowley Bullnose Morris.
With a four-cylinder, side valve, 1548cc engine rated at 11.9hp this Bullnose Morris was one of the last of this shape, by which time Morris had accounted for some 45% of new cars in Britain. The Bullnose was a best-seller and were very well-built machines.
The car comes with all of the original registration log books dating right back to 1926 when it was purchased by a Mr J. Mason of Bournemouth who owned it until 1945 where it then passed around a few keepers, mainly in the South of England, until the next long-term owner acquired it in July 1967. He collected the then yellow car from Norfolk and drove it back to Morecambe in Lancashire, a 12-hour journey covering some 290 miles. Apart from a little overheating along the way, it was an otherwise uninterrupted journey. The car performed admirably over the following two years, after which time he carried out a full restoration to a very high standard indeed.
The restorer was the 13th owner and enjoyed the car for some 25 years, entering it into several concourse events along the way which it reportedly won. Sadly, there is no evidence of this but some of the photos taken at the time would certainly support it.
In 1992 it was sold and passed through a few further owners in the north of England until the current owner purchased it in 2013. During those 20 years it’s believed the indicators and brake lights were added and further work was carried out to the engine as required. It is unclear exactly what work was done and when as there are only handwritten notes and very few invoices from which to build a view of its history.
The current owner has enjoyed using it sparingly over his eight years of ownership adding approximately 1200 miles to the car in total. The occasional car show and one memorable trip to Devon is all it has seen in his years, hence the reason for its sale, in the hope that someone else can get a little more use out of it.
The car comes with a wealth of paperwork including the original log books dating back to 1926, MOTs from 1999 to 2013, an owner’s manual and a few receipts dating back to the 1960s. MOT certificates indicate that the car has done approximately 4000 miles since 1999.
Unfortunately, there is little detail relating to what the restoration actually consisted of and when and where it was carried out. The current owner believes it was in the late 80s/early 90s and although this cant be verified, it’s condition would suggest that’s about right.
It’s a real pleasure to climb into this lovely old car and experience what motoring was like nearly 100 years ago. The restoration has been done to such a standard with the wonderful blue leather upholstery and delightful dash looks in such fantastic condition.
The carpets show very little signs of wear and all the instruments glisten to make it feel a very special place indeed. The car also has an added klaxon style electric horn fitted which is off a Hispano Suiza and was given to the owner at the time by Lord Montague of Beaulieu in recognition of his excellent rebuild.
It also includes a wonderful smoking kit which was an optional extra. Perhaps expectedly, this appears to have not been used in a while at all.
The car looks stunning and it's only when one gets up really close to inspect the body work that a few imperfections can be found, but these are very minor and few and far between. There are the inevitable stone chips which appear to have been touched up and two scratches to the wings, but they are mere hairlines in size and very hard to see.
The original artillery wheels finish the car off nicely, and while there are the usual scuffs and wear marks around the tread plates and the inner doors hinges, this is a well earned patina and certainly doesn’t detract from the overall look and feel.
On close inspection, the near side wing did appear to be ever so slightly less than perfectly smooth and one can assume that it’s been beaten back into shape at some point in its past. But it's so hard to see that the owner wasn’t even aware of it.
The woodwork all looks good and no signs of woodworm anywhere. The temperature gauge at the top of the radiator is in good working order and looks in absolute near-mint condition and this is quite a rarity in these models. Of those that do have one present, so very few work or look anywhere near as good as this.
The mohair hood is 30 years old and in pretty good condition, it would however benefit from some treatment. One of the rear poppers couldn’t quite close but it doesn’t appear to leave any room for water ingress. The current owner wouldn’t know as it's generally only used in fine weather with the roof down.
The car started for the first time and sounded very healthy, settling to idle nicely. This car also benefits from the four-wheel braking system and the owner reports that it stops purposefully, unlike many other cars of this age.
It also includes Gabriel Snubber Shock Absorbers adding a little extra comfort to the journey and an electric water pump has also been fitted making it truly fit for the modern motorist.
The magneto is original but rewound by an Aero-Engineer who reportedly built the internals to aircraft specification. It’s reliability to date would suggest that this could certainly be true.
The current owner hasn’t MOT’d the car but has changed the engine and gearbox oil regularly as well as greasing the shackles as required.
This is a superb opportunity to own one of the last bullnose Morris, a true classic and slice of motoring history now approaching 100 years of age.
It really has been lovingly restored and just seeing it brings a smile to your face. The button back upholstery is just gorgeous and would undoubtedly cost a fortune if you were to reupholster today.
The four-seater open tourers are far rarer than the popular two seaters meaning this car also has potential as a wedding car. But whether putting it to commercial use or just taking it to the pub on a Sunday outing, the nice thing is you can bring a few friends along to enjoy the occasion with you, and let’s be frank, every outing in this car no matter how trivial, turns into an occasion.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
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RESERVE LOWERED - 1926 Morris Cowley Bullnose Four Seat Tourer
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