Vintage Minor Register

Hello Folks
With enormous help and encouragement from our Ian Grace I've just bought the last scuttle-tank Minor, a saloon apparently coming off the production line on 17th July 1931 and being first registered on the 31st of that month in West Yorkshire. It's in a bit of a state and hasn't been used for about fifty years. [pictures to follow] However, the engine sits in the chassis with an exhaust and radiator plumbed in so I may run it to assess the state of the power unit. I've applied for a British Motor Heritage build certificate and look forward to acquiring details of such as the original colour. I was a mechanic in younger days and look forward to doing all of that kind of work plus the wiring, but will require many smaller parts and help with the body repairs and all trimming. The intention is to restore the car to its original spec. due to the historical significance of this one.
Incidentally, it seems to be the saloon equivalent of the "£100" two-seater, with basic trim and having originally had the brass radiator shell painted black? It's now bare brass. Although it is fitted with sidelamps I suspect these would have been incorporated in the [black] headlamps originally? I have inferred from reading up and looking at pictures that these models were all "Naval Grey" but with a switch to a blue in June 1931. [The Complete Morris Minor book by Harry Edwards] Any comments please? Nigel Stennett-Cox

Congratulations Nige!

Your Heritage Certificate will be generated from the data recorded in the production 'Progress Books' that BMH hold at Gaydon.

We have transcribed the contents of these into what we can the Morris Minor Genomes (one for the OHC chassis, one for the SV chassis) that can be found in the Members' Area of the website. We transcribed all this data by hand at Gaydon many years ago and then transferred all of the data into two massive Excel spreadsheets - the Genomes.

For your car, here is the Progress Book data:

Chassis SV5545
Erected 17.7.31
Rolling road tested 21.7.31
Body shop 27.7.31
Final road test 27.7.31
Despatched 27.7.31
Body - Saloon
Engine 6036

The body number was not recorded in the Progress Books but has been reported by the previous owner as MP11473. This number can be found stamped on the cross timber under the rear seat squab.

The Progress Books do not record body colours, but there was only one colour option for SV saloons at this time, which was blue cellulose with red Karhyde interior.

As the very last scuttle tank Minor (apart from the 5 cwt. vans), this is a very significant car and I look forward very much to helping with the restoration if I can.