90th Anniversary of the “Triple Ton” Morris Minor

The 1931 side-valve Minor was fitted with a brand-new 847-cc engine, designed by Leonard Lord, and was intended to compete directly with the Austin 7. The new engine was offered with the outgoing OHC unit until 1932, with Morris having to work hard to convince buyers to specify the newer engine as it was less powerful than the OHC, but far more reliable. However, Morris was keen to avoid drawing attention to the unreliability of the older engine when listing the benefits of the new one.

To aid sales, it was decided the new model would be offered at a lower price of £100, a price drop that inspired Sir Miles Thomas to come up with an idea to further improve showroom appeal. Bill Morris had often advertized the Morris Cowley as a car that would do 50 mph and 50 mpg, Sir Thomas bullishly announced that he would double that with the Minor. The 100 mph, 100 mpg, £100 (Triple Ton) Minor concept was born.