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Every nation has its own unique contribution to the wide world of automobiles – each with their own unique body style and type, engine power and specifications, and special features that make them stand out. In Great Britain Morris Motors Limited stood for almost a century of the finest service, through wars and economy struggles.

Morris was a British car maker which started production in 1919. The brand name was in use till 1984 when the then owner British Leyland decided to shelve the brand in favour of the more popular Austin. As of now the brand name is owned by the Chinese company SAIC which had acquired the ailing Rover. In 1933, Morris was the second largest car manufacturer in UK controlling a market share of 23%. This is the time when the company introduced the Morris 10 and the Morris 10/4 powered by an inline four-cylinder side valve engine displacing 1,292 cc. The drive was transferred to the rear wheels through a manual four speed gearbox. The engine was water cooled and employed SU carburettors. SU was a Company owned by Morris.

The Morris Ten occupied part of the “10 horsepower” bracket, a section of U.K. automaking that was among the top-selling in the industry. In 1938 an all-new car, the Ten Series M, which was ahead of its time in the use of unitary construction was launched. At the time, only the Chrysler Airflow and Cord 810 in the United States, and Citroën’s in Europe, had used unit body construction, making the Series M quite advanced.

The Series M saw continuous production for 10 years, 1938 to 1948, with 27,020 built prior to World War II, and 53,566 built thereafter. Relatively few of them were brought to South Africa, and so they remain a curious and rare sight. Only saloon bodies were made for the civilian market. Post-war models can be distinguished from those made before 1940 by a cosmetic change to the radiator grill, the later versions being rounder, faired in to the engine side panels and without the Morris badge at the top.