Real Road Test: Morris Oxford MO (big Minor) 

Been a rubbish day, paid put £350 on a Merc A service, tough day at work. Come home to see this. World is better again. Brilliant !

There's something nostalgic about the first gear whine on cars of this era, from this to the Minor and Mini, the streets are missing this classic sound... :)

Nice car from a better age.

Back in ‘59, my family teamed up with my aunt’s family for a holiday in Cornwall - Port Issac as it turned out, the Doc Martin village. Anyway, my uncle hired a Morris Oxford, and ten of us - four adults, six children aged between five and twelve, and an Airedale all piled into it and drove down from Wolverhampton. It was a great holiday.

A lovely car and good video, I wish I had a time machine and bring those good old days back, as todays cars are so similar and lack character. I could just see me in that Morris, picnic ready, and sitting next to it in a field watching the world go by. Today, a lot of people will think that is weird.

Love the indicator ducks, that is a first for me!

My father bought one in 1950 to replace a clapped out pre-war Hillman Minx Drophead Coupe. I remember the loud back axle whine at 60mph. Once when my mother was driving the umbrella type handbrake lever came all the way out. What finally killed it for my father in 1962 was that the seat springs started to poke through. It was replaced by a 1962 Austin A60 Cambridge.

I'd love to have a go with a column change after this. It looks quite easy once you get used to it. I expected Miss Marple to pop out at any moment.

Been looking forward to this test. I was used to the sound of the straight six in my Dad's old Morris 6 so this all looked wonderfully familiar but sounded very different! Lovely car and great video!

Now that is a proper car! absolutely love the column change.

Lovely gearbox whine sound on 1st and 2nd gear! Those cars had real character, I had a go in a Traction Avant a couple of years ago, that was an experience! Like yourself in the Morris I had to get used to the gearchange!

Proper classic,that Ian,obviously challenging gear change and steering, a lovely car,

Thoroughly enjoyed this jaunt in the MO. I had a 1949 model in grey in 1982. In 1983 I bought a 1953 almond? green MO for spares from a chap who also had another 1953 MO in the same colour. "I don't suppose that's for sale by any chance?" I asked. "Sorry no way,she's my everyday car and in superb condition!" The following week he phoned me up and said" bring £250 and drive it away, the wife has issued an ultimatum,the car or me!" 3 MO's all in good condition oh how l wish l still had them.

Great video, brought back memories of my Dad's 1955 series 2 Oxford Traveller. Third gear was always a challenge, but the B series engine pulled well enough in fourth from second.

Simon here... What a beautiful looking Morris,would’ve liked a tour of it though. I love the gear box👍 They don’t make cars to last anymore,but if they made the old cars with today’s technology in them they would sell loads more I reckon. Love the video

In the 70s and early 80s we used to be driven through Laurencekirk all the time on our way south for the holidays, before it was bypassed. I still recognised it. Took a lot longer to get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in those days.

Love the Morris ! Thanks for the great vid Ian.

That car brings memories of my last two years in primary school. My teacher had exactly that model Morris Oxford. He carried six of us in it. Wouldn't get away with it now. It had exactly the same gear whine. If I remember rightly, it was the same colour as your friend's car. Definitely a car for driving on A and mostly B roads.

Very cool, love the gearbox noises of old cars! The campervan is hilarious 😂

Lovely car, my Dad had one of these when I was a kid, takes me back to our holidays in Wales with everything packed in the car and on the roof rack, a black and white TV between my brother and I , happy days.

"This is basically the Matra Murena of its day." Smart! I love the sound that thing makes, that mournful gear whine. Just my kind of thing.

Hi Ian good video well driven you got the hang of the gear change well done.

There's actually a Woody/Traveller version of the old Oxford MO, made from September 1952 to 1954. Again, it looks just like an enlarged Morris Minor Traveller - there's still a few on the road.

Great video it’s good to see a car from the era I grew up in

When i was at school i used to work after school in a panel beaters. The boss had a cousin who was a hot rodder . He had a MO which he decided was low on power so he installed a Ford Flathead V8 .... while it was easy to hook up to the gearbox with an adaptor ,the problem lay with the R&P steering so the water pumps etc stuck out the front where the grill normally was. that was fixed by putting the radiator in the boot connected with a couple of long pipes. The whole thing lasted about 4 weeks....

Hey I got a thumbs up today for your window stickers by one of your fans out here in Dorset :) If your ears were burning was having a right chat about things including your latest acquisition.

I've had 2 of these in the past, loved driving them

I had one of these as my first car - back in the early 70s . I loved the car but its suspension was inadequate for our Australian roads . I can remember tightening the bolts on the lever shock absorbers that were on the firewall . The suspension aside - it was beautifully finished in black duco and leather seats . It also had a radio as well . it was great fun to drive and the motor and gearbox were able to withstand my youthful enthusiasm . It had good fuel economy too . As a young bloke I showed the car no mercy and its top speed on the flat was 68 mph indicated , However - downhill it was able to reach 76 mph . At that speed the valves were bouncing and it made a lot of noise (but didn't blow up). I have great memories of my Oxford and when I left home I passed it on to my mother -. She drove it to work for a few years after that .

In the states, we used to call shifting from the steering wheel, "three on the tree" Cool car. 👍

My favourite car. I learnt driving on Morris.Fifty two years back. Reliable.

Shame we don’t still have the slower pace today that these old cars reflect of that era, maybe life would be kinder to the human race today if we did.

Cool video! Please keep making them.

That Oxford really is lovely.

I was seventeen in 1963, cars of this era were common and very cheap. My first car Which I bought in 1963 was a 1947 Ford Prefect. It cost me £2. Shortly after I bought a 1947 Vauxhall Velox, with a column change I had quite a few cars in my teens. To us then they were just old cars. We nwver thought that they would become classics.

A car to disperse feelings of hurrying and impatience while driving. I felt calm just watching the video A really lovely car wish I could have a drive. 👍

I had a 1951 Morris Oxford with a side valve in Canada. I paid $350 for it in 1975 ! Sold it 1 year later for $500. Wish I had kept it. Seen lots of Morris Minors, but have never seen another Morris Oxford of this vintage.

for some reason i liked that ,mayby it was the easy banter,perhaps the morris,or could it be lovely sceanery. no im going nuts in this heat.gc delightfull

Great video Ian, what a fantastic car, I love the wipers and column gear change and handbrake, my Granny's neighbour had a Morris Oxford identical to this when I was a small boy and I loved looking at it (but still preferred my father's Citroen ami to it 😀) I'd love to have a drive in one of these.

How fascinating. I used to own one of these in the early 70's my mom bought it from a garage and it was someone's "trade in" it cost her £35. Which is worth £464.86 today. I got stopped by the police in Birmingham one Sunday night after going to see Billy Fury on my way home. I asked what the problem was and he asked me to step out of the car and open the "bonet?" He then said. I haven't seen one of these in years. He had a good look around and thanked me and we went on our merry way.

The Morris Oxford was kind of made for longer than you think.After production finished in 1959. An Indian company called Hindustan bought the rights to the Oxford and built the Hindustan Ambassador till 2014. Alot of British cars got built somewhere else after production finished here.

What a lovely survivor! How I'd love to pull into our annual All-British car show in an MO. Although my MG suffices nicely...

Beautiful car, nice to see one being used!

I can relate to the advantages of ridiculously high torque levels from old low-tech low-HP engines. If you want a really good demonstration of high torque/low horsepower, drive a 1950s diesel tractor. I've been driving a 1956 Fordson Major today, 4.6 litre 4-cylinder diesel, 56 bhp, 450 lb-ft torque. And I've been towing a 3-ton trailer laden with logs along country lanes at 5-10mph for most the afternoon (anything more than that is very dangerous, open cab, no power steering, no power brakes, no suspension, nothing, best to plod along taking it easy). Horsepower doesn't mean anything unless you want to accelerate & go quickly, if you want to do real work, torque is all that matters.

that brings back memories,and of the other 4 column changes i had. sunbeam,velox.110.and a mitsubishi.

One of my favorite cars. I bought mine in near mint condition in 1965 for $50 USD. Slightly darker grey color and left hand drive but otherwise identical. Sadly I sold it in a fit of poverty. I later bought a 1959/60 Oxford.

Love cars from this era!

I was in that area last week visiting the Ski Slopes at Glenshee! Small World!

“Ahh there goes a BMW ... ur impatient ... bet you can’t fit three people across the front in that” ... HAHAHA LOVE IT.... well Ian as an owner of a BMW Z4, I truly apologise... By the way Gorgeous old Morrie. Kindest Regards to you and your Mates from an impatient BMW owner all the way from New Zealand 🇳🇿❤️

Wonderfull! Really liking your channel.

I used to like column change. Although with worn ones, after selecting reverse, always check if you are going backwards or forwards. Some day Ian I must tell you about our 'racing' CA too long to comment. But in brief I averaged 60odd mph one night, it indicated 90...New Holland Ferry to Ulceby (nr Alford) 3 months later Carl said, 'doesn't matter but I know you get on. My brother was following you in his E type and couldn't keep up' 100% true story.

Your videos are great Ian. Where else do you get to see stuff like this? I'm vicariously living my fantasy car life through you.

Morris ! Nice ride ! Rich & pfc Sue-way Cat. Cat steping in Los Angeles USA. Enjoyment received , good show !

My late uncle had one back in the day. Think it developed a gear box problem, and it would cost more to fix them it was worth, so he bought a series 3 Oxford, and parked the MO under the apple tree in his back garden. It sat there until the 1980's, when people started getting into old cars, and someone made him a silly offer for it. Put some fresh petrol in it, just about managed to turn it over on the hand crank a few times, put a slave battery on, and it fired up and ran! Albeit rather roughly. Wouldn't drive though, brakes were frozen on. Had to take down part of the garden fence to get it out and trailer it away. Happy days!

Steering wheel ? you forgot your string backed gloves. The engine sounded good, I love the column gear change ,this is the best car you've tried for ages.

What a dainty old bus. And isn't it great there are survivors for us to enjoy. Lovely. 👌

Lovely cars. Grew up in them and not long sold my last one.

Nice whine. And I remember the days when BMWs were rare and exclusive and non-omnipotent, and were often painted bright colours and not all black. Ah, those were the days....

Column change and steering wheel centre indiators. All you were missing was a set of leopard print seat covers and a travel blanket. Lovely old motor that would'nt be rushed.

Nice car. I love the Cowley and the Oxford.

Sounds quite refined, gravel crunching beneath the tyres, very period. Dr. HubNut does his Highland rounds. "2CV doesn't have any torque" and it has to be said not a lot of power either but it is light.

Fabulous Morris Oxford, I really love cars from that era, I wonder if my old Cambridge is still going?

Shame it doesn't do a big raspberry like the Morris Minor - they were always good fun in tunnels!

always love the first gear whine

I owned A Morris Oxford in the sixties I loved it. Mechanics were not so happy as I remember because it was a side valve.

The Riley is absolutely brilliant.

My dad's first car in the 70's, when we came to a steep hill we all had to get out and meet him at the top, we weren't fat kids. You had to start it with a crank handle aswell.

Gorgeous!

Any old car guardian angels out there with a 1956 ford zephyr 2600, and want to share the joy of it. Could you please let hub nut do a drive review for the record.👏👍

When I was a kid, I used to love old British cars in particular. I seem to remember seeing myriads of Moggie thous! But these bigger jobs I hardly saw. Strange why Morris changed the shape of the Oxford over time whilst they basically kept the minor largely unchanged into the 70s I believe!

Saw a beige one in Minehead this week!

I remember someone saying to me that the side valve engines where renowned for great torque. They made good plodders. OHV valve engines as used in my old Volvo 345 were good for low down grunt. As for BMW drivers, I hate them, especially BMW SUV drivers. BMW SUV drivers always seem to cause me problems on the road.

Good ol' Rolls Canardly! ;-)

Very nice with lots of style. Suspension pretty hard even with 5 up. Bumps look to amplify the seat springs. Maybe some stuffing in them would help.

I knew a guy who had one of these and the later Isis and only ever used second and fourth gears - torque!

What a quiet running engine. Always liked the MO Oxford. But I am strange and like weird cars rather than exotic Italian '80's - '90's supercars.

What a lovely car, I especially like the steering wheel centre that doesn't move.

I have been a passenger in this fine car all the way form Hebdon Bridge to Chatteris. Lovley ride if not fast .It appears at shows in the north west of England

Lovely!

Probably my favourite 1940s car, the MO; hope to have one one day (I think its even bigger sibling, the Morris Six is too big). I still say the best column-change gearbox ever was that on the Renault 16 - you wouldn't have made any crunchy changes on that as it had a strong bias to the 3rd/4th plane - so a change from 2nd to 3rd was best made simply by lifting the lever and letting it find its own way through the gate to 3rd. Ah, happy days...

Very interesting, my mother had a Morris MO, new. It could not hack the dirt roads of East Africa

Very cool.

I'm guessing that everyone who packs into that car needs to be on good times with one another. Snug quarters. The gear whine reminds me of the old movies with 1940's cars in them and how they would whine loudly on acceleration. I am also reminded of a trip I drove in a early VW bug. That didn't like hills either.

My late grandfather, minister in Bloemfontein South Africa, drove one of these. A dark green one with a sunroof, but that's all I can remember. He also drove a LOT faster than my father.

Hello guys, what a lovely motor in a beautiful part of the UK, I still love to see these old cars on the road, after a life time of owning a few old classic cars (mainly yank tanks) I drive an hybrid car these days......Do I lose my mancard now? lol.

Ooh my part of the world!

Would love to see a 1960's Morris Oxford on a test...Dad had three travellers, all company cars 1964, 65 and 66. Then they changed to Fords and he had a Corsair V4.

Nice not to hear Clarkson bellowing "Power-r-r!"

Thanks! Enjoyed that. It would be smashing if you could do a walk around and show some more of the car, but fab video. Cheers.

I think you should call yourselves the Weird Beard Club!

It must have a fairly low back axle and plenty of torque as its comfortable at 50mph.

Love that dash! Was it more luxurious than the standard Minor?

Sounds a lot like Stubby Bob when it still had the flathead.

People are bigger than when the MO was built, 4 (or is it 5?) is good.

More Fiat Multipla, than Matra Murena, surely? (But not as visually challenged) What a lovely old car - would be perfect for plodding around in Suffolk (where we used to live) Not so good in Cardiff, where we are now! Lovely, lovely, lovely

I drove a International cab forward for a company that had a 5 speed on the tree when you shifted into 2nd or 3rd you palmed it or smashed your knuckles into the dash.

Cracking video is that Alford you are driving in?

I've always liked these, not sure why.......it's sort of like a Minor, that has put on some weight over the years, and developed a 'middle age spread'! Apparently, very few parts were shared between the two cars......

my uncle had one,we had a mini, the oxford felt like a Rolls Royce by comparison

Interesting car

Thanks for this great video. I loved these cars when I lusted after a particular one in my teens. Unfortunately, I was unable to put together enough cash to make the owner an offer for it. Can anyone out there tell me if she is still in the land of the living? The car was light grey in colour and bore the registration number, RUB 605. I last saw her in about 1975 in Apsley, Hemel Hemstead. I no longer want to own the car, just need to know if she avoided ending her days as a banger racer like so many of her piers.