pening the door, you get in and smell that beautiful smell...
...unless the windscreen seals have been leaking, in which case you might smell rotting carpets. Let's hope not!...
You sit on the comfy bench seat behind a large steering wheel which has a trafficator switch in the centre. The interior is spacious with ample legroom for both front and back seat passengers. The roof is generously high and one could wear a hat, if one desired to do so; I did when I graduated from University - I wore a mortar board when driving to the ceremony :-)
The fascia has a perfect, attractive symmetry and a clean, unfussy design. The large gauges are easy to read and tell you everything you need to know.
The is the fascia from my 1956 Oxford. The gauges on the left are (clockwise) Oil, Fuel, Temp, Amps. in the middle is a turnable knob to control the amount of air into the cabin and below it is a pullable knob for the booster fan (2 speed). On the right is the speedometer with the clock built into its bottom.
This is the fascia from my 1958 Isis. The gauges on the left are (clockwise) Temp, Fuel, Oil, Amps. The clock is in the middle with the heater and air controls below. The speedometer is on the right. Being an Isis it goes up to 100mph (and the car is quite capable of reaching that speed).
Leaning forward, you pull the starter and the engine instantly springs into action and settles into a quiet idle. Release the handbrake which is on the right between the seat and driver's door; select first (or second) on the column change or RH floor change (Isis II) and you're away.
Driving along, there are the beautiful sounds of the engine and gearbox (I'm a musician, so I appreciate these things!), the smell of the upholstery, the visual appeal of the fascia; the commanding view over the bonnet, and they're simply nice cars to drive.
They're not sports cars - they're family saloons, so superfast powerslide corners or burning up tyres at the lights are not really the order of the day (for me anyhow - see here for that. Thanks Axeman!). However, depending on how you feel the accurate steering and neutral suspension on the Oxford and Cowley allow for spirited driving, or the extra power of the Isis can let you tour along rapidly on highways.
As you drive along you might notice that your humble Morris is attracting many looks. Occasionally, another driver winds down their window, or a pedestrian comes up to talk:
These cars were once a common sight, but now there are very few still in regular use or even preserved. This leads to the interesting situation that such a humble car attracts as much attention as a flashy and extremely expensive classic car such as a Jag or a Yank tank.
Find a nice one, look after it well and you've got a very reliable motorcar, suitable for everyday use if you like... unlike Jags or Mustangs etc.... tee hee hee - did I say that? ;-)
One of the coolest things...
Here follows some older bits of this page.
Read 'em if you like (or can be bothered)...
When I was at primary school (1981-86) my best friend's family car was a series II Morris Oxford.
I was interested in old cars and things and I remember my Dad taking me along to some Vintage Car Club displays etc.
Even though this Oxford was a worn-out old hack it fascinated me. Perhaps the fact that it was worn out made me admire it more - it just kept going and going!
Other fascinating points I remember were:
I particularly like car styling from the late 1940's through to the 1960's, and I think that the design and styling of the 50's Oxford family hits the nail on the head for me.
Not a flashy car - it never was - but I think that the lines and curves just right.
In my youth I liked what I now know as the series II Oxford better than the series III, but I've grown to like the later car's 'embryo' fins and other changes.
In it's day I guess the Oxford family was akin to the present-day Toyota Corolla - sensible, reliable and somewhat unexciting. Square. Middle-class.
Ironically, in today's traffic, what was quite ordinary and common stands out like nothing else - a car to be noticed (in), yet not a sports car, nor an expensive car. My passengers are often surprised by the number of looks we get!
It's got chrome, distinctive styling and sheer size when compared to something crap and insignificant like a Toyota Oniongrinder GTI XZV 2.0 (or whatever great name they come up with next). It seems that everybody used to own one, judging by the number of people who come up and tell me that they had one or Dad/Grandad/Auntie etc. did; and what a comfy, reliable car it was, wish I'd never sold it etc. etc.
But where did they all go? There's so few left now.
I'm always chuffed that these cars mean something to certain people. Modern cars don't mean anything. Just transport from A to B.
I find the interiors of modern cars nasty. Cheap plastic fittings everywhere. Plastic dashboard; acres of it. So many gadgets for the fickle public, many of them broken within a short space of time. And that despicable smell...ugh!
The smell of the interior of a well kept old car is....well.....mmmmmm!
The seats are supremely comfy, and they're high, so your seating position is rather like sitting on a sofa. 'Lounge easy travel' the Morris brochures used to read, and so it is.
There's a beautiful central symmetry, uncluttered by gadgets, but what is there works perfectly. It's an honest and completely unpretentious car.
The Oxford and Cowley have a lovely 'vintage' sound to their gearboxes and engines. The gearbox has an unmistakable sound on the non-synchromesh 1st and reverse and a cheerful muted whine on 2nd and 3rd. The engine sounds rather like a big Minor 1000, especially the exhaust resonance on the over-run.
The Isis gearbox too has a vintage sound, 1st gear sounds like nothing else I've ever heard. The straight-six engine sounds quite unlike the Oxford and Cowley (and Minor!) - it's powerful, almost rorty sounding yet and sounds great when it revs hard.
 Back the way you came
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Refill your cup at the foyer 
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