100 years of Morgan
The original Morgan three-wheeler was built in Malvern in 1909. Initially a one-off, H.F.S. Morgan was persuaded to build a few more and the car was displayed at the Olympia Motor Show in 1910. Orders followed and Morgan cars gained a reputation for speed and reliability in racing circles. The three-wheel "cyclecar" layout also gave them advantageous tax and licence treatment on the road. Not until 1936 did Morgan cars gain a fourth wheel!
The family-run company has continued to hand-build cars at Malvern continuously until today, interrupted only by war. Three-wheelers were discontinued in 1950. Featuring sheet steel or aluminium coachwork on a wooden frame, the cars were powered by a variety of bought-in engines. There have been regular changes to the specifications over the years. This has ensured that the cars meet modern standards of safety and emissions and are up to date in levels of performance and comfort. The company's production methods were panned on television in the 1990s by industrialist Sir John Harvey Jones but Morgan Cars has continued in its idiosyncratic way, consoled by its long order book.
For more details of the history of Morgan cars and the current range click here.
50 years of the Mini
The first Mini off the production line at Longbridge, West Midlands emerged in May 1959. A trendsetting design by (later Sir) Alec Issigonis, it sported the first use of a transverse engine and front wheel drive to maximise the passenger compartment space in a small box. The layout is, of course, now commonplace in compact cars. Tiny wheels and rubber (later hydrolastic) suspension were also major innovations.
Sales at first were slow but it went on to become an icon of the "Swinging Sixties", not least thanks to the film The Italian Job. The Cooper version gained rally success driven by Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen. There were vans, pickups, convertibles and even the Mini Moke featured in The Prisoner TV series. Through various revisions over 5 million Minis were built until 2000 when tightening safety standards made it impractical and outdated. Having driven BMC to the verge of bankruptcy - famously Ford took one to pieces and decided it couldn't be built for the showroom price - rights to the Mini brand were acquired by BMW. The New MINI - a wholly new car, longer, wider and much heavier than the original - continues today.
Many examples of classic Minis can be found here.