1928 Morris Six Drophead Coupe

Lot details
Registration No: BF 5548
Chassis No: JA613
Mot Expiry: June 2011

`Striking' and `unique' are words that are exactly applicable to this remarkable Morris. Truly, it is a car that once seen, never will be forgotten! You would expect such a car to have an interesting history and although incomplete, such details as are known do bear that out.

William R Morris's first venture into producing a six-cylinder car had proved to be ill-fated - the `F' type `Silent Six' of 1922-4 suffered from crankshaft failures in its admittedly proprietary Hotchkiss engine, and fewer than 50 examples were made. Maybe chastened, but definitely undaunted by the memory of this disaster, Morris, having taken over Hotchkiss Engines and set up his own engine building department by that time, naturally had his next six-cylinder power units designed and built `in house'. For 1928, the new `Light Six' had a Wolseley-influenced ohc engine of 2468cc, the work of Frank Woollard and Arthur Pendrell. This engine was and is a highly regarded power unit, and the `Six' model itself proved to be relatively successful with some 3650 cars sold in the two seasons that it was catalogued. The specification went on to include Autovac fuel supply to an SU carburettor, coil ignition, the familiar Morris multi-cork wet clutch, a centre-change 3-speed gearbox, and a chassis giving a wheelbase of 9ft 9ins. The Morris Isis, with pressed steel body and a redesigned chassis, replaced the Six in 1929, and this type of body construction was to prove a significant step forwards. The basic concept of the Morris Six lived on in an improved chassis frame as the MG 18/80 Mark 1.

First registered in Oxfordshire on June 18th 1928 as `UD 2133', this new chassis had been endowed with special coachwork formerly fitted to the third `F' type six-cylinder Morris chassis, made back in 1923. Messrs Hollick & Pratt had been formed in 1922 by the merger of two existing body makers, no doubt encouraged by Lancelot Pratt being the son-in-law of Henry Hollick. Early in 1923, a serious fire gutted their works, and William Morris, always on the lookout for any opening that might assist the development of his businesses, purchased the firm. Morris had the highest opinions of Pratt's business capabilities, and Pratt was rewarded with one of the top posts in Morris's organisation. Hence the early `F' type chassis was made available to Pratt and he seized this opportunity to endow it with truly spectacular coachwork, which at the same time was practical for everyday use. A drophead coupé, with a veed windscreen that featured sidepieces that would appear again on the first MGs, it has a single dickey seat built into its tapering tail. But it is the exotic choices of panelling and detail that make the car impossible to ignore - polished copper side panelling and aluminium upper surfaces are decorated with carved and varnished mahogany detailing. Small wonder that the body was to find a new chassis after its relatively brief stay on the `F' type car. Tragically, Lancelot Pratt contracted cancer, to die in 1924 at the early age of 43. Morris marque expert, the late Harry Edwards, in his book, `The Morris Motor Car, 1913 - 1983', stated that `the vehicle then appears to have gone to William Morris', and if this is the case, then Morris himself would appear to have sanctioned the 1928 body transfer.

The Hollick & Pratt-bodied Morris Six was purchased in 1962 by Kidderminster garage proprietor Jack Humphries, a keen enthusiast for vintage and veteran cars, and he immediately transferred the very early registration number `H84' to the car: subsequently, this has been transferred elsewhere. He was to keep the Morris for 13 years, and, always immaculately presented, it appeared at many vintage car events whilst in his hands. Later owners have respected the car's unique nature, and today the vendor states that its engine, gearbox, electrical equipment, interior trim, bodywork and paintwork are in "good" condition. The drophead coupe has a MOT certificate valid until June 2011.

This special Morris was purchased at auction by the vendor's father in June 1977 for the then-sensational sum of £17,000. The publicity led to contact with Keith Robertson-Ritchie, an earlier owner of the car who had long admired the car and paid previous owner David Holbrooke of Vaughan College in Leicester £45 for it back in 1953. Correspondence still with the car reveals his warm memories of the Morris: `.very reliable, it ran sweetly. It was quite fast..'; `The hood can be raised with one hand whilst driving along.'; `no car gave me greater pleasure than the old Morris..'.

The words `unique opportunity' frequently make an appearance in auction catalogues, but are truly applicable to this Morris Six. It is a very practical vintage car and at the same time one that will attract enormous interest wherever it goes.