Tuesday 12th October 1948
The first Morris Minor car in Britain went on sale, costing £382 including taxes. Designed by Alec Issigonis. the Minor was certainly a ‘new generation’ of small car. Although not very fast (the side-valve Series MM could just about manage 62 mph), everyone who drove the new Morris quickly discovered that its sure-footedness and light, rack-and-pinion steering (another innovation for a small car) made it a delight to drive. Initially available as a two-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range was subsequently expanded to include a four-door saloon in 1950, a wood-framed estate (the Traveller) from 1952 and panel van and pick-up truck variants from 1953.In total more than 1.3 million ‘Moggies’ were manufactured between 1948 and 1972.