Various sensible upgrades including freshly rebuilt Morris Ital
1,275cc twin carb engine; Ford Sierra 5-speed gearbox; front disc brakes;
hardened half-shafts; 3.9 diff; Minilite-style alloys; reluctant sale due to
illness
First registered
in London in January 1971, this Morris Minor Traveller had just two owners from
new until 2009 (the first for 27 years and the second for 11 years) and has been
in the current ownership since 2020.
Subtly
hotted-up over the years, it is fitted with a Morris Ital A+ 1275cc twin carb engine mated to a
Type 9 Ford Sierra 5-speed gearbox with hydraulic clutch and additional oil
pressure gauge. Other features include: K&N air filters; electronic
ignition; hardened half-shafts to the rear; a 3.9 differential; servo-assisted
front disc brakes; polybushed suspension; front anti-roll bar; inertia reel
seatbelts; JVC radio/CD player and a set of Minilite-style alloy wheels.
Although there is no early history with the car,
there are lots of invoices to show regular upkeep during the current six-year
ownership. These show that the engine was rebuilt in March 2023 at 69,130 miles
including new piston rings, bottom end bearings and rebuilt cylinder head. The
gearbox was also serviced at the same time and it has covered fewer than 300
miles since.
Other invoices of note include: new
7.5” Sierra clutch plate in August
2024; new clutch slave cylinder and ARB bushes in 2023; Accuspark electronic
ignition in 2022; steering rack overhaul, new brake master cylinder, inertia
reel seat belts, suspension poly bushes, wheel bearings, carbs overhauled and
localised welding repairs to the underside in 2021; new rear door seals and an
in-tank Spitfire fuel catalyst to allow it to run on unleaded fuel in 2020.
We are told that the car runs and drives well
and it has certainly been starting promptly and running nicely as we have moved
it around on site, feeling taut and nippy with healthy 55psi oil
pressure.
As you can see in the photos, the
Trafalgar Blue bodywork has a few blemishes here and there and the headlining
has come adrift at the rear but it appears basically solid and fighting fit
mechanically. There are a few useful spares in the boot including a Kenlowe fan,
gasket set, wheel bearing, window rubbers etc.
This sensibly uprated Traveller is a truly practical classic that
should have no trouble keeping up with modern traffic – not to mention bags of
character and load-lugging capacity. Only reluctantly for sale due to illness,
it is on offer here at no reserve so the best bid takes it
home.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970
309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com