1938 Morris 8 Roadster

One of the great automotive success stories of the Thirties and one of the best-loved pre-war cars, it is no exaggeration to say that the Eight was the car that saved Morris.

Small and affordable but with room for all the family, it was far more suited to Britain's increasingly crowded roads than the larger models that had formerly underpinned the Morris range. So successful was it that within three years of its introduction in June 1935, over 116,000 had been sold by the time it was replaced by the Series II in 1937.

Available as a two or four-seat tourer and a two or four-door saloon, the Eight was capable of 60mph and 40mpg from its 23.5bhp 918cc side-valve engine, driving through a three-speed box with synchromesh on the top two gears. It also benefited from hydraulic brakes and a good level of equipment. The Series I Tourer cost just £120 new and some 20,000 examples were sold.

From our questionnaire, we understand that this cracking little 'Eight' was restored around 1995 by Palle Winther, the Roll-Royce and Bentley restorers in Aalborg. Twenty years later the quality of this restoration still shines through. There are no bills or photographs supporting this, but there really is no need as all you have to do is inspect the car. These are not large or complex vehicles and you can see into every 'nook and cranny'. It has been regularly serviced by knowledgeable folk since then, with invoices for this work in the file, is currently Road Legal and has only covered 1,447 km since being restored.

In answer to a question about provenance, our vendor replied "The owner, who had the car restored, died,and the car was sold to us by our mechanic. There was only the one owner before us. The car was 'as brand new' when we bought it." It proudly sports a Morris Register badge on the front and they may well have more information.

If you are considering a small, pre-war, family roadster, then this fabulous little Morris may well be perfect. Should you be interested in 'Concours' events, then the car would probably require a little detailing, but if that's not a priority, then scoop up the kids and head for the seaside.