When Michele lived in England for four years, she fell in love with many things British – one of them being, the Morris Minor Traveller. And looking at this picture of her 1964, how anyone could not fall with this little car and its big personality?
Finding a solid Traveller in the UK without rotting wood and rusted panels wasn’t easy. This particular model car would usually be purchased for commercial purposes, although it’s ideally suited for social use as well. Traveling salesmen had their heyday transporting all types of goods during the fifties and sixties in the versatile Morris Minor Traveller. Needless to say, many of the Travellers Michele found advertised for sale, were just plain tuckered out.
Michele found this 1964 Traveller, named Doris, just west of London. It had 86,000 original miles on the engine, and an amateur, but decent restoration of the body and interior. Upgrades to the car were disk brakes and seat belts - nothing else. When you’re behind the wheel of this car, you have a true “driving experience”.
There are no frills with Doris, just the basics – a speedometer, fuel gauge and indicators lights for oil and ignition. There are four pull knobs on the dash - the choke, starter, windshield wipers which work and headlights. The turn signal indicator lever lights up and blinks green when in use; Michele thinks this is very cool. This model year was equipped with a heater, which basically lets hot air from the engine come into the driver’s compartment.
With the 1098cc engine, Doris the Morris can easily do 55mph unless traveling on an uphill grade. On downhill grades, she will roar while climbing to 65 mph. The trade off is, she gets about 40 miles per gallon of petrol (gas). Doris’ small engine and body styling is perfectly suited for the English Countryside, and Michele was worried about bringing her home to the US. Being a right-hand-drive car in a left-hand-drive world wasn’t a big deal; it was bringing Doris into a world of big SUV’s and impatient drivers that concerned her the most. Thankfully, Doris has become a regular around the streets of Prescott, Arizona and people understand that she doesn’t accelerate or go up hills quickly.
What Doris does, is make people smile. The genius of Sir Alec Issigonis, who was also the mastermind behind the original Mini, is reflected in his design of the Morris Minor. He wanted 80% of the car designated to passengers and their cargo, and 20% to the mechanics, but still be pleasing to the eye of the beholder. If Sir Alec could see the expression on peoples faces when they look at Doris, he would know that his design stood the test of time.
When Michele is not working hard being an About.com guide for classic cars, she is a complementary health therapist and educator. She uses Doris’ appeal to advertise her business by displaying signs on the back windows. When driving Doris around town, Michele has no problem that people ask questions about Doris first and her business sometime later.
