Gotta new mota!

[crankedup]

Yes at last I have a 2nd set of vintage wheels to keep my Austin company.
A nice 'Bullnose' Morris Oxford 4/5 seat open tourer. It spent most of its life in Australia, many of those years in a museum. Imported to UK in 1992 and barely used.:biggrin:

Pick it up next week, on the back of a trailer cos its a 100 mile run

[Balmoral Green]

Sounds like another wonderfull old potterer.

[crankedup]

Thanks, I searched long and hard to find it. Buying from the elderly Gentleman and his wife was a very pleasant experience chatting about old cars, motorbikes, trials riding and then eventually the haggle to buy.

My better half has now told me 'thats your lot'. Hmmmmm.

[_topcat]

Thats good news Crankedup. im pleased you found the right car for you.
I am trying to purchase a couple of cars from Argentina at the moment. one of which is a 1928 Fiat 500 barchetta carrera. trouble is i dont speak spanish.
I look forward to your pictures.

[tvrgaas]

crankedup said:

'thats your lot'. Hmmmmm.

So you didn't go for a RR 20-25. I think I read that the engine in a bullnose is a Hotchkiss hybrid, which uses metric threads and BSF heads.

[crankedup]

Hi Tvrgass, in the end I decided that a 20/25 was to much cash tied up in the garage for me, nice as they are.

I have to learn about the early Morris I understand that the earliest 'bullnoses' used a White & Poppe engine and then the Hotchkiss, Morris took over the Hotchkiss name in 1923 I believe. Altho I am sure you are correct in saying that they still used the Hotchkiss engine.

I will post up some pic's shortly.

[eccles]

and just to be a bit random, my dad has a 1928 Hotchkiss

[crankedup]

eccles said:

and just to be a bit random, my dad has a 1928 Hotchkiss

I was amazed to learn that at one time a total in excess of 1000 British car manufacturers existed. What the heck happened

[eccles]

i hate to spoil things for you, but Hotchkiss are most definately french, i suppose kind of the equivelant to something like a Sunbeam in the uk. good quality car, but with a sporting bent.

[tvrgaas]

crankedup said:

What the heck happened

Bill Morris.

Many of the companies were very small hand build operations, which in comarison make Morgan today (or TVR) look like a mass market operation. For example the today well regarded Frazer Nash made less than 500 cars in its entire 30 odd year manufacturing history, in 1929 they made about 10 cars. (GN had made lots more!)

Morris made the Bullnose so cheap the others went to the wall. The Bullnose book gives a good indication of the cost reductions Morris made each year. Even Austin went in to adminstration; and nearly sold out to GM. Austin hit back with the A7, which killed most of the cycle car manufactures. GM then bought Vauxhall and took them down market. The Great Depression hit most others with Rootes buying up many (Sunbeam, Talbot, Humber, Hillman), then after the brief glory years after the war, Donald Stokes arguably merged and killed the rest. (Austin, Morris, Riley, Wolsley, MG, Rover, Triumph, Standard, Jaguar, Damilar, BSA, Lanchester, Alvis and even Leyland had made cars in 1920.)

For a comparison look at the PC Computer market in the 1980's.

[crankedup]

Thanks for interesting info'.No wonder some of those vintage cars are so expensive with the small production numbers involved.