Lot 151 1971 Morris Minor Post Office Van

• Genuine ex-Post Office van
• From a museum display in Europe

With Austin and Morris both being part of BMC, the Minor-based Morris commercials were also marketed as the Austin 6cwt and Austin 8cwt, with a closed van and open pick-up version of the Minor being built from 1953 until the end of production in 1973. They were designed for commercial use with small businesses in mind, although many made their way to larger corporations. The van version was popular with the Post Office, with the early version of these (to around 1956) having rubber front wings, to cope with the sometimes-unforgiving busy situations in which they were expected to work. Both the van and the pick-up differed from the monocoque construction of the Saloon and Traveller variants, by having a separate chassis. They also differed in details such as telescopic rear dampers, stiffer rear leaf springs and lower-ratio differentials to cope with the heavier loads. The commercial versions were initially marketed as the Morris Quarter Ton Van and Pick-up, with a Series III designation applied from 1956. The names Minor 6cwt Van and Pick-up were used following the introduction of the 1098cc engine in 1962, and the 8cwt version was added in 1968.

This lovely van is not a recreation! This is a genuine ex-Post Office Telephones Morris Minor Van from 1971 which has spent ten years in a ‘van and pick- up’ museum in Europe. This van had a full restoration before going on display and today still looks very smart and tidy. As a bonus, this lovely example qualifies for free road tax. All the Post Office attachments can easily be removed if you simply want a lovely, sensibly priced, Morris Minor van. However, the iconic Post Office livery is distinctive and adds to the charm of this quintessentially British piece of motoring history. Consigned by Stewart Banks

• GENUINE EX-POST OFFICE VAN
• IN THE CORRECT LIVERY