Lot 20: Morris T-TYPE 1-TON VAN

The commercial vehicle arm of Morris motors was founded in 1924 following Morris's acquisition of the assets of E G Wrigley & Co, who had gone into receivership the previous year.� Prior to that a small number of commercial vehicle variants of Morris cars had been assembled at the Cowley plant but at the newly acquired facility in Foundry Lane, Soho, Birmingham, production was to begin in earnest.One of the staple products was the robust T-Type van with 1-ton capacity and it is a 1924 example of this model that is offered for sale today.� The vehicle is reported to be one of the first 700 T-Type vans produced and was new to Owen & Sons, butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers of Selsey, Sussex, in December 1924.� It was apparently laid-up during the war but returned to service afterwards and is believed to have remained in their ownership until the 1960s.� From that point onwards further history is unknown until it was purchased at an auction from the Killick Collection in 1992 by Bob Mayo of Guildford, requiring restoration and not running.� Under the vendor's direction, the van was renovated to a roadworthy condition and was ready for action again by 1994.� Since then it has completed three Historic Commercial Vehicle Club London to Brighton runs and nine Bournemouth to Bath events successfully, as well as attending numerous steam rallies and fun days.�In December 1925, Morris completed a promotional journey from Land's End to John O'Groats in order to prove the reliability of the T-Type van and, using four drivers, this trip was undertaken running the engine non-stop.� Inspired by an article about Morris's achievement, in August 1999, the vendor drove the van from Land's End to John O'Groats prove that it could still be done. �Starting and finishing his journey in Woking, Surrey, a total of 2,139 miles were covered, taking two weeks, at an average speed of 25mph.�Having been renovated rather than fully restored, the van is presented as a serviceable 'working' vehicle.� For reliability, the cooling system has been pressurised to alleviate boiling.� All mechanical components are reported as being good and serviceable and the van is reluctantly offered for sale due to further projects and lack of space.� Much documentation is supplied which includes various photographs, etc. and details of the Land's End to John O'Groats trip, along with a V5 document and MOT certificate current until August next year.