4th February 1924. Morris Vehicles.

By 1913 the British Motor industry built 25,000 cars and 9,000 commercial vehicles (3^rd place in the international league) way behind America’s 461,000 (cars) and France’s 45,000. However while Ford made twenty cars a day, it took Morris a week to turn out the same number.

In 1921 William Morris, the former cycle repairer, decided to slash the price of his already cheap Cowley and more up-market ‘Bullnose’ models  By 1924, the Model T Ford was overtaken by Morris and in 1925 sales, helped by acquisitions, were 54,151. In 1927 Morris took over Wolseley Cars.(1)

Above a share certificate of Wrigley dated 16th March, 1922 soon to be worthless.

One early acquisition by Morris was that of E G Wrigley & Company which Today in 1924 was incorporated as Morris Commercial Cars Ltd, based on the Morris car chassis, and which was to produce a wide range of distinctively designed vans, lorries and buses-Morris Commercials.

Morris Oxford, Cabriolet 1924.

Wrigley was a British car gear and axle components manufacturer of Foundry Lane Birmingham having made its last car in 1913 and its assets and buildings were acquired by Morris on 1st January 1924  after it went into liquidation the previous year..

Up till then a small number of commercial variants of Morris were built at Cowley, Oxford, but now serious production began with Morris Commercial Vehicles being formed by Morris founder of Morris Motors Ltd.

Morris Commercial 1 ton van 1928.

Morris Commercial LC 5. 1953 registered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1932 the commercial vehicle business transferred across Birmingham to the former Wolseley factory at Adderley Park and in 1936 Morris sold the company into his Morris Motors.

1939 registered Morris Commercial Bus.

1952 Morris Commercial Van.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1936 Morris Fourteen Six Cylinder car. Cost c£200-300.

Morris Commercial Cars Ltd had use of the brand name until 1968 when British Motor Holdings (BMC), parent company of Austin/Morris merged with Leyland Motor Corporation to become British Motor Corporation.

(1) Morris was later Lord Nuffield.

References:

wikipedia.org.morris and wrigleys/Pic.

alamy.1936 Pic

commons wikimedia.org/Pic of cabriolet.

googleimages.

classic cars.1952.

flickr.1939 bus.