1955 MORRIS-MINOR WOODY TRAVELLER WAGON

CARDIFF CLASSICS PRESENTS THIS ONE OF A KIND MORRIS-MINOR WOODY TRAVELLER, FULLY RESTORED WITH MANY UPGRADES. This 1955 Morris Minor Traveller is a split windscreen example that is said to have been used as a delivery vehicle at the Pelican Inn of Muir Beach, California. After being sold in the early 2000s, it was fitted with a 1.3L MG engine and underwent a repaint, an interior re-trim, and installation of custom wood bodywork as part of a multi-year refurbishment. A 1.6L Fiat twin-cam inline-four and five-speed manual transmission were later retrofitted in the early 2010s before the car was acquired by the seller as lot Work since then has included performing rust repair, refinishing the exterior wood, and powdercoating the wheels as well as overhauling the fuel injection system, servicing the brakes, replacing the exhaust system, and more as detailed below. Following the updates, the wagon won a European Woodie Award at the 45th annual Wavecrest Woodie Car Show in September 2024. Finished in blue-gray over brown leather with Louis Vuitton-branded accents, it features a black canvas roof covering and rides on 15'' wire spoke wheels coupled with disc brakes at all four corners. This modified Series II Morris Minor Traveller is now offered with a clean California title in the seller's name listing it as a 1956 model. Created under the direction of Alec Issigonis, the Morris Minor debuted in 1948 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London, England. A four-door saloon was added in 1950, while the Traveller with wood framed estate bodywork was introduced as a Series II model in 1953. This split-windscreen example is said to have remained in California since new and undergone a color change to pale yellow in the course of a partial refurbishment in the early 1980s before being stripped to a bare unibody and repainted in blue gray as part of a multi-year refurbishment completed by marque expert Randolph Williams in the 2000s. Sections of the aluminum rear bodywork were also replaced with mahogany wood as part of the project. Work following the seller's acquisition in 2014 involved re-varnishing the exterior wood, performing rust repair on the doors, and repainting the exterior in addition to replacing the windscreen panels and center divider along with the driver-side vent window. Further details include a black canvas rear roof covering, a custom wood roof rack, dual side mirrors, and Morris-branded rear mud flaps. The 15'' MGA-sourced wire wheels were powdercoated in their current cream finish under current ownership. The wheels are mounted with 165- width Arizonian tires, and a matching spare fitted with a Nexen tire is stored under the floor in the cargo area. The suspension is equipped with a front anti-sway bar as well as retrofitted tube shocks, while stopping power is from vacuum-boosted MG Midget-sourced discs up front paired with Fiat-sourced units out back. Work under current ownership is said to have involved rebuilding the suspension as well as servicing the brakes. The left-hand-drive cabin is accented by teak and zebra wood trim and houses front bucket seats and a rear bench trimmed in brown leather with Louis Vuitton- branded central inserts. Work under current ownership is said to have involved repainting portions of the interior as well as installing Mercedes-Benz brown carpets. Further details include dolphin inlays in the wood B-pillar trim as well as front shoulder belts and John Cooper-branded metal pedal covers. The wood-rimmed Mountney steering wheel fronts a centrally located Smiths 80- mph speedometer with an inset fuel-level readout. A trio of Sunpro auxiliary gauges indicating coolant temperature, voltage, and oil pressure have been added below, while an analog clock is installed in the dash to the right. The five-digit odometer shows 96k miles, approximately 12k of which were added by the seller. The speedometer was refurb