Glasgow Morris Minors
The wee lovable and archetypal, highly eccentric British family car came into being and was debuted at the Earl's Court Motor Show in 1948. Designed by Alec Issigonis, who also designed the beloved Mini, the Morris Minor was a highly successful family car for over twenty years, with 1.6 million of them being manufactured from 1948 to 1971, with three series over that period.
If you have never been in one, do so if you get the opportunity, it'll bring a wee smile to your face and others as you drive by.
We found out more about Glasgow Morris Minor Club from organiser John Emley. John has been running the club since 2021, to boost activity and interest in Central Scotland. The club boasts male and female members from their early 20's into their 50's, with varying degrees from first time owners to members with many years of restoration experience. They have regular meet up's planned for 2022, pop along and have a nice day oot with John & fellow Morris Minor lovers. Check out the website here www.glasgowmoggies.com
Q) When did you first own a Morris Minor (Moggie), what was the appeal ?
"I bought my first Morris Minor in 2007, when I was aged 25. I'd always been into cars from the 1930s-1960s. I saw the Morris Minor as a beautiful, iconic British car. I'd already owned its' younger sibling the mini and wanted to give the Minor a go. I’ll gloss over the fact I hadn’t even completed five miles in that first Minor when the engine blew. Live and learn"
Q) Do you still own your first Morris Minor, or have you owned many over the years ?
"I am now on my fifth Morris Minor. I've had one or two poor ones, a couple of really good ones and one in between. I've had my current one for a few months now and I'm pleased to say it falls into the "really good" category."
Q) If you experience any issues with the car/s, do you fix them yourself or take them to a specialist ?
"It depends what the issue is. I'll have a go at simple things myself and take care of all my own routine servicing. I get enjoyment and satisfaction from looking after it. For more involved tasks I either ask an experienced friend to lend a hand to teach me or put it into a garage and leave it to the professionals. I'm fortunate enough to have met a good friend and fellow Glasgow Moggy owner who's been willing to help me learn."
Q) How did the Glasgow Moggies Group come into being and how did you acquire your members ?
"Glasgow Morris Minors came into being gradually. I met a friend a handful of miles away through one of the Morris Minor owners forums. We got talking about going out for runs together. I decided to have a look and see if I could find other owners in the Glasgow area. It was easy enough to find the first few through the various web forums and Glasgow Morris Minors was created. When we launched our website and Instagram platforms things grew as people contacted us from throughout the central belt wanting to get involved. Some were novice classic owners that just like the car, others experienced classic car enthusiasts. It’s been particularly pleasing that a few younger people contacted us. Our Instagram account was set up with a younger audience in mind. We are also happy to welcome people along that don’t own Morris Minors but aspire to ownership. As well as those that own other classic cars. We have Morris Minor owners that also own cars like the Austin 7, classic MGs and Rovers. For younger people interested in old cars there is an opportunity to learn about them and get advice and help in relation to ownership."
Q) You have regular meet up's, driving the cars to locations to display the cars and socialise too, keeping it informal. Is that part of the character of ,orris Minor owners, to show that the cars are for driving/enjoying and being sociable etc ?
"Yes, definitely. They are cars to use and enjoy. We want to show that Morris Minors aren’t museum pieces. They make reliable usable transport. There are still people out there that use them as their daily transport. The later Minor 1000 models are quite capable of being used in modern traffic without any real issues. We want to get people together to enjoy using their cars, see some nice places, make friends, have a laugh and help one another out."
Q) How many members do you have now and are there varied ages in the group - are more young un's taking an interest now ?
We currently have fourteen male and female “members” ranging in age from people in their early 20s to their 50s. It’s a niche interest. I use the term member loosely since we have no formal membership structure. We have a significantly bigger following than this on Instagram. It isn’t really about the total numbers though, after all you only need one Morris Minor to have a fun drive! It’s more about bringing people together for collective enjoyment. Whether more young people are taking an interest in Morris Minors than in the past is difficult to gauge. It’s well documented a lot of traditional classic car clubs are experiencing a decline in membership and have few young people joining. That said, there are new clubs springing up across the UK full of younger classic owners owners. There are plenty of young people out there with Morris Minors that absolutely love them. They’re the perfect antidote to our digital “always on” modern lives. We would certainly welcome any of them out there that want to get involved, regardless of their skills or experience.
Q) What is it about older cars, what's the appeal to you ?
"I love the style and simplicity of classic and vintage cars. I really think they’re often much more beautiful than the most expensive new cars on the road today. The driver is more involved, you feel everything and you can do all the routine maintenance yourself. It’s great getting away from computers and electronics.
They’re also great fun to drive."
Q) What are your plans for the club in 2022 ?
"We have put together a provisional list of runs on our website. I’d encourage anyone reading this to take a look at our website Events section. We have tried to select different destination so everyone has a chance to get involved, regardless of where they live. The first main one of the year will be Drive It Day, which we are doing in conjunction with the Scottish Branch of the Morris Minor Owners’ Club. It’s an annual event organised by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, in support of the NSPCC charity Childline."
video by Nathan Lin
