William Morris starting with the repair of bicycles, he branched out into selling them. Then he progressed to motorcycles, before to the sale and hire of motorcars.
The Morris Motor Company was started in 1910 when he turned his attention to car manufacturing and began to plan a new light car.
A factory was opened in 1913 in a former military college at Crowley, Oxford, United Kingdom and the company’s first car, the 2-seat Morris Oxford ‘Bullnose’ was introduced.
Morris bought almost all the parts from various producers, with only final assembly being undertaken in the Morris works.
The only part that was his design was the ‘face’ of the car, the so-called bull-nosed radiator. In a year, he sold more than 1000 cars. In 1921, Morris Company countered a serious slump in the motor trade by reducing the prices of the car, but always competitive, the company doubles the production each year.
Production boomed in the 1920s and Morris became a millionaire.
After 1923 and until 1950s, Morris started purchasing the suppliers, the Birmingham engineering work of Wrigley, one of his main competitors, the Wolseley Motor, the S.U Carburetter Co and the Coventry firm.
By 1925, Morris produced 67,000 cars, more than one-third of the country’s car output.
Morris named ceased to appear on motorcars after 1983 when Morris Motors was part of British Leyland, but the MG (Morris Garages) badge has survived under British Leyland’s successor , Rover Cars.
Morris Motor Company
