Oxford Diecast Morris 1000 Van Aqua 1:76

Whilst the original Morris Minor saloon made its historic debut in 1948, it was not until 1953 that both a closed two-door van and pick-up version of the Minor were introduced and which lasted until the end of production. They were designed for commercial use with small businesses, although many were also used by larger corporations such as Royal Mail and the GPO for instance – already the subjects of Oxford Diecast models. The early versions had rubber front wings to offset damage in their demanding work environments. They also differed from the Saloon and Traveller by having a separate chassis and details such as telescopic shock absorbers, stiffer rear leaf springs and lower-ratio differentials to cope with heavier loads.

BMC's policy was to provide both Austin and Morris with complete commercial vehicle ranges so the Austin variants of the Minor van and pick-up were sold from 1968. These featured Austin badging and the corporate Austin 'crinkle-cut' radiator grille but were otherwise identical to the standard Minor commercials  and were sold as the Austin 6cwt and  8cwt van.

Against this historical background, our latest release of the much loved Morris 1000 van enters the range in a bright aqua colour scheme, devoid of any commercial livery.  It is registered BLG 495K from 1971 and has a completely black interior. Adding a final authentic flourish, the Morris Minor badge is faithfully reproduced above the silver/wiped black radiator grille on the front of the bonnet.