Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki
Advertisement
Morris Isis
Manufacturer Morris BMC
Production 1929–1931
1955–1958
Class Mid-size
Layout FR layout

The Morris Isis name was first briefly used by the Morris Motor Company on a six-cylinder car made from 1929 to 1931. It was resurrected on a new six-cylinder midsize car from the British Motor Corporation in the 1950s to replace the Morris Six MS.

The name died out in 1958.

Morris Isis (1929–1935) and Twenty Five (1933–1935)[]

Morris Isis and twenty Five
Manufacturer Morris
Production 1929–1935
7406 made[1]
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
4-door tourer
coupé
Engine(s) 2.5 L or 3.5 L Straight-6
Transmission(s) 3- or 4-speed manual
Wheelbase 120 in (3,048 mm)[2]
Length 178 in (4,521 mm)[2]
Width 71 in (1,803 mm)[2]

The Isis was a revised version of the 1927 Morris Six (JA series) and used the same 2468 cc engine and 3-speed gearbox. It had an all-new chassis, and the steel body had an American look, not surprising, as the body pressing dies from Budd were shared with some Dodge models.[3]

It was the first Morris to have hydraulic brakes and chromium plating replaced the previous nickel finish on brightwork.

The car could exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) and return 28 miles per imperial gallon (10 L/100 km/23 mpg-US).

After 3939 of the original Isis model had been made it received a facelift in 1932. The steel panel body was replaced by the traditional wood frame construction. Mechanically the car was similar but the transmission received a fourth speed. The chassis received additional cross bracing in 1934 and an automatic clutch and freewheel were fitted to some models. 3467 of the new Isis were made (including Twenty-Five models)[1].

Morris Twenty-Five[]

A de-luxe version, the Morris Twenty-Five was launched at the 1932 London Motor Show with larger 3485 cc engine.

Isis Series I (1955–1956)[]

Morris Isis Series I
[[File:Isis Series I|frameless|upright=1.25|alt=]]
Manufacturer BMC
Production 1955–1956
8541 made[4]
Predecessor Morris Six MS
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
2-door estate car
Engine(s) 2.6 L C-Series Straight-6
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual
optional overdrive
Related Morris Oxford Series II

The Series I Isis was launched in 1955 as a replacement for the Morris Six MS. It featured a six-cylinder engine, the 2.6 L (2639 cc/161 in³), 86 bhp C-Series unit from the Austin Westminster. Unlike the Westminster, the Isis had a single SU carburettor. The four-speed gearbox had a column change and was available with an optional Borg-Warner overdrive unit.

The car was based on the 4-cylinder Oxford Series II, sharing its almost-unibody shell and torsion beam front suspension. The bonnet was lengthened to accept the larger straight-6 engine, and a "woody" 2-door estate version was a novelty. With the strong engine, the Isis could reach 90 mph (145 km/h).

Unlike its sister car the Austin Westminster, which enjoyed moderate success against the volume-selling Ford and Vauxhall sixes of the time, sales were poor, with just 8,500 sold.

Isis Series II (1956–1958)[]

Morris Isis Series II
[[File:Morris Isis Series II|frameless|upright=1.25|alt=]]
Manufacturer BMC
Production 1956–1958
3614 made[4]
Successor line discontinued
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
2-door estate car
Engine(s) 2.6 L C-Series Straight-6
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual, Overdrive optional, Automatic available
Wheelbase 107.5 in (2,731 mm)[5]
Length 178 in (4,521 mm)[5]
Width 65 in (1,651 mm)[5]

The Morris Isis Series II was based on the Morris Oxford Series III body but with longer bonnet to accommodate the 6-cylinder engine.

In line with changes to the corresponding Oxford line, BMC redesigned the Isis for 1956 with updated styling including a more elaborate mesh grille, chrome side strips and small fins. The engine power increased to 90 bhp. An automatic transmission option was also added. The manual version had a four-speed box operated by a short gearstick located on the right-hand side of the front bench seat. The handbrake lever was located just behind the gearstick. Sales remained weak, and the line ended in 1958.

A de luxe saloon with overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956 had a top speed of 90 mph (140 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 17.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 26.2 miles per imperial gallon (10.8 L/100 km/21.8 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1025 including taxes. The overdrive unit had added £63 to the price.[5]

Preservation[]

List known examples here;

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sedgwick, M. (1989). A-Z of Cars of the 1930s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-38-9. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2. 
  3. Baldwin, N. (1994). A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-53-2. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Sedgwick, M.; Gillies.M (1986). A-Z of Cars 1945–1970. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-39-7. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "The Morris Isis de luxe Saloon", The Motor. July 11, 1956. 


External Links[]

Commons-logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Morris Isis. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia


Advertisement