Minor Classics

Looking good in wood

Stylish traveller.

When George Lloyd of Warkworth first saw his Morris Minor Traveller it was a rusting wreck sitting in a field in England with grass growing through it.

It did not stop George falling in love with the car, though. He bought it for £100 and towed to his home near Preston.

Once there, he attached a battery, made sure there was oil in the sump, filled it with petrol and, hey presto, the engine burst into life.

“Within five minutes, it was running like a sewing machine,” George says.

That was more than 25 years ago and George has not done much more to the engine ever since.

The body was a different matter though. George had to restore every panel and acquire a new wooden frame made from the original yew.

Naturally, that distinctive “woody” look is among the many things that appeals to George about the car.

He says since replacing the frame, the wood has survived pretty well, though he is careful to keep the car garaged.

George brought the car with him when he moved to New Zealand in 1993 and says the car just seems to run and run and run.

Greater love for Minor ute

Raising smiles for more than 50 years.

It was love at first sight when Jules Palmer of Warkworth first spotted her 1965 turquoise Morris Minor 1100 ute after 1987.

“I was pretty young when I saw this in town and fell in love with it. I decided I really wanted it. My Dad said I was mad. A guy at Leigh, one of the Mathesons, was selling it. I bought it for $1280 and have driven it pretty much every day since,” she says. “I love driving it. The thing I like most about it is that it makes people smile. Sometimes I stop and people smile and wave – they’re not waving at me; it’s the car.”

“65 Mina” is a familiar sight in and around Warkworth, especially in the summer months when Jules loads the back with lawnmowers to tend local people’s lawns. She has carried out restoration work a couple of times, but the original engine is still going strong and she has no trouble finding parts, since they are all still being made and can be bought brand new.