Allie Howard

Why do I love my Minor? It could be said that I didn’t have a choice! Perhaps it’s in my genes due to my family’s history with the car and the Club? Some might say that being a Daddy’s girl, I wanted to please my dad when choosing my first car?

Whatever the reason, I knew I wanted a Minor as my first car because it would be cheaper to insure and run (well I was a poor student!) and I had my very own mechanic at home to service and maintain it for free. Dad was not convinced that a convertible would be a sensible choice but I remember being able to persuade him as the Morris Minor Company said they were building a prototype fibre-glass roof that could be used during the winter or when driving in less desirable places. Needless to say, the prototype roof never appeared but Dad’s arm had been well and truly twisted. A few other modern adaptations were made during the rebuild once our order had been placed such as being able to run on unleaded fuel, seatbelts and a stereo. And so, it was on the 1st December 1990 that I drove ‘Archie’ – a dark green, 1966 convertible - home from Doncaster with Dad as my passenger and one of the longest lasting ‘love affairs’ of my life began.

Archie was a faithful and reliable friend as I drove him back and forth to college and to various rallies over the course of our first six months together. Adventures were curtailed slightly that summer when, on returning home from the National Rally at Harewood House, we were turned on our side by a car crashing into us as we turned right out of a petrol station. Archie’s second ‘re-build’ was completed in time for me to take him down to Bournemouth University where he was a recognisable sight around campus. I never quite got used to the long, cold drives back to Uni down the M3 in winter but I do remember friends laughing at me as I removed the blanket from my knees! Minor heaters have never been highly effective in my opinion.

He became more of a weekend car during my third year at Uni as I was on a work placement which involved a daily commute around the M25. Fortunately there was free storage space in Dad’s barn, where we kept him ticking over so more rallies, participation in the Lord Mayor’s parade and even a few trips to France could be enjoyed.

Another reason to love my Minor is that owning Archie has given me opportunities I may not have had otherwise. During the 1990s, he became a little bit of a celebrity; being chosen for various magazine shoots, including for Country Living Magazine and the MMOC calendar. I remember enjoying a day out with Mum at Woburn Safari Park when Archie was filmed for a TV programme. He was followed by the elephants on their daily walk as he was driven through the park. The other cars involved in the programme that day were a Lotus Elise and a Renault Spider; I was invited to drive them both but declined as they were a little too fast for me, compared to what I was used to.

When the folks (aka my mechanic) moved to Lincolnshire, I relied on a modern car for my daily commute and so keepership of Archie passed to Dad; there was no way I was allowed to sell him! He remained at my disposal whenever we wished to borrow him for MOT trips or summer adventures and he was of course the only car I was going to use for my wedding. It was a very special moment being driven to the venue by Dad in him. And so the love of the Minor has been passed (some might say forced) onto my husband Ian and son Dylan. Indeed, it has even been said that we must keep Archie going so that he can become Dylan’s first car!

Perhaps this is what Dad had in mind, when in 2018, he started to reduce his number of cars to a more manageable amount, and I was lucky enough to take back keepership of Archie on a permanent basis. We can now drive him whenever we wish; even using him as part of a History day at my school!

I have owned and loved two other Minors: the first of these was a 4 door saloon that the folks commandeered when their original ‘hot rod’ got written off in a caravanning accident and a more spacious and powerful (1275cc) traveller which I used to transport work ‘stuff’ around the country. This too remains at my parents and Dad keeps promising it is his next project! But Archie (or Windy car as he was affectionately named by my nephew) remains my first ‘love’.

Part of the reason I love Archie (and most Minors in fact) is that they are fairly easy and simple to drive. Once you have got used to the over-sized steering wheel and lack of power steering; pedals that suit the smaller foot; and the various unique sounds he makes, Archie is uncomplicated and forces you to allow extra time to reach your destination, rather than rush from A to B. Don’t get me wrong, there have been times when I was threatened with having my RAC membership revoked due to over-use; but whenever he broke down it has been easy to diagnose and fix the problem without having to worry about modern computer diagnostics.

I also value the friendships that have been forged through owning Archie and being a member of the MMOC. Driving a Minor brings a smile to your own and other people’s faces and people often wave as you drive past or stop and speak to you about the time they owned/learned to drive in a Minor. It is like being part of one very unique family!

Webmaster note: Please accept my apologies for the images with this article, especially the last two which have been blown up from originals slightly larger than a postage stamp. This is what happens when people send in their 'favourite pics' as opposed to ones of a reasonable size. Please, please, PLEASE, send me high resolution images for use on the website, at least 2000px on their smallest side. Thanks!