The love of Morris Minors isn’t unique to the United Kingdom. Spanish enthusiast and club member, Gabriel, kindly sheds some light on the Morris Minor love affair from a Spanish perspective. Gabriel writes…

“Many people of different nationalities live permanently near my place of residence in Spain, especially British people. That has allowed me to know and share my love of vintage cars in general and English cars in particular. Years ago, in the house of a Gibraltarian gentleman, I fell in love with a model of car that, until then, was unknown to me…

It was specifically a Morris Minor Tourer in “Old English White”. I decided to acquire such a charismatic vehicle as soon as possible.

I was looking at specialised internet pages, seriously considering buying one in England, as it is a difficult model to find in Spain.

One day, Ramón, a good friend of mine and also a fan of vintage vehicles, told me that in a residential area near my house, he had seen a Morris Minor that was for sale.

It was a 1958 Birch Grey 2-door model, in quite good condition, and that was parked on a wasteland!

The car had a London licence plate (VXF…) and its first owner was a doctor who moved to live in York, where the car had remained until, finally, it came to Spain.

We quickly got in touch with the owner and agreed to meet up and test the car. I fell madly in love.

The car started and ran nicely. We went for a ride in it. Eva, my girlfriend, told me that I had got out of the car with a huge smile.

Unfortunately, the owner and I did not reach an agreement, because he asked an exorbitant price for the car. So, with much sorrow, I couldn’t buy it.

From time to time, I would go to see the Morris, which eventually ended up completely abandoned on the street.

Years later, the owner’s widow contacted me to sell it to me. After all that time, the bodywork had deteriorated a lot, to the point of making me hesitate buying it. However, with the help of Ramon again, we tried to start it with the crank, because the battery was flat. It started first time and ticked over beautifully! I didn’t hesitate anymore. The car was already mine.

I got the Spanish documentation and I made a thorough check of the mechanics, brakes, etc. I enjoyed the Morris for a while, until I began to have problems with the carburettor. I then took the opportunity to carry out a deeper restoration: the engine and gearbox were removed and we checked everything and painted the engine bay.

To this day, I have not repaired the bodywork, I have just kept it with all its “war wounds”. Although the truth is that, as soon as possible, I must undertake the task of restoring it to make the Morris look as it really deserves.

I have other vintage cars: a 1957 Mercedes “Ponton” 190, a 1964 Volvo Amazon 122S, and a Mercedes w123 230 CE. Some in better condition than others. Little by little, almost without realising it, I have made a nice collection of vintage cars. But the Morris Minor is definitely my favorite car.

I met you – Glasgow Moggies – through Instagram and I subscribed to your page. When I saw that you admitted members from other countries, I did not hesitate for a moment to join.

I am also a member of the Morris Minor Owners Club and other Spanish car clubs.”