Words & Photos: Lindsay Saunders

It was love at first sight when Deb met Millie. And while she hadn’t set out to find a new friend from the UK, as soon as Deb saw this gorgeous 1949 Morris Minor Low Light, she knew this was the car for her.

“I was actually looking for a VW Beetle,” said Deb. “I’ve always loved Beetles and Kombis, but the ever-rising price of old VWs was making it hard for me to find one. So, when I saw this Morrie on Facebook around May of 2015, I knew I had to have a look.”

There was a connection for Deb with the marque.

“My first love had a Morris,” she said with a laugh. “Also, my sister and brother-in-law had a Morris panel van, so I knew the Morris and had always loved them too.”

Millie, as the Morris is known, was living on the north side of Brisbane and was much loved by her then owner. However, he had injured his back and it was difficult for him to get in and out of the 70-year-old car.

“They were not going to let her go to just anyone,” said Deb. “They wanted to be sure she was going to a good home.”

There’s no doubt she has. Spend any time with her and the love and appreciation for what Millie has brought to Deb’s life is very clear.

“She’s my happy place,” Deb explained.

“I can’t drive her without smiling and she makes people smile every time we go somewhere.

“I’ve been going to the Munchies car meet at Acacia Ridge on Friday nights for a long time and dreamt of having my own car to take there. Now I do, which is wonderful.

“There are a few Morries that go to it and the guys with big American or Aussie muscle cars appreciate them. They can see how much pleasure I get from her and appreciate it. It’s really nice.”

That supportive atmosphere is also prevalent among fellow Morris and old UK car owners.

“I am a member of the Southside Morris Minors and it is great,” said Deb.

“I’m no mechanic so the advice and support I get from fellow members in real life and the online Morris owners’ community has been invaluable.”

Deb has also had work done to Millie and received support from well-known custom car ‘guru’ Juice, of Juice’s Customs in Coomera.

“Everyone knows Juice. He’s a good friend of my partner, Mark, and has been awesome with advice about my ideas for Millie and what will work and what won’t,” said Deb.

“When I bought her, she already had Toyota Corolla running gear, so there’s disc brakes on the front and drums on the rear. The wheels were on her too, but I did change the front ones to smaller wheels. We also centred the back wheels so it doesn’t look so ‘gappy’.

“She had a 1.2-litre 3K Corolla engine, but I found it was a bit sluggy on the highway – at 90 km/h she was screaming – so I sourced a 4K engine from a Toyota owners’ website.

“When Millie came home with that engine, Juice had also put on the side pipes you see today.

“Initially I had an auto gearbox with the 4K but that only lasted about six months. I really didn’t like it, so a five-speed box went in.”

Many of the other changes since Millie, who was born just the year after the Minor was launched in 1948, came to live with Deb have been cosmetic, although the paint is ‘as is’.

“The seats in her were getting a bit worn so I got seats from a Nissan Pulsar, without the headrests, and had them reupholstered. She also has new carpet throughout and had a general tidy up.

“One of the coolest parts of that process has been the panels Juice fabricated for the engine bay to smooth out the look. I love it.”

Deb said that aside from the strong support and advice from the Morris community, finding parts was no issue.

“There’s a great firm in the UK, ESM (East Sussex Morris Minors) who ship to Australia and they’re very fast. Also, one of the car club members, Alex, has an amazing supply and range of parts!”

Deb now has a car that’s very reliable and a joy to drive – yes, she has been on the back of tilt-tray a few times but, as Deb said, let’s not embarrass Millie with those stories – which was the aim all along.

“I didn’t ever want a show car,” explained Deb. “I want to get in and drive her. She always makes me feel good.

“Everywhere we go, people have a Morris story. It’s really nice how people will come up to talk to you about how their dad or grandad drove one. She spreads a lot of joy.

“I lost my brother in a car crash and it made me reassess things. Life really is short and after raising a family, I was able to spend a bit of money on something to make me happy. That’s Millie.”

Unsurprisingly, this little car is a keeper for Deb.

“She’s not going anywhere!” she laughed. “I will have her forever. The idea of getting a VW has been forgotten.”

10 Feb 2020

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (Feb 2020)