Max McQuinn's 1957 Morris Oxford Series III
My Morris, the real story - as told by club member Max McQuinn
As I am the original owner of a 1957 Morris Oxford Car I must tell you the cars story. As our family grew it become obvious that the 1938 Austin 10 family motor car was not big enough for the family to all travel at the same time so a larger car was needed. We were visiting the 1956 A & P show at Addington and were looking at the new car displays. Hutchinson Motors Ford was positioned adjacent to the Dominion Motors display and it was here that the Morris Oxford took my eye. The car had all the attributes that we were looking for in a new car i.e. it was a full 6 seater, it had an enormous boot that would hold all the family luggage and had a powerful 1500cc motor and looked smart. As new cars were very hard to obtain unless you had ‘overseas funds’ that is were able to purchase it with another countries currency you were relegated to standing in line with your nose pressed up against the window of the dealer dreaming of how motoring could be. As I had no overseas funds but I had a cousin whose husband was the New Zealand Sales Manager for the Dominion Motor Company I telephoned him on the Monday morning and asked what the chances were of purchasing a new Morris Oxford car. He replied that providing I was in Greymouth next morning I could have a Morris Oxford. The rush was then on to excuse my two sons Pat and Terry from school next day and obtain tickets on the 9pm perishable train to Greymouth (this train took all the fresh food to Greymouth each day)
We arrived at 7a.m. and we went to visit my Brother and his Wife for breakfast then down to the wharf to watch our new car being unloaded from the coastal trader that back loaded cars from Petone. Dominion Motors agent delivered the car to me and we then set sail for Christchurch at 30 miles per hour through the Lewis pass. The road was good but sections of it still had to be sealed. We arrived home about mid afternoon and after dinner all the family demanded a ride in the new car so a trip out to Belfast and home along Johns road fulfilled the needed ride. The car was delivered to Dominion Motors next day for its delivery check and clean.
Many trips with the whole family have been made in the Oxford from Invercargill in the south to the central North Island all without mishap or fault. Some memorable runs that the car has completed are two trips through the Molesworth Station one of which was a round trip from Christchurch and back in the same day again with out fault. The car has now traveled 109,000 miles.
Many trips with the whole family have been made in the Oxford from Invercargill in the south to the central North Island all without mishap or fault. Some memorable runs that the car has completed is two trips through the Molesworth Station one of which was a round trip from Christchurch and back in the same day again with out fault. The car has now traveled 109,000 miles.
On a trip to Invercargill my wife Brenda was driving and a large black backed Gull few into the front of the car and ended up with its wings outstretched across the grill cutting off all cooling, the temperature immediately reached danger point so a quick stop was made to remove the offending gull which was dead and allowed the car to cool down we resumed the trip and had no further excitement that day.
The car has been used on many vintage car runs and has been driven from Little River over the Peraki Saddle and down to Wainui in the Akaroa Basin, which is a challenge, as any who have completed this trip will testify.
The car is still in my ownership and is used by my family for nostalgia trips and has been prepared for future Morris club runs.