Morris Isis: Morris’s six-cylinder saloon of the 1950s

The Morris Isis was the six-cylinder flagship of the Morris range in the mid-1950s, built on an extended Morris Oxford body with a 2.6-litre C-Series engine from the Austin Westminster. Capable of 90 mph, it was a pleasant car that the market largely ignored. Morris had used the Isis name once before, on a six-cylinder model of 1929.

Morris Isis at a glance

History of the Morris Isis

The first Morris Isis, announced in July 1929, was a revised version of the Morris Six JA with the same 2468 cc engine and three-speed gearbox. It had a new chassis and a steel body with an American look, because the press dies made by Budd for the Pressed Steel Company were shared with some Dodge models. It was the first Morris with hydraulic brakes and the first to use chromium plating instead of nickel on its brightwork, and it could exceed 65 mph while returning 28 miles per gallon. After 3,939 cars the Isis was facelifted on 1 September 1932, when the all-steel body gave way to traditional wood-framed construction, and the gearbox gained synchromesh and a fourth speed. A de-luxe version with a 3485 cc engine, the Morris Twenty-Five, was launched in October 1932. Production of this first Isis ended in 1935.

Isis Series I, 1955–1956

The name returned in March 1955 on a car meant to replace the Morris Six MS. The new Isis used the 2,639 cc six-cylinder C-Series engine from the Austin Westminster, but with a single SU carburettor instead of the Westminster’s twin setup, driving through a four-speed column-change gearbox with an optional Borg-Warner overdrive. The body was based on the four-cylinder Morris Oxford Series II, with the wheelbase and front end lengthened to take the straight-six. A two-door ‘woody’ estate was also offered. With this engine the car reached about 90 mph, but sales were poor: only about 8,500 were sold, against moderate success for the Westminster.

Isis Series II, 1956–1958

For 1956 the Isis was redesigned on the Morris Oxford Series III body, again with a longer wheelbase and different front wings and bonnet. It gained a more elaborate mesh grille, chrome side strips and small fins, and power rose to 90 bhp. An automatic transmission became available, while the manual car had a short gearstick on the right-hand side of the front bench seat with the handbrake just behind it. A de luxe saloon with overdrive tested by The Motor in 1956 reached 90 mph and accelerated from rest to 60 mph in 17.6 seconds, returning 26.2 miles per gallon; it cost £1025 including taxes, of which the overdrive accounted for £63. A Traveller estate was also built, with an unusual arrangement that let the spare wheel sit in a rear well or be moved to the nearside when a backward-facing passenger used that space. Sales stayed weak and the line ended in 1958.

Design and features

• C-Series six: the 2.6-litre engine from the Austin Westminster, with a single SU carburettor.
• Long-wheelbase Oxford body: more room under the bonnet and in the cabin than the four-cylinder car.
• Overdrive option: a Borg-Warner unit added £63 to the 1956 price.
• Traveller estate: a woody two-door with a movable spare wheel to make room for a passenger.
• First Morris with hydraulic brakes: the 1929 Isis introduced them to the marque.

Morris Isis versions

• Isis (1929–1932): 2468 cc six, hydraulic brakes, steel body.
• Isis facelift (1932–1935): wood-framed body, four-speed synchromesh gearbox.
• Morris Twenty-Five (1932–1935): de-luxe Isis with a 3485 cc engine.
• Isis Series I (1955–1956): 86 bhp, 8,500 sold.
• Isis Series II (1956–1958): 90 bhp, new grille, optional automatic.
• Isis Traveller: estate version of the Series II.

The Isis was based on the Morris Oxford and replaced the earlier six-cylinder Morris; its smaller stablemates included the Morris Minor. More cars are in the Morris collection.

Sources

• Morris Isis, English Wikipedia: both generations, engines, sales, road test