1933 Morris 10
In the early stages of the motor manufacturing industry all automobile manufacturers were basically chassis manufacturers with car bodies being added by several selected body works. However by the 1930s some manufacturers commenced building cars without a chassis. These were described as being built by unitary construction.
One such car was the Morris Ten Series M which was first released in 1938. It was a completely new car in the Morris Ten Series range which started out in 1933 as the Morris Ten, a medium sized car. Variants of this medium sized car continued through the years until 1948.
All early models were built on a standard chassis and in some cases these chassis were sometimes supplied to coach builders. Other models had a longer wheelbase chassis to allow for the fitting of a more powerful six-cylinder engine.
The Morris Ten Series M was built with unitary construction. It was powered by a completely new 1140 cc straight-four pushrod overhead valve engine with a 28 kW rating at 4600 rpm which gave the car a top speed of around 100 km/h. This same engine, but in a higher state of tune, was later fitted to the MG TC sports car.
The Ten Series M was only available to the general public as a four-door saloon with an optional sun roof. During World War II a range of pick-up bodies were fitted for military use but these models were never supplied to the general market.
Over 27,000 models were produced prior to the start of the war with an additional 53,000 produced after the war. The Series M was also assembled in India where it was marketed as the Hindustan 10.
The post-war models manufactured up to 1948 had a few cosmetic changes including a variation to the radiator grille and were also re-badged and sold as a Wolseley Ten.
