A little history
Though success was somewhat long to come for the Mini, its designer Alec Issigonis knew that he was on the right path and decided to follow the same lines for his next project, the compact ADO 16 saloon.
The car appeared in August 1962 as the Morris 1100. Its engine was placed at the front in a transversal position, and drove the front wheels. Coupled with a very short boot, this made for a compact yet extremely spacious car. Its most original technical feature was its Hydrolastic suspension, an advanced interconnected fluid system that reconciled comfort and handling. Disk brakes were fitted at the front, still a rare equipment on a popular car. For the ADO 16’s four-door body, BMC renewed its confidence to Pininfarina.
The Morris 1100 combined many qualities in a single package, and was rightly awarded a Car of Year prize in 1964. In the meantime, the original car had been rebadged to be included in the ranges of two more BMC manufacturers: Austin (again called the 1100), MG (a refined variant) and Vanden Plas (as the luxurious Princess). Choice later expanded even further with the versions proposed by Wolseley and Riley, and the addition of two-door saloons and estates. During spring of 1967, BLMC proposed the larger 1.3-litre engine, a detuned version of the Mini Cooper’s block, for its ADO 16. More surprising, an automatic transmission was a rare proposition. At the 1969 London Motor Show, Austin and Morris enjoyed new 1300 GT versions of their cars, as an answer to new sporty compact cars introduced by rivals Ford and GM in their Escort and Viva ranges, respectively.
After a long and successful career, the ADO 16 was succeeded by the Austin Allegro which, from the beginning, didn’t seem able to renew its predecessor’s achievements. Therefore the ADO 16’s production was continued for some times after the introduction of its successor, to finally end in June 1974.
About the model
Model: Morris 1100 Mark II
Year: 1967
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.86 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France
A very poor model by Ixo: no more than 8/20.
Though success was somewhat long to come for the Mini, its designer Alec Issigonis knew that he was on the right path and decided to follow the same lines for his next project, the compact ADO 16 saloon.
The car appeared in August 1962 as the Morris 1100. Its engine was placed at the front in a transversal position, and drove the front wheels. Coupled with a very short boot, this made for a compact yet extremely spacious car. Its most original technical feature was its Hydrolastic suspension, an advanced interconnected fluid system that reconciled comfort and handling. Disk brakes were fitted at the front, still a rare equipment on a popular car. For the ADO 16’s four-door body, BMC renewed its confidence to Pininfarina.
The Morris 1100 combined many qualities in a single package, and was rightly awarded a Car of Year prize in 1964. In the meantime, the original car had been rebadged to be included in the ranges of two more BMC manufacturers: Austin (again called the 1100), MG (a refined variant) and Vanden Plas (as the luxurious Princess). Choice later expanded even further with the versions proposed by Wolseley and Riley, and the addition of two-door saloons and estates. During spring of 1967, BLMC proposed the larger 1.3-litre engine, a detuned version of the Mini Cooper’s block, for its ADO 16. More surprising, an automatic transmission was a rare proposition. At the 1969 London Motor Show, Austin and Morris enjoyed new 1300 GT versions of their cars, as an answer to new sporty compact cars introduced by rivals Ford and GM in their Escort and Viva ranges, respectively.
After a long and successful career, the ADO 16 was succeeded by the Austin Allegro which, from the beginning, didn’t seem able to renew its predecessor’s achievements. Therefore the ADO 16’s production was continued for some times after the introduction of its successor, to finally end in June 1974.
About the model
Model: Morris 1100 Mark II
Year: 1967
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.86 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France
A very poor model by Ixo: no more than 8/20.
4 comments:
Nice car, Lorenzo!
Thanks José Antonio. Wasn't this model released by Altaya in Portugal before it was in France?
Hi, Lorenzo721...
Well, i don't because i didn't followed this Altaya collection. As much i would like to collect all the Altaya models i have to choose the sports models (budget reasons, eheheh).
Thanks.
For this model at least, you did well not to buy and save your money. ;)
Post a Comment