All Minors, no majors: Learning to drive in a 57-year-old Morris
You can keep your Fiestas, this is a far cooler car for learning to drive in
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There's a Morris Minor fan near where I live. He has a Traveller on his drive and a saloon on the road outside that doesn't appear to have moved for some time because there's an eco system developing underneath it.
Then a few weeks ago, while cycling past Hampton Court Palace, I saw what looked like the saloon motoring along the A308 in the direction of the M3. An impressive turnaround in fortune for a car that, I suspected, might never run again.
Except this wasn't that Morris Minor. This one was being driven by a young-looking lad who, from the presence of an L-plate front and back, appeared to be learning to drive in it.
A few days later, I spotted the car parked outside the local doctor's surgery. Further detective work revealed that the blue 1968 Morris Minor 1000 is the pride and joy of father Ed Wilson and his son Patrick.
Patrick is 17 years old and has been learning to drive over the past four months. First, if you believe the mass media, no youngsters are learning to drive these days, and second, if they are, they're not likely to be learning in a 57-year-old classic.
I found the sight of young Patrick in his Morris Minor rather heart-warming.
So, Ed, why isn't junior learning to drive in something more modern? Something a bit more conventional like a Volkswagen Polo or Ford Fiesta? 'Money,' says Ed. 'At least that's the primary reason.'
I'd heard via word of mouth that insuring young people to drive a classic car was far cheaper than for a modern car. That turned out to be true because Patrick, who is the policy holder on the Minor, with dad as a named driver, pays only £120 per year.
"That's for limited mileage, and only 1000 miles at that, but that's adequate for us as we don't go very far from home,' says Ed. 'And although the premium will rise once he's passed his test, it will still be far cheaper than for a modern car.'
Why a Morris Minor? 'Well, my grandfather had one,' says Ed, 'which added some appeal. We looked at a Traveller but the woodwork was really rotten so we gave that one a miss. Then we spotted this saloon that was for sale for £1500.
"As you can see, the paintwork is very dull and there is some surface rust in places, but structurally it's pretty sound. The other advantage of this car is that it's ULEZ-exempt, which is an important factor when you're on a tight budget.'
Ed learned to drive at the age of 25 in a Ford Fiesta, a rather more sophisticated car than the Moggie. 'It took me a while to adjust to driving the Minor,' he says, 'but Patrick picked it up quicker than me.'
Patrick says: 'Most of my friends are learning to drive, but nobody is driving a car as old as ours. They haven't commented much on the Morris but my sister Poppy reckons that it's a really cool car.'
Even for Ed, the Morris has features he had not encountered before. Such as a foot-operated dip switch. 'I've never owned a car with a manual choke,' he says, 'which has taken some mastering.'
But it's not what the car has: it's what it hasn't that makes it interesting for a learner driver. Like synchromesh on first gear. 'I've had to learn to think ahead,' says Patrick.
'I only drive the car in town but even so I have to think carefully when I'm coming up to a junction or making a manoeuvre. I don't think I'd like to drive it on a motorway as it's not fast enough and other traffic would be intimidating. I'll be taking my test in a modern car.'
There's no question in my mind that Patrick will be a better driver for learning in such an analogue car with no distractions.
He'll be picking up skills that will be of great use to him throughout his driving life even if he does migrate to a modern car that will help steer and park for him, spot pedestrians and carry out emergency stops.
What did I learn in? A Morris Minor 1000 Traveller.
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