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The Morris Minor is a British car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in three series: the MM (1948), the Series II (1952) and finally the 1000 series (1956). Initially available as a two-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range was expanded to include a four-door saloon in 1950, a wood-framed estate (the Traveller) from Oct.1953 and panel van and pick-up truck variants from May 〔Paul Skilleter's book "The world's supreme small car Morris Minor" 〕1953. ==History== Alec Issigonis' concept was to combine the luxury and convenience of a good motor car at a price affordable by the working classes. The Minor was a roomy vehicle with superior cornering and handling characteristics. Internal politics inside BMC, the owner of Morris, may have led to the limited North American sales. The Minor prototype had been known as the Morris Mosquito. Manufactured mainly in Cowley, Oxfordshire, the Minor became Britain's first million seller, and was exported globally. Production continued in Birmingham, England until 1972 (for the commercial variants and estate only). The last Morris Minor (commercial) was assembled at Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand in 1974. The Minor has been described as typifying "Englishness",〔(The Morris Minor, thought to typify Englishness, was first launched in London in 1948 ) From Daily Mail〕〔(The Morris Minor: A British miracle Strange to say for something that acquired a reputation for essential Englishness ) Telegraph.co.uk〕〔(Kathryn Hughes The Guardian, Saturday 6 December 2008 Article history ) quote: But if the Morris has a tendency to diminish physically as the years progress, culturally it has been busy laying down rich stores of fat. Indeed, so identified has the car become with a particular reading of Englishness〕 a "British icon" and a "design classic".〔(Nominate England's greatest icon ), (from BBC news.com) Quote: "Design classics like Alex Issigonis' Morris Minor car could be competing alongside great artworks like Constable's Haywain and pieces by JMW Turner"〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Morris Minor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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