AutoCult Morris J-Type Van (RHD) (1949) (Great Britain)

About the Original:

Cuddly Cult

The Nuffield Organization was the merger, initiated by William Richard Morris, of the automaker Morris Motor Company MG and the vendor Riley.

A 0.5 tons lightweight transporter, named J-Type, was presented to the public at the Commercial Motor Show in Earls Court for the first time in 1948. In the very same year the new, little van was available under the label “Morris Commercial”, a subsidiary of the Morris Motor Company, at the dealers. The connoisseur immediately noticed a few parts (primarily at the flat front and the grill), which looked familiar to him from the existing truck range of Morris. Especially this prominent frontline made the small Morris stand out from the masses of the British vans. Equally characteristic were its sliding doors on each side of the vehicle, which definitely belonged to the British zeitgeist in the late 1940s. This construction looked excellent on the J-Type and helped the already narrow van with its outside mounted front fenders, together with its roundish shape to a lovingly looking appearance. The Morris was available in various versions from pick-ups, dump trucks, versions with a tanker-superstructure - especially for the transportation of milk - through to ice cream trucks. As usual in the 1950s it was also possible to order only the chassis cab directly from the plant. In 1950 the production figures of 5,347 pieces already showed that the highest demand had set in. This figure wasn´t surpassed until 1954 (6,000 pieces). In 1955 the production figures were at its peak with 6,894 pieces. In the following years the demand rapidly decreased and even the modification in motorization could not stop this trend.

As in 1961 BMC ceased the production at the main plant of Morris in Cowley, the small truck disappeared from the showrooms of the dealers. In the period of 1949 until 1961 48,620 pieces were built.