Hire a Classic Morris Minor Convertible
Our 1962 Morris Minor convertible
The Morris Minor
IT'S the perfect way to enjoy the slower pace of life in our beautiful county.
Take in the scenery, soak up the atmosphere and sample some of Norfolk’s fabulous beaches.
Drive up the coast from Winterton and in just 10 minutes the white sails of Horsey wind pump come into view. This National Trust attraction reopened in 2018 after extensive restoration.
The staithe at Horsey is also home to a café and wildlife boat trips. A short distance further on brings you to Horsey Gap where seals can be seen sunning themselves on the unspoilt beach.
North of Horsey is Waxham where there is yet another stunning beach and the 16th Century Waxham Great Barn, which is open during the summer.
Fifteen minutes up the coast is one of Norfolk’s most iconic landmarks – the lighthouse at Happisburgh.
This 85ft tall tower with its red and white bands is topped by the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia and is the only independently-run lighthouse in the UK.
Pootle off north again and 30 minutes later you reach Cromer, home of the pier and other attractions including the Henry Blogg lifeboat museum.
And just a few miles further on you can step back in time by boarding a steam train belonging to the North Norfolk Railway at Sheringham.
Head inland from Winterton and you will find beautiful broads, pretty villages, open gardens and nature reserves like Fairhaven Water Garden and Strumpshaw Fen – many within about 30 minutes’ drive.
The car has been updated with front disk brakes
PROBABLY one of the UK’s most iconic classic cars, the Morris Minor has a special place in the affections of the nation’s drivers.
More than 1.5m of them were made between the launch in 1948 and 1972 when the last one rolled off the production line.
Our Moggy, APA 59A was built in 1962 as a two-door saloon and was later rebuilt as a convertible.
Designed in the workshops at Cowley by Alec Issigonis, who went on to create the equally iconic Mini, the Morris Minor has attracted some famous fans over the years, including Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford, Steve Coogan of Alan Partridge fame and Bodyguard actor Keeley Hawes.
Moggies are as British as the bowler hat or the red telephone box and they are in their element trundling around country lanes in search of the ideal place to stop and picnic.
The car was originally set to be called the Morris Mosquito but the firm’s owner Lord Nuffield didn’t like it. He wasn’t impressed with its rounded lines either, likening them to a poached egg.
Issigonis himself decided the prototype didn’t look quite right and made his team cut it in half lengthways so extra width could be added.
But the car proved to be a sensation with the motoring press and the buying public when it appeared at the Earls Court Motor Show. It was a shot in the arm for a nation still in the grip of the after effects of the Second World War.
With a £359 price tag the Morris Minor brought motoring within reach of ordinary folk and if it wasn’t fast – the top speed was only around 60mph – it was economical to run and handled well. Thanks to the clever design there was also plenty of space inside, something Issigonis had insisted upon.
What was billed by Morris as the world’s supreme small car was also the first British car to pass the million mark on the production line.
The 1962 convertible Morris Minor, originally a two door saloon
As the years passed modifications were made including a more powerful engine and a single windscreen. One of the early changes, which resulted in the familiar Moggy face, was to move the headlights from their original spot beside the grille up into the wings.
Different versions were also produced, like the famous Traveller estate car and the vans, some of which were used by the Post Office up until the late 70s.