Why we designed the Civilised Sports Car

Today, there are a lot of cars pretending to be something they are not. Like the so-called sports cars with stripes and GT badges all over them. It takes more than stripes to make a car handle like a sports car.  But the idea is excellent. And this is the very idea behind the Morris 1500.  Sports car features and sports car handling with civilised comforts.  In fact, a Civilised Sports Car.  There are no stripes on the Morris 1500.  If a car isn't a sports car to start with, all the stripes in the world won't help.  And if it is, they aren't necessary anyway.

The power bulge in the front of this car covers a 1500cc overhead cam engine. It is interesting to note that Alfa Romeo and Ferrari also use overhead cam engines. 

Disc brakes.  In the Morris 1500, there are big disc brakes. There is also a pressure-limiting valve which prevents the wheels ever locking during violent braking. 

Wide Wheels.  The Thing that makes a sports car so much fun is handling.  The Morris 1500 wheels are wide and the tyres are fat, which results in a stable and positive grip on the road. There is a sump guard to shield against damage on very rough surfaces.

There is also Hydrolastic suspension on all four wheels. And there is a 4-speed gear shift on the floor, with synchro-mesh on all gears. This combination gives you uncanny handling even on slippery roads.

Rack and pinion steering.  The steering is rack and pinion as chosen by Rover and Aston Martin. The steering wheel is padded and dished.  The door locks are anti-burst and the door handles are recessed Alfa-style.  All these things make the Morris 1500 a sports car.  Equally important are the things that make it Civilized.

Civilized Sports car. 

This is one sports car that you can share with friends. There is room for five people with their luggage. And standard equipment, you get a powerful heater and demister, seat-belts and windscreen washers. There is a full width parcel shelf and safety features like flexible window winders, recessed interior door catches, a padded dash and a non-reflective steering wheel to eliminate dazzle.

For some people's needs, five doors are better than four.  This is the only real difference between the Nomad and the 1500 OHC.

Big rear door.  The big rear door has been cleverly planned.  You can open it with one hand and pressurised cylinders lift the whole weight of the door almost automatically.

Three Ways.  You can use the rear area in three ways. You can have all the seats in the normal position. This gives unobstructed storage space behind the back seats, with a full width shelf to keep everything out of the sun.  Or you can fold the back seat forward to virtually double the storage space.  Or you caan folt the front and back seats back to make a big upolstered double bed.

5-doors.

Everything else is the same as the 1500 OHC.

Same engine

Same sports car features

Same Civilized comforts

But with 5 doors.