Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford
15th Mar, 2023 13:00
1929 Morris-Commercial 25cwt 'R-Type' Truck
Estimate
£13, 000 - £15, 000
Registration No: UT 4229
Chassis No: 267
MOT: Exempt
Supplied new to a Benjamin M. Smith Esq of Thurmaston, Leicestershire
Remained a resident of the Leicestershire and Warwickshire areas from 1929 until 1973
Attractively sign-written breakdown wagon fitted with Harvey Frost & Co. crane
Recently benefitted from a carburettor overhaul
In running order and ready to be enjoyed
Although William Morris had entered the commercial vehicle market with offerings of a commercial derivative of its first passenger car, the Oxford, it was not until the early 1920s that a serious attempt was made to grab a slice of the light van and commercial market. In 1923 the acquisition of the factory previously belonging to E. G. Wrigley Ltd, a one-time component supplier to Morris, enabled the company to expand into the heavier commercial market, with P. G. Rose as the designer. Morris-Commercial Cars Ltd was formed and introduced its first model, the one-ton T-Type, in May 1924. Joining the line-up was the R-Type, with all the build quality of Morris’ car products, and was a sturdy reliable four-cylinder side-valve machine, with a 15. 9hp engine. The chassis price in 1929 was £228 and a variety of commercial bodies were available from the factory or independent coachbuilders. By the end of the 1930s Morris Commercial Cars Ltd was Europe's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles.
Manufactured in 1929, the ‘R-Type’ offered was supplied new to a Benjamin M. Smith Esq. being registered new by Leicestershire County Council on the 4th of January that year. Initially fitted with van coachwork, the Morris passed briefly through one subsequent owner before being acquired by Sable Lambert & Co. Ltd in 1931, with the Morris sporting a supplier’s plate fitted in the cab, and this is presumably when ‘UT 4229’ was converted to breakdown wagon specification. Carrying a Harvey Frost & Co. 15cwt crane, and a rear platform spotlight for night working, the cab interior is pleasingly original.
Remaining as a resident of the Leicestershire and Warwickshire areas from 1929 until 1973, the Morris then entered the range of exhibits at the Peter Black Car Museum of Keighley. Sold out of the museum collection in 1994 by RM Sotheby’s at their RAF Hendon sale, the truck was acquired into another long-term period of ownership in 1995. Attractively sign-written, the Morris has been rallied locally by the vendor last year and has recently benefitted from a carburettor overhaul. In running order and ready to be enjoyed, ‘UT 4229’ is offered with a history file which includes the original buff-style logbook, a copy of the RM Sotheby’s catalogue, an original owner’s handbook, and a current V5C document.
