Blind Man Morris
Gladys
The Minor Million
With Thanks To Jenni Wood For the Photos and Words On This Page
💜Gladys💜
is a Morris Minor Million
Celebrating this year
Her 65th birthday 🥳🥳
Why is Gladys So Special?
The Morris Minor was the first British car to sell a million units and as that milestone approached, BMC decided to create a special edition car – a common event now, but a rarity in the 1960s.
So the Minor Million was created. Mechanically a standard 948 Minor 1000 this special edition of 350 cars was distinguished by vivid lilac paintwork. Other external features were wheel embellishers and special 1000000 badges on the bonnet and boot lid. The interior sported white leather seats with black piping.
Of the 350 ‘Millions’ produced in December 1960, 30 were built left hand drive specification and exported to Europe and North America. The 320 right hand drive were carefully distributed to all the BMC dealers in the UK each of whom, from Jersey to Shetland, had a Million so that every showroom had a car on display on the official launch date -4th January 1961.
The actual millionth car rolled off the production line on 22 December 1960
to be photographed with the minor’s creator, Alex Issigonis.
Perhaps because the British public were too conservative for lilac in 1961 some of the cars were slow to sell but about 1 in 5 have survived to this day - a pretty impressive percentage!
Approx 65 are still around in varying in conditions.
All About Gladys
💜WRV 135 Gladys💜 Million no. 1000117 was the car that went to Wadhams of Portsmouth and was first registered 1.2.1961.
Sometime in the '60s it came to Park Drive, Worlingham, near Beccles where the first and second owner lived and had been in the same street until 2017. The second owner bought it from the local garage, where it had been left as it had gone beyond economical repair. In 1985 it was sold for spares for a traveller for the princely sum of £35.
An oil leak at the back of the engine had preserved some of the underbody but weeds were up to the windscreen inside!
After 15 years of gradual restoration, she took the family of four people to the 40th Rally in Oxford.
In 2017 after the second owner had died, a Californian lady bought it but kept it in the UK under the stewardship of the Million Register…driving it when she flew over for her holidays which involved many Rallies and even a trip to Ireland. This car having much TLC and a respray and fitting a new wiring loom while being looked after by the Million Register.
Now known as Gladys, she fell into my ownership May 2022, I enjoy taking her to car events, on holiday to France and general motoring around the countryside.
Gladys played an important part in British history as she was one of the selected Morris Minors who took part in Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Parade in London.
