You are probably familiar with the old adage about waiting for a bus for a seemingly inordinate amount of time, and then due to the combination of timetabling, traffic and customers, 2 or more coming at once. Always true, always frustrating.
I posted a feature on the 1955 Morris Oxford Traveller estate back in Station Wagon week last month, and mentioned the six cylinder Isis version of the car. If you saw the post, you’ll remember that there were no photographs of the Isis. That was simply because I hadn’t got any.
And, then a week after that post went up, I saw one but two Isis (Isises, Isi, Isisi, Isisum – just what is the plural of Isis?) saloons in exactly the same place as I saw the Traveller last year. Spooky, or what?
Looking at the cars, it is obvious that all the wheelbase extension is ahead of the windscreen, and there simply to accommodate the six cylinder engine. This was the BMC C series engine, which was designed by the old Morris Motors Engines Branch in Coventry to replace previous Morris and Austin engines with a standard BMC one, in a similar way to BMC using the smaller A and B series on the smaller cars.
The C series was an OHV design, with a long stroke format, with a four bearing crankshaft. BMC had planned an overhead camshaft version, planned for Wolseley, and a twin camshaft version, destined for Riley but these never came to pass.
Initially, and in these feature cars, the C series a 2.6 litre, and was a pretty disappointing engine, offering little over the B series, as the weight outweighed much of the performance benefit. As used in 1954, the engine was giving around 85bhp. The four bearing crankshaft limited the power that could be developed from the engine and the speeds the engine could reach.
The engine was bored out to 2.9 litre in 1959 for the Austin A99, Wolseley 6/99 and famously the Austin Healey 3000, and power was up to 112 bhp.
A seven bearing crankshaft version was developed in 1967, primarily for the MGC but also used for the last saloon application for the engine – the Austin 3 Litre (aka the Land Lobster). This car has another parallel with the Isis – the Austin 3 Litre was a long wheelbase development of the smaller Austin 1800 Landcrab. But even in this form, the C series was heavy and under powered to its competitors, with a great reluctance to rev. It added little to the MGC over the MGB except some more understeer.
Effectively, the C series was replaced by the 2.2 litre six cylinder version of the E series developed from the Austin Maxi engine. It was also supplanted by the fact that the large saloons sold through the brands within BLMC that came from BMC, such Austin, Morris and Wolseley, were themselves supplanted by cars like the Triumph 2000, Rover 2000 and compact, prestige badge wearing imports.
Thanks for showing us Isis x 2. As all these historic brands came together under BMC, the seemingly tiny niches that were still served is fascinating. Some vestige of the class system I expect. I think the longer nose gives the Isis more presence. The six should also increase smoothness and motorway capability. Now to figure out if the car is beyond my class or too downscale for me to be seen in.
The differences were more apparent in the previous model where the Six was deliverately given a more traditional (i.e. upmarket) bonnet compared to the standard Oxford/Cowley models.
http://www.classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/images_catalogue/large/mo-001_2790.jpg
http://www.picsauto.com/images/morris-six-ms-03.jpg
From the scuttle backwards they’re basically the same. The rear of the earlier Morris model was also shared with the Wolseley, but the next generation Wolseley (contemporary to that in the main article) was quite different.
The previous model Morris 6 also shared the OHC Wolseley engine to go with its upmarket grille, these Isis were a real bodge even the entire interior is shared with the bargain basement Oxford Cowley models, but underneath these are very robust cars I had my Ice bucket airborne on many occasions on forest roads it could pace a fully worked MK1 Escort rally car on straights on rough roads, (I was the tow car during shake down runs of a friends rally car) so they were reasonably well made, I have photos of the previous model airborne regularly during hot weather testing in Africa BMC built them tough for export markets where roads are only a suggestion.
Although I know nothing about these, this is a really appealing car. Or perhaps it’s because I know nothing about them? 🙂 There is something about the lines of this car that make it as appealing as any saloon to come out of the British motor industry outside of Jaguar or RR. These have an early postwar Plymouth vibe about them that is all business, to the point of being a little stodgy. I wonder how that 4 bearing six stood up to normal use?
I wonder how that 4 bearing six stood up to normal use?
I’m a bit perplexed about Roger’s statement. it’s true that the four-bearing C-Series wasn’t happy making much more than maybe 170 hp, in race-prepped Austin-Healey 3000s, but that hardly applies to the Isis with half that power.
The 3000s had a pretty good career in racing.
The C-Series was heavy and inefficient, but I’ve never heard them being called fragile.
The 4 bearing engines last indefinitely in normal use, the later 3L cars were capable of 100mph sustained cruising without stress, the extra bearing was superfluous.
Handsome early-’50s styling (better than late ’50s, which went too Pininfarina), and w/o the chrome excess of many of its American contemporaries. Being a little behind the styling curve (or British understatement?) was a good thing here.
I don’t think it looks as exciting as the equivalent 6 cylinder Fords and Vauxhalls which I’m a big fan of.Thanks for another fine read Roger.
Having owned examples of all of them I concurr a MK1 Zephyr or E series Vauxhall is a much better car
You want some chrome excess on your Morris? Just move forward a year or two…..
Sorry, meant to attach this:
And in Australia, there was also the Morris Marshal sedan and wagon. I’m not sure why we had an Austin-bodied Morris in competition with the Isis. It must have made sense to someone though.
That chrome piece set into the grill looks a little like the bull horn on the front bumper of Boss Hogg’s Cadillac on “Dukes of Hazard”. Great on a car called Marshal. Were they mainly police cars?
I doubt any were police cars, most were still using full-size cars or Holdens. Morris’ were not fast enough.
Stupid question, but is the car badged ISIS or 1515? I can imagine a scenario where it had been named “1515” and once they made the badges people started calling it Isis.
Isis, in a curvy script that could be made in one piece of metal
Isis was another car badge from the thirties revived, there was a previous Morris Isis prior to WW2
That grille looks like it took its inspiration from a 1949 Cadillac.
If you’re British, calling the upmarket version of the Oxford an Isis makes perfect sense.
Isis is what Oxonians call the part of the Thames River that winds through Oxford.
It is the home waters for Oxford University crew teams and the site of many a famous rowing regatta.
You wouldn’t call it Isis today!
You`re right.How unfortunate that the Egyptian goddess of fertility has had her name corrupted by these murderous militants.
Inb4 wisecrack about rebuilding one on a Toyota 4×4 chassis.
EDIT: Or maybe Isuzu since the Oxford/Hindustan Ambassador had Isuzu engines in the later years of its’ ludicrously long production run.
Just like how the ancient swastika symbol was stolen and corrupted by the Nazis.
I thought ISIS is only an acronym, for they would likely trash statues of the Egyptian goddess.
It amazes me that so many cultures worldwide have used the swastika, including even Tribal [Native] Americans. Finland prudently abandoned theirs after WW2, even though it was oriented differently than the Germans’ & had nothing to do with Nat’l Socialism.
I had one a 55 full of rust, I mamaged to fluke it past our roadworthy system and got 6 months reliable use out of it, Top speed 95mph indicated on a gravel forrestry road and still smooth at that speed. The longer wheelbase gave a great ride compared with a then workmates 56 Oxford but maneuverability was hampered by very heavy steering and extra length, massive understeer present at the limit too, I dont recall the engine giving any trouble and other than having to source a Jaguar high pressure electric fuel pump parts were easy to obtain the 11 inch brakes are the same as the Austin Westminster and in fact when the police put my Isis off the road I harvested the powertrain and installed it into a 55 Austin Westminster ex Fiji embassy with overdrive on every gear trans a better car all round.
Nice find(s) Roger (as always!); I haven’t seen an Isis for a while, let alone two Isix (ha!). The longer front fixes the Oxford’s stumpy proportions rather nicely – I’ve always liked the results when manufacturers do a straight-6-stretch in front of the firewall, a la Isis, Volvo 164, Nissan Skylines until 1981.
Isix!
That’s the word I was wanting!
Drat! I was going to guess Isosceles. 🙂
Isosceles is a group of specifically 3 Isix ?
Nice looking if rather conservative .
-Nate
My understanding was that the first seven-bearing C-series was the 2.4-liter Australian version, called “Blue Streak.” I don’t recall when it was first offered or which models used it, but maybe one of the Australian or Kiwi contingent can speak to that.
That was a 6 cylinder B series not a C series, it was found in the Aussie Austin Freeway, it took them a while to make it oil tight and reliable.
Also the Wolseley 24/80. They seemed very popular among expat Brits, and had a neat “Wolseley Six” script badge on the front fender, just so you didn’t mistake it for a lowly 16/60.
I think the prettiest ’50’s British family six was the PA Vauxhall of ’59 with it’s cool chrome and two-toned paint scheme, indicator tail-fins, wraparound front screen, and ultra cool twin-split rear roofline and triple glass. A gorgeous car that stood out from the staid BMC offering of the times! It was not as powerful as the contemporary Mark 2 Zephyr however . .
PA
The PA was only 2.2 litre the Zephyr was 2.5, the later PAX model could easily outpace the Ford though.