By the time the Issigonis designed Morris 1100/ 1300 was replaced by the Allegro in the 1973, over two million examples had been sold. In fact, it was consistently Britain’s best selling car, beating even the ever popular Ford Cortina to the top spot throughout the 1960s. Following the acclaim the Mini received, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) had total faith in Alec Issigonis’s to do the same with a new saloon. Indeed the 1100 was even more sophisticated and, for 1962, very advanced. In addition to front disc brakes, transverse front wheel drive, sub frame construction and an extremely spacious interior, the new car boasted interconnected fluid suspension called Hydrolastic, designed by Dr Alex Moulton, which gave a remarkably smooth ride. Styling was by Pininfarina. The Morris was the first of a whole raft of badge engineered 1100s Vanden Plas Wolseley, MG, Morris, Riley and Austin versions quickly followed. Each had its own unique grille and trim, whilst the sporty models had twin carburetors for an extra 70 bhp. There were two or four door saloons and, from 1966, Austin Countryman or Morris Traveller three door estates. Automatic transmissions were also offered on many models.
New 58 bhp 1300 cc models arrived in 1967, then a four door 1300 GT in 1969. Badged Austin or Morris, it boasted a 70 bhp twin carburetor engine, good enough to hit 96 mph (154 km/h). Today the BMC 1100/ 1300’s most avid following is in Japan, where the Chrome, leather and walnut trimmed Vanden Plas 1100, complete with picnic tables is a genuine cult machine.
The 1980 toyota tercel seems to be heavily influenced by this design.