On December 22, 1960, the one-millionth Morris Minor rolled off BMC’s assembly line at the plant in Cowley, Oxford. The Minor was the first British automobile ever to reach that impressive milestone. To mark the occasion, Morris produced a small series of special Minors, officially named the “Minor Million.” All were painted Lilac and fitted with white leather interiors with black piping, special chrome wheel trims, and hood and trunk badges cast for the occasion.

ONE MILLION AND ONE

This Minor Million, chassis number 1000001, was built on December 13, 1960, nine days before the actual millionth Minor came down the line. It was the first Million built.

Of the 349 commemorative Millions to follow, only 21 were produced to North American, left-hand-drive specification. Chassis 1000001 is one of two North American cars built on the first day of production, and it is most likely that one went to the U.S. and the other to Canada. The bulk of the cars, 320 to be exact, were home-market RHD examples, with one being produced for each Morris dealer’s showroom. Production of Million models ran from December 13 to 22, with the final 19 North American cars being produced at the very end of the run.

The Morris Minor Registry believes chassis number 1000001 may also be the actual car displayed at the 1961 New York Auto Show. Its early ownership history remains unknown until 1978, when number 1000001 was discovered near San Francisco by two enthusiasts who had answered a newspaper ad. The car was in poor condition, with a dented roof and wearing flat-black primer paint. The pair nearly decided against buying the Minor until a final walk-around revealed a small patch of Lilac paint where a taillight was missing. Wondering if this car might indeed be one of the famous Millions, they scraped off paint to examine the chassis number stamped into the firewall and realized what lay before them. They quickly agreed to the purchase.

Over subsequent years, it passed through half-a-dozen owners before it was acquired by noted British automobile restorer Dave Adams, of Oregon’s Lake Oswego Restorations. Adams had the car stripped to bare metal and found it to be completely rust free. All of the necessary metal and paint work was undertaken on a rotisserie, which painstakingly brought this historically important little car back to as-new condition. Adams describes it as “obsessively correct.”

This Morris Minor Million (and One) has been completely rebuilt and includes a fresh and correct 948-cubic centimeter engine and transmission; a new exhaust; a new brake master and new wheel cylinders, drums, and lines; a rebuilt fuel system; and a new wiring harness with rebuilt date-correct electrical components. All the brightwork was replated, and Adams was able to reuse almost all of the car’s unique original fasteners. Finally, this endearing little car received fresh Lilac paint; new weather-stripping, gaskets, and glass; a correct leather interior; and five NOS Dunlop cross-ply tires. New “Million” badges were also specially assembled for this car.

Since the completion of its restoration in June 2014, the car has covered less than 50 miles. It has been shown four times in the Northwest, winning the Best Paint award at the National Micro Car Show at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, Best in Class at the 2014 Forest Grove Concours d’ Elegance, Best in Class at the All-British Field Meet in Portland, and the Pioneer’s Award at the Lake Oswego Heritage Classic Car and Wooden Boat Show.

Of the 21 Minor Millions built for North America, more than half are thought to have gone to Canada, and there is only one other surviving LHD Million presently road worthy in the U.S. Chassis number 1000001 includes a correct spare wheel, jack, tools, hand crank, and factory advertising materials, plus a 1959 Queen Elizabeth II Half Penny discovered in one of the car’s rocker panels. The owner believes it had been placed there as a “good luck” token by Cowley workers during production.