Morris Oxford is a series of motor car models produced by Morris of the United Kingdom, from the 1913 'bullnose' Oxford to the Farina Oxfords V and VI.
Named by W R Morris after "the city of dreaming spires", the university town in which he grew up, the manufacture of Morris's Oxford cars would turn Oxford into an industrial city.
From 1913 to mid-1935, Oxford cars grew in size and quantity. In 1923, they, together with the Cowley cars, were 28.1 per cent of British private car production. In 1925, Morris sold nearly double the number, accounting for 41 per cent of British production. Meanwhile, Oxfords grew larger from the first 1018 cc, Nine-horsepower, two-seater car to the last 2½-litre, twenty-horsepower car.
The model name was recycled in 1948 and lasted almost another 23 years through to 1971, but in this time the market sector and engine size remained nearly constant between 1476 cc and 1622 cc.
Oxford bullnose (1913–1919)
William Morris's first car was called Oxford in recognition of its home city. It was announced in The Autocar magazine in October 1912, and production began in March 1913. Virtually all components were bought-in and assembled by Morris. It was a small car with a 1018 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with fixed cylinder head from White & Poppe.
The car got its popular name, Bullnose, from its distinctive round-topped radiator at first called the bullet nose. Most bodies were of the two-seat open-tourer type. There was also a van version, but the chassis did not allow four-seat bodies to be fitted, because it was not strong enough and too short.
Bullnose de luxe
It was first displayed at the Olympia Motor Show which opened 7 November 1913. The standard model remained in production unchanged. The new de luxe had a longer wheelbase, , and track was now . The range of bodies was now expanded from the simple two-seater. Its front axle and steering had been re-designed to reduce "bump-steer"and its radiator capacity increased.
The 1919 Oxford (advertised as early as September 1918) was assembled from locally made components and now took on the rather more substantial aspect of 1915's Cowley. Longer and stronger than the old Oxford, enough to carry five passengers, the new Oxford retained the pre-war Bullnose radiator style in its larger version. The new car's 11.9 fiscal horsepower 1548 cc engine was made under licence in Coventry for Morris by a British branch of Hotchkiss the French ordnance company. This became known as the 14/28 engine. In 1925 it got a longer wheelbase chassis to move it further from the Cowley, and four-wheel brakes. The first open four-seater tourer was sold to Lord Redesdale. Only 50 were made and, after the initial run, they were assembled to special order. It remained available until 1926. The 2320 cc engine proved unreliable, two intense vibration periods weakened and broke crankshafts and few were sold.