Trevor Wright Morris Eight 4-Door Saloon 1936 Handmade White Metal Model
Rare, limited run, handmade model of a 1936 Morris Eight 4-door saloon. Cast in white metal in approx 1:43 scale as part of the TW Collection and now out of production.
Approx 1:43 scale (8.5cm long) painted and assembled white metal model. Painted in two-tone gloss black and blue with silver front grille, red Morris badge, silver headlights, bumpers, door handles, black sunroof and licence plates, red tail light, unglazed windows, brown seats and solid steering wheel in black, rear-mounted spare wheel. The static model has cast metal spoked wheels painted blue with silver hub caps and rubber tyres. The gloss black base of the model has an embossed “TW” logo.
This appears to be a tweaked version of the Wolseley Nine/Wasp
The Morris Eight is a small family car produced by Morris Motors from 1935 to 1948. It was inspired by the sales popularity of the Ford Model Y, styling of which the Eight closely followed. The success of the car enabled Morris to regain its position as Britain's largest motor manufacturer.
The car was powered by a Morris UB series 918 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with three-bearing crankshaft and single SU carburettor with maximum power of 23.5 bhp (17.5 kW). The gearbox was a three-speed unit with synchromesh on the top two speeds and Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted. Coil ignition was used in a Lucas electrical system powered by a 6-volt battery and third brush dynamo.
The body, which was either a saloon or open tourer, was mounted on a separate channel section chassis with a 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) wheelbase. The tourer could reach 58 mph (93 km/h) and return 45 miles per imperial gallon (6.3 L/100 km; 37 mpg‑US); the saloons were a little slower. The chrome-plated radiator shell and honeycomb grille were dummies disguising the real one hidden behind. In September 1934 the bare chassis was offered for £95. For buyers of complete cars prices ranged from £118 for the basic two-seater to £142 for the four door saloon with "sunshine" roof and leather seats. Bumpers and indicators were £2 10 shillings (£2.50) extra.
Compared with the similarly priced, but much lighter and longer established Austin 7, the 1934/35 Morris Eight was well equipped. The driver was provided with a full set of instruments including a speedometer with a built in odometer, oil pressure and fuel level gauges and an ammeter. The more modern design of the Morris was reflected in the superior performance of its hydraulically operated 8-inch drum brakes. The Morris also scored over its Ford rival by incorporating an electric windscreen wiper rather than the more old-fashioned vacuum powered equivalent, while its relatively wide 45 inch track aided directional stability on corners.
The Series I designation was used from June 1935 in line with other Morris models, cars made before this are known as pre-series although the official Morris Motors designation was by the model year (35) even though they were introduced in October 1934. Of the 164,102 cars produced approximately 24,000 were tourers.
Trevor Wright
Responding to the needs of amateur builders, Trevor Wright’s TW range has contributed to the revival of the craft side of the industry, whereby he has developed simple artisan examples produced in his own home. Wasn’t that where the early pioneers came in?
Trevor’s childhood recollections are not so much of Dinky Toys to start with, but of military figures. He recalls that soon after the Second World War, his parents took him to the renowned Hamleys toy shop in Regents Street, and he fell in love with the Skybirds range of soldiers. They were all made to 1:72 scale; a six foot man then becomes 1”. Skybirds had originally started manufacture in the 1930s.
In due course, Trevor’s most treasured possessions became his Dinky Toys, but as he approached entry into National Service, his toys were all packed away, and largely forgotten about. However, he does recall a visit to Ireland with Royal Air Force colleagues, and spotting a Dinky Toys military Quad field gun set, and with heavy encouragement from his friends, he bought it for 12/6d.
On returning to ‘civvy street’ Trevor took his experience in Air Traffic Control from Germany to Gatwick, and finally switched to the commercial operator, British United Airways, followed by British Caledonian Airways.
Come 1969, Trevor had begun selling military Dinky Toys, and he recalls being contacted by the Army who were seeking a wider range of military recognition models. In the training room at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, tables were laid out with sand, and he recognised dozens of Denzil Skinner’s tanks of all nations. Trevor agreed to supply the army with chipped Dinky military vehicles, which they then sprayed all over with desert sand paint.
In due course, he found that he had amassed a considerable collection. He had discovered the model car press, replied to 3 advertisements, and realised that there was money to be made from prudent purchasing. He borrowed £200 from his father, and with this backing, in six months had built up a 5 page list, and repaid the loan. His trading included regular advertisements in Modellers’ World magazine, and the swapping of 45 RPM records with a French dealer in French Dinky Toys.
Trevor soon became friends with dealer Bryan Garfield Jones, and together they would visit the Windsor swapmeet, where he met Mike and Sue Richardson. As Bryan’s range of Motorkits took off, Trevor was able to supply him with a few diecast models from European makers to be used as patterns for his white metal ranges. These included the Tekno MGA coupe, Volvo PV544, and others.
During the 1970s Trevor was writing regularly for Modellers’ World, and Model Collector, on military vehicles, his first love.
By 1980 he decided that he wanted to make models for his own collection. He then set about teaching himself to cast using rubber moulds, and passed on much of his knowledge to friend Ian Law, founder of PP Copy Models, making replicas of earlier toys. Retirement from his job as an aviation overseas manager arrived in 1986, and Trevor began his creative work with a number of 1:76 scale trucks, including the Canadian pattern Chevrolet, calling them Military Motors. A few years later, he was approached by Chris Fruin, of London Toy Soldiers, asking if he would make a range of soldiers for him. Trevor switched to 1:32 scale, and at his request, focussed on the Royal Medical Corps, creating a number of boxed sets of figures in action, all depicting First World War poses. These included rather large military vehicles, such as tanks, ambulances, etc.
Post retirement business blossomed, and a strong association was built up with London Toy Soldiers. Unfortunately, in 1993, financial difficulties caused Chris Fruin’s business to close down, leaving Trevor with many unsold kits.
However, another love for Trevor, came to the rescue. At a Kempton Park toy fair his interest in racing cars, led him to spot that the Dinky 23 series and Crescent ranges omitted some important historic cars, such as the Ferrari Squalo, and Alfa Romeo Bimotore.
Using his innovative approach, he first took moulds from existing castings, and then adapted them, with plasticene, cardboard, paper clips, and matchsticks and in true ‘Blue Peter’ fashion, any other materials that would create the desired effect. This provided the masters, from which moulds could then be used to cast new models in white metal. And so a Ferrari Squallo was born, and 5 were sold very quickly!
Through the 1990s, and with the assistance of publicity in journals such as Classic & Sports Car, Trevor realised that 1:43 scale was the universally recognised scale for model cars, and in 2000 talked with Mike and Sue Richardson about their views on him reproducing copies of some of the cars they had modelled in their ranges. Using their original as a pattern, he first made the Squire.
Further exposure in Octane magazine, and Rev Counter, the journal of the Austin Healey club, led Trevor to create new subjects of cars never before modelled, including the range of Healeys made by the Healey Motor Company.
A few famous people have models in their collections made from Trevor’s kits, including the late American singer Frankie Laine, David Coulthard and Sir Stirling Moss.
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