1982 Morris Ital 1.7 HL Estate *Sold £7,000*

Description

• Only 8,329 miles 
• Fantastic interior 
• Full MOT with no advisories 
• Rare Estate model 

This exceptional example of a Morris Ital 17. HL Estate is here to prove to all the non-believers that a 40 year old car built by Morris can stand the test of time.

Sitting pretty on 14 inch Alleycats and looking resplendent in Cinnabar Red with not a colour faded panel in sight,  it’s a real shame that for half it’s life it has been sat, unused. But now it’s time for the new owner to reap the rewards from this and enjoy a vehicle that has travelled just 8,329 in four decades.  

Our Vendor 

It’s at this point that we usually start talking about the car, but we felt that the vendor needed to get a mention first, so as to set the scene. Let’s get straight to the point, and he won’t mind us saying this, he’s a car geek, meticulous and knows his stuff, particularly Morris stuff.

He once drove a Morris Marina from John O’ Groats to Land End in 24 hours which makes him not only a huge advocate of the marque, but also slightly crackers. 

He knows this car inside out, so it’s over to him………… 

“I purchased this Morris Ital 17. HL Estate in December 2019 after seeing a one line ‘advert’ on Facebook. It had been off the road for several years and had only done 7,661 miles from new. Once I’d washed off nearly a decade of dust it proved to be a near immaculate car, the owner had only decided to sell his collection of classics due to his old age and the cars lack of use. He’d bought the Ital from a chap in Yorkshire about ten years previously, used it for one summer and then parked it up, never to be used again.

I later found out the chap in Yorkshire had bought the car from someone close to London after it had been sat in a garage, unused, for approximately ten years. The then chairman of the owners club remembers extracting it from a garage around 2006, after the owner, if I remember correctly, had passed away. He later sent me some photographs taken on the day (see images towards the end of the lot gallery). There is also a receipt for recommissioning work done in early 2007. Unfortunately there is little other history in the file. 

During my ownership, I have recommissioned the Ital and fitted a new timing belt, fuel pipes, fuel pump, new rear brakes, flexis and rebuilt calipers, tie bar bushes, clutch slave, rebuilt clutch master, fan belt, points and condenser, gearbox and diff oil replacement and engine oil and filter. The ignition switch and door locks needed to be changed due to the previous owner losing the keys. I have also fitted rear seats belts. 

Due to Covid, the car didn’t get much use during 2020 but I’ve attended a few local shows and the MMOC National meet in 2021 saw us travelling 500 miles together over just one weekend. 

Later in 2021 I had the paintwork professionally detailed and although there are odd small age related marks, I think the 40 year old paint stands out well. There is also the smallest of dents in the boot lid, just above the N in the numberplate. 

The Flint interior is in fantastic condition with only a small hole in the headlining which needs repairing (please see photo in the gallery).  

The mechanicals are all in very good operating condition, the brakes are strong and pull up straight, the gear change is silky smooth and the engine pulls well. The underside is rust free, I have left it as found but the new owner may want to apply some further rust proofing.

At the moment it sits on 14” Alleycat alloys with tyres of good tread. The original wheels come with the original hub caps and still have the original tyres fitted! Although visually they look to be in good order, they are of course unsafe to use, being 40 years old.  

Finally, a new MOT was obtained earlier this month with no advisories.” 

Our View

The boss has an Ital, so we have to be careful here! 

Seriously though, what an absolute belter of a car and a rare opportunity to own a piece of British motoring history with such low mileage. Our vendor has gently given this Morris Ital Estate a new lease of life by doing what needed to be done and nothing more.

The new owner can decide how to use this delightful family estate car. Take it to the shows, polish it, admire it and keep the mileage to a minimum or use it as it was designed to be used, as a daily driver. We know what the boss would do. 

 

Vehicle Location: Torquay, Devon TQ2 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Have a question about this vehicle? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

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