Behind the wheel of a Bullnose

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Although the youngest examples are now 90 years old, the enduring appeal of Vintage cars guarantees an ongoing fascination for them regardless of the age gap between the cars themselves and the enthusiasts who cherish them. For young drivers keen to experience a world far removed from oh-so-dull modern motoring, the progression can present all kinds of uncertainties. Fortunately, William Morris was on the ball in 1913, when he produced the first of the Bullnose Morris line that would go on to make Vintage motoring accessible to one and all.

Sensing the need for Britain to have a car that could rival the simplicity and accessibility of the Model T Ford, Morris developed the Bullnose into a car that could be built and sold at very little cost, borrowing up-to-date ideas from America that were not familiar to British motorists of the time. In particular, the wet clutch that débuted with the Hotchkiss engines of 1919 was easily one of the smoothest in any Vintage car, and the centrally-mounted gear lever pivoting on a ball joint was far simpler to operate (as well as manufacture) than the conventional gear lever mechanism to the right of the driver that clunked back and forth across an exposed gate.

In the Edwardian and Vintage age, the Bullnose Morris was the ideal car for a new driver and today the same is true for the first-time Vintagent. A young enthusiast gives his impressions from behind the wheel of an Oily Rag 1922 Cowley in the March issue of The Automobile, available now.

Words by Zack Stiling. Photographs by Reverendpixel.

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