How the Minor Traveller was conceived

[john_j]

I don't claim any credit for this (from https://www.fool.co.uk) but thought it was worth sharing!

"And while we're at it, let's hear it for the Morris Minor Traveller. Britain's only half-timbered car

What happened there?

I can just see the meeting - MD walks into the boardroom, says "I've bought a Bentley, luxurious car it is, wooden trim, lovely.

At this point the design head wakes up and goes "yessir, excellent idea", walks down the corridors and says to the first design minion he can find (they all look alike to me, you know) "This new Morris, MD says to trim it with wood".

Minion (who happens to be bodywork minion), thinks "right you arrogant bugger..."

And the rest is history."

 

[Roger]

There might be something to that - IF it were the "only half-timbered car"

 

[Steve]

I believe that the Minor Traveller was the only monocoque-bodied car that used timber as a structural component of the vehicle.

 

[Billm]

The wood on the Traveller was structural?? I thought that it was just like the Mini Traveller, purely cosmetic?
Bill

 

[john_j]

The wood on the Traveller was structural??

Certainly was!

As you say, although the mini traveller looked the same, it was a steel shell with th ewood stuck on the outside for effect only.

 

[Don Lattimer]

I believe that the Minor Traveller was the only monocoque-bodied car that used timber as a structural component of the vehicle.

Nope, it's just dressing. The Marcos is the only car with a wooden monocoque frame. 386 pieces glued together in each car!

 

[bugimike]

And nicely done, I must say!!

Johnj, That was funny!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif You must understand that some of the nuance of British humor can be taken literally and is easily missed over here in the US!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
And as far as the structure of a Traveller, my Mum drove one off a hairpin embankment without major incident, and the car survived amazingly well. The wood may have added to the general ridgidity of the surrounding metalwork!

 

[Steve]

I believe that the Minor Traveller was the only monocoque-bodied car that used timber as a structural component of the vehicle.

Nope, it's just dressing. The Marcos is the only car with a wooden monocoque frame. 386 pieces glued together in each car!

Okay, I'll re-phrase for the sake of clarity.....the Minor Traveller's wood is structural. I thought that it was the only unibody car that uses wood as an essential part of the construction. Wood rot on the Traveller means an MOT failure in the UK, because without the wood the panels would fall apart. On the Mini Traveller, it's only cosmetic.

 

[racingenglishcars]

The panels are only aluminum sheet tacked to the inside of the wood

 

[bcliff]

The wood on my Traveller is structural, not cosmetic. If you remove the wood, the back roof has nothing to attach to. Nothing for the wooden back doors to hang from, and nothing for the sides to stick to. Remove the wood and you have a very sorry looking pickup.
Remove the wood from a mini traveller and you still have a mini traveller. Wood is trim that is attached to steel body.
Bruce
Ex Traveller owner