The Morris-Swallow

In 1928, Henlys advertised the Morris Cowley-Swallow briefly, pricing it at £220 for the ‘cape-hood’ model, £230 with the ‘saloon-coupé’ top, or £235 with both. The sports two-seater bodywork was considerably lower than that of the original Morris and embodied a longer scuttle in which the lines of the bonnet followed through to the tops of the two doors.

A two-panel sloping V screen is fitted, while below the scuttle is a polished mahogany instrument board, on which the standard dials and controls are well arranged.

The seats give a reclining driving position, and the steering wheel is dropped about six inches. This enhances the driver’s comfort considerably, and the position is all that could be desired for a tall or medium-height driver, while the undivided screen gives unobstructed vision over a very wide angle.

In general appearance the car is most attractive, for its low lines are enhanced by long D-section wings, which carry sports type wing lamps, and also by the fitting of Ace wheel discs. The space between the rear dumb-irons is filled in by a metal shield across the back of the car. Behind the driving seat is a large, fully upholstered, disappearing dickey seat, and leg room for the passengers in this is provided by sunk wells in the floor boards. A simple hood and rigid, metal-framed side-screens complete the equipment.

 

Panelled in aluminium, the body is coach finished in cream and crimson lake, the latter colour being applied to the top of the bonnet, scuttle, and dickey seat covers, and extending slightly down the sides; a black line divides the crimson from the cream. Polished wood garnish strips cap the doors and the instrument board mouldings. Chassis, wheels, wings, head lamps, and all exposed mechanical details are also painted crimson lake, while real leather of the same colour is used for the upholstery.

The Autocar August 19, 1927

Powering the Morris Cowley-Swallow was a Morris 1548 cc side-valve four cylinder engine, producing 26 bhp at 2,800 rpm. The result was that the Cowley-Swallow was very slow so although the price was right, demand for the car was lacklustre and very few were produced. By the time the company were ready to move to Coventry in 1928 it was clear that the Cowley-Swallow need not be included in the range.

By 1930, Morris had already added an extra two cylinder to the Morris Minor for an additional model called the Wolseley Hornet. It wasn’t long before William Lyons was able to obtain that chassis and create the Wolseley-Swallow, and so the single Morris Minor-Swallow which Henlys put on display at Euston Road in the autumn of 1930 remained just that: a one-off. It should be noted though, that it was lower and better proportioned than the Austin-Swallow from which the bodywork was derived.