Secret 計画（する）s to 再発進する Morris Minor two １０年間s ago 明らかにする／漏らすd: How iconic British car almost made a 復帰 in 2005

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The Morris Minor ? a true classic of British 20th century car 製造業の - very nearly made an ありそうもない 復帰 in the 早期に 2000s.

Thanks to a source with unique inside 接近 at the time, Autocar has 明らかにする／漏らすd a bold 最高の，を越す secret 計画（する） by Anglo-Chinese MG Rover to bring 支援する the iconic vintage car.

In a what-could-have-been moment, if a Chinese-led 国際借款団／連合 with big ideas had 首尾よく taken over failing MG Rover, the much-loved モーター could have returned to our roads in 2005.

Autocar has 明らかにする／漏らすd that the Morris Minor almost had a 最高の，を越す secret 復帰 in the 早期に 2000's. Morris 直面するd 破産 in 2005 and a 国際借款団／連合 led by Shanghai 自動推進の 会社／団体 (SAIC) and Magma Holdings consultancy 設立するd by ex-Ford of Europe boss ツバメ Leach was bidding to take it over. If Leach had won he'd had put in place his 計画（する） to bring 支援する the Minor. Autocar believes the classic British car re-birth would look something like the above

The Morris Minor is one of the most successful British made cars in history and an icon of UK car 製造業の. A 軍用車隊 of Minors drove 負かす／撃墜する the 商店街 for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee

This would have been the third resurrection of the Morris Minor over the years.?

The first Minor - a small 4-seater car with an 850cc engine - was 製造（する）d by Morris モーターs 限られた／立憲的な between?1928 and 1934.?

The second-life Minor went on to become one of the most famous classic cars in British history. Between 1948 and 1971 the new Minor was a sales 勝利 - it was the first British car to より勝る a million sales.

In a 最近の 投票 of Britons, the Morris Minor was 投票（する）d the fifth most iconic British-made car of all time - with the 小型の coming out on 最高の，を越す.?

Autocar 述べるd the Minor as 'a 最初の／主要な way Britain got 支援する on the road after the Second World War'.?

同様に as the best-selling 牽引する-and-four door saloon 見解／翻訳／版s, the Minor was 利用できる as a 転換できる (Tourer), 広い地所 (Traveller) 同様に as 先頭 and 選ぶ-up variations.?

There was a Minor for everyone.?

But now a?never realised third resurrection has only just come to light.?

This 1967 Minor (pictured in 1977) was passed through every 世代 of one family, and shows the 有能な? nature of the British car. Autocar called the Minor 'a 最初の／主要な way Britain got 支援する on the road after the Second World War'

Mechanically, Morris Minors have always been simple and 平易な to run and 修理 making it a cheap and reliable to own. These days Minors tend to go for between £10,000 and £20,000 depending on the 条件 and year

In 2005 MG Rover ? a British car 製造（する） that 存在するd in the first five years of the 21st century ? was 直面するing 破産.

Two 共同の 入札者s for the remains of the company were 中国's Shanghai 自動推進の 会社／団体 (SAIC) and Magma Holdings consultancy, which was 長，率いるd up by the late ツバメ Leach, former Ford of Europe and Maserati boss.

This 国際借款団／連合 was one of three competing 企て，努力，提案s for the remains of MG Rover.

The winning 入札者 would receive the 金物類／武器類 to 製造（する） the Rover 25, 45 and 75 models.?The K Series engine was also up for 得る，とらえるs.

At the time, The 後見人 報告（する）／憶測d Magma's 計画（する）s 'to form a new company to 再開する 生産／産物 of the Rover 75 saloon at MG Rover's car 生産／産物 工場／植物 in Longbridge in Birmingham'.

Even more enticing, the successful 入札者 stood to 伸び（る） 権利s to the Morris and Austin 指名するs 同様に as MG and Rover.

But what the 圧力（をかける） didn't know was the secret 計画（する） by Magma to bring 支援する the Morris Minor.?

Only Autocar's Richard Bremner was privy to the wish to 生き返らせる Morris ? thanks to a phone call from ツバメ Leach himself.

MG Rover Group was a British carmaker that 存在するd between 2000 and 2005. It went into 行政 in 2005, and was 購入（する）d by 南京 Automobile Group

MG Rover 製造（する）d the MG TF from 2002, updating the popular 2000 MG F model. When MG went into 行政 in 2005, 生産／産物 of the TF was 停止（させる）d

Bound by confidentiality at the time, Bremner has now 報告（する）／憶測d in Autocar that he received a call 'a couple of months' after the company [MG Rover] 崩壊（する）d in April 2005.

'ツバメ Leach, one-time boss of Ford of Europe and subsequently Maserati, explained to me that he was putting a 企て，努力，提案 together for the MG Rover 操作／手術,' he said.

The crux of the 計画（する） was the re-introduction of the Morris Minor. It wasn't 詳細（に述べる）d in the 企て，努力，提案, with Autocar 報告（する）／憶測ing this was likely 予定 to Leach wanting to make sure competitors didn't get w ind of the idea.

Steve Young of Indego 協議するing, then a 重要な 協力者 with Leach, told the モーターing magazine even he had no idea about it: It 'was something ツバメ （機の）カム up with ? I wasn't aware of it,' he said.

Richard Bremner from Autocar was privy to Leach's and Magma-SAIC's 計画（する） to re-開始する，打ち上げる the Morris Minor in 2005 after Leach called him to tell him the scoop

The Minor 事業／計画（する） never became reality because Leach's Magma lost the 企て，努力，提案 to?南京 Automobile Group. Bremner believes it was a lost 適切な時期

ツバメ Leach was the former boss of Ford Europe and Maserati who put together the Magma 国際借款団／連合 that 手配中の，お尋ね者 to take over MG Rover

Autocar believes the Minor would have been built の上に the smallest Morris 壇・綱領・公約 as part of the SAIC 計画（する） to '含む new monospace 小型の, medium and large plat forms'.?

It would likely have been 力／強力にするd by the K Series engine.

In the 早期に 2000s, retro cars were having a moment, with the now-BMW-owned 小型の, Volkswagen Beetle, Fiat 500 and Ford Mustang all 殺到するing in 人気.?

Dubbed the 'retro wave of the 早期に 2000s', nostalgia was 広範囲にわたる through the UK and US, with 製造業者s starting to give?new cars a retro look, taking inspiration from the last 30 to 40 years.

Leach's idea with bringing 支援する the Minor was to tap into this 感情 and fashion, to help catalyse the rebirth of Morris.

It wasn't to be though, because Magma-SAIC lost out to 南京 Automobile 会社／団体, who 結局 won the 企て，努力，提案 and 合併するd with SAIC.

The Minor 事業／計画（する） never （機の）カム to fruition, but Bremner believes it was a lost 適切な時期: 'I thought was brilliant and surely the best chance this troubled 商売／仕事 had of reinvigorating itself.?

'Leach had overseen the birth of many Ford and Mazda models in his 上級の 役割s, which all 追加するd かなりの 信用性 to the 計画（する）'.