AS the definitive British 'people's car', the Morris Minor retains a huge following across the country.

In Swindon, a small number of enthusiasts are unwilling to give up the classic piece of motoring history for something more modern.

The North Wiltshire branch of the Morris Minor Club has around 20 members from across Swindon and North Wiltshire and is only a small part of the huge Morris Minor Owners' Club, which boasts 14,000 members.

The first Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on September 20, 1948. The Minor was the first British car to reach a production figure of one million.

More than 1.6 million Minors were eventually built at Cowley in Oxfordshire before production ceased in 1971.

The car was designed by a team led by the brilliant Alec Issigonis, who later went onto the design the Mini.

Roger Briance, 54 who lives in Highworth, is the chairman of the North Wiltshire Branch. He currently drives a 1962 four-door Minor saloon named Jessie, which is regularly driven by him and his wife, Liz.

He also drives a Volvo S40 T4, which has five times the power of the Morris. He insists he prefers to drive the British classic.

He brought it six years ago. It had had three previous owners, but there were only 69,000 miles on the clock. He snapped up the car for £2,500 and has never looked back.

His daughter, Alison, who now lives in Peterborough, is also a fan of the Minor, driving a post-production convertible named Doris. That car was originally a saloon but was converted and restored, having completed 200,000 miles.

Mr Briance said: "The Morris Minor is a real people's car like the Volkswagen Beetle. They can be found everywhere the British have ruled, from Southern Africa to India. They can also be found even in the United States.

"It is so different from modern cars where you point it and push the accelerator. You actually have to think about what you are doing.

"They appeal to everyone, young and old, and the amazing thing is that everyone knows someone who had one or learned to drive in one, or remembers their parents driving one."

Four series of the Minor were produced, with refinements being added as the years passed.

Nearly 340,000 commercial variants of the Morris Minor were also produced, including vans and pickup trucks.

By the 1960s, sales of the Morris Minor had begun to decline amid competition from both the Ford Cortina and the Mini.

The appearance of new models

such as the Austin Maxi and the Morris Marina meant that production of the Minor saloon ceased at Cowley on November 12, 1970. The last of the Travellers were built in April of 1971.

Mr Briance said: "Everybody who rides or drives in a Morris Minor falls in love with it. Whether you're 17 or 70, everyone loves the Morris Minor.

"As cars go, it is extremely simple, all original technology. The engine compartment itself is huge. Even with the engine in there, someone could stand in it. It was very much an over-engineered car."

"The thickness or gauge of the metal on the body is a lot thicker than on modern cars, where it is thin and designed to crumple in an accident. It is things like that on the Morris Minor which allow it to keep on going."

The Morris Minor is also recognised as one of the first fleet cars used by travelling salesmen and tradesmen, but creature comforts, safety and economy were not considered by the designers, who tried to keep the vehicles as cheap as possible. Even now, 32 years after the last one came off the production line, parts for the Minor are not difficult to obtain. Spare parts are available across the country, while a factory in Sri Lanka churns out Minor spares each day.

Morris Minors are always being restored, modernised or altered.

Peter explained: "There are three types of Morris Minor owners. There is the purist, who wants to keep his Morris Minor as original as possible. There is also the conventional owner who wishes to use their car regularly.

"Then there are those who try to make their Morris Minor go as fast as possible there are even cars redesigned for drag racing."

The club is always looking for new members. For more information about the club, call secretary Gill Waters on Swindon 813309 or Roger on Swindon 763759.