Morris Cowley History

Named after the Oxford suburb where Morris built its cars, the Cowley was first shown to the press in April 1915 as a larger-engined, American-influenced sister to the Bullnose Oxford, sharing the same rounded 'Bullnose' radiator. After the First World War it was repositioned from 1919 as the down-market, no-frills model — initially a basic two-seater — sold below the better-equipped Oxford.

Cheap, reliable and sold in large numbers, the Cowley was central to Morris's aggressive price-cutting and its rise to dominate British car manufacture in the 1920s. It carried the Bullnose look until the radiator changed with the rest of the range, and the nameplate was dropped early in the 1930s. The Cowley name was later revived for a 1950s saloon.