Octagon November, 2017

The standard Morris Cowley side valve
engine was replaced in the original car
with a Hotchkiss overhead valve unit of
which there was approx 200 made for
the short lived Gilchrist Cars (1920-23).
It would appear the engine was a lucky
find by Kimber whilst he was touring the
Hotchkiss factory after it was bought out by
Morris. Certainly the chance of us finding
one of those engines now would be nearly
impossible; therefore we have opted for
a 1920’s Hotchkiss AM2 engine. This has
the closest matching configuration to that
used in Old Number One, and we may look
into the viability of having the cylinder head
remanufactured to match that of the one
used in 1925. That way its overall look will
be the same, although it will increase horse
power which will be handy in 2025.
A standard Morris Cowley chassis was
used, but modified to include swept arches
over the rear axle to allow for the car to be
lowered. We also know that days before
the start of the Lands End Trial, the chassis
cracked behind the rear engine mount and
needed urgent repairs. Our intention is to
have our chassis rails modified to match,
with the inclusion of the plates used to repair
the cracked frame. The plates would not
only be aesthetically accurate, but would
also strengthen a known stress point in the
Chassis which clearly existed in 1925, and
would only be more fragile 93 years on.
The most controversial part of the build will
definitely be the colour. There are several
replicas in the world today and, to our
knowledge, all have been painted red to
match the car in its current configuration.
However we do know that in 1925 the car
was painted only in grey undercoat, which
was standard for Morris Garage prototype
cars at the time.
It was only when the car was restored
decades later that the current red colour was
applied, as the car was to be used by the
MG Car Company for marketing. True to its
1925 heritage, the Abingdon Motors replica
will be painted in a matte finish grey paint
to replicate the undercoat originally used. It
will also be sporting the MG octagon on the
passenger side, as captured in one of the
three original photos, a detail unfortunately
(Top) The Cowley as it was when we bought it, The
Rolling Chassis, now that we have stripped it down and
a photo of the Original Old Number One in the Museum,
taken by David Wands while he was there a few
weeks ago.
now missing on the original car.
We will be updating the progress of the car
with future articles as we progress and invite
anyone who wishes to view the car to stop
by Abingdon at any time.
The Octagon - November 2017 11