Corgi VA05405.(C) Morris Oxford VI in dove grey

This item has a limited edition certificate included The Morris Oxford series VI, seen here sporting that popular period extra an Old English White roof, was the Morris badged member of BMC's Farina styled mid-size saloon range. The premise was simple, use one basic car to build five different ones that could be marketed in all the dealerships BMC had inherited when formed in 1952. At that time most towns had at least one Austin dealer and sometimes one ot two Nuffield Group dealers. Brand loyalty and history meant that a dealer who had traditionally only sold, for example, MG's and Rileys, would carry on doing so, at least in the short term. BMC provided Austin, Morris, Wolseley, MG and Riley versions of the same car at minimal cost by designing different front, rear and interior styling for each marque. Although this badge enineering approach has been criticised, it was a practical solution to a difficult problem and in basic sales terms worked very well. The four-cylinder 'Farina' ADO 9 range lasted, with some minor tweaks, from late 1958 until 1971 and sold over a million units in that time.