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The First Functional Prototype - The 1943 Mosquito EX/SX/86
The first Mosquito prototype, the ES/SX/86 was built on 1/12/1943 - it is almost a direct implementation of the early drawings. Note, the headlights mounted behind the grill and bonnet louvres.
The Morris Prototypes - Mosquitos
The Minor prototypes were called Mosquitos, probably by Miles Thomas an ex-fighter pilot in honour of the WWII fighter-bomber of that name. They varied from the production Morris Minors in two major ways:- The engine originally proposed was a flat four. (for a reduced center of gravity)
- The wheel base was 4in narrower, a last minute revision prior to manufacture.
The Mosquito - an Integrated Design
Right from the outset Issigonis had some very fundamental new ideas about the design of the Mosquito. These included, monocoque body construction, independent front and possibly independent rear suspension. Other ideas were smaller wheels than normal (14in rather than 17in) and a low mounted engine, both aimed at lowering the center of gravity and thus improving the stability of the car. Discussions with Maurice Olley, revealed that mounting the engine far forward and soft front suspension provided better road holding and ride. These combined to create the Morris Minor, which was acclaimed in the press for its handling and stability.Mosquito Design Features
- Monocoque Body (unitary construction - no separate chassis)
- low slung, forward engine
- independent front suspension
- sprung with torsion bars
- long kingpin to spread suspension loading
- rack and pinion steering
- four wheel hydraulic drum brakes
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All text and some images are © Kris Bubendorfer 1996, and the text may be freely copied and republished in any form on the condition the source is acknowledged.