The Morris 250 JU (also available, initially, badged as the Austin 250 JU) was a forward control (driver's cab on top of the engine) light
van launched by
Morris Commercial
Morris Commercial Cars Limited was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles formed by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, William Morris, founder of Morris Motors, Morris Motors Limited, to continue the business of E G Wrigley and Com ...
in October 1967.
It was offered with the familiar
B series petrol engine in form.
[ Claimed power output was 49 bhp, with a compression ratio of 7.2:1.][ The 250 JU replaced the ]Morris Commercial J2
The Morris J2 was a small, forward-control van (driver's cab on top of the engine) launched by Morris-Commercial in 1956 and produced until 1967. It was offered with the familiar B-series petrol engine, initially in form, but this was sub ...
and with the merging of the Standard Standard may refer to:
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* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
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, it also replaced the Standard Atlas
The Standard Atlas is a light van which was produced and sold under various names between 1958 and 1980, initially in Britain and Europe, and subsequently in India.
Standard Atlas, Standard Atlas Major and Standard 15/20 (1958–1968)
In 1958 ...
.
The van was rated on a gross-weight basis rather than on the more familiar (for UK buyers at the time) load carrying capability. The number '250' in its name was intended to indicate a gross loaded weight of 2½ long (British) tons, implying a substantial carrying capacity of 22 cwt.[ The testers thought the van a big improvement over the J2 which it replaced, but found it remained "clumsy to drive" with the "need for constant expertise to overcome its faults": engine noise, especially above 40 mph (64 km/h) was a particular source of criticism.][
Following the formation of the ]British Leyland Motor Corporation
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
in 1968, into which BMC, by then a subsidiary of British Motor Holdings
British Motor Holdings Limited (BMH) was a British vehicle manufacturing company known until 14 December 1966 as British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC). BMH was created as a holding company following BMC's takeover of both Jaguar Cars and th ...
, had been absorbed, the van was branded as the BMC 250 JU. It was then rebadged again in 1970 as the 'Austin Morris 250 JU', finally ending production in the wake of the Leyland Sherpa Leyland may refer to:
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* Leyland, Lancashire, an English town
** Leyland Hundred, an hundred of Lancashire, England
* Leyland, Alberta, a community in Canada
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* Leyland Line, a shipping company
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* Le ...
, with which it shared some components, in 1974.
In addition to the standard panel vans, 250 JU chassis were also made available to specialist manufacturers for conversion into motor homes
A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...
[
Neither the development nor the marketing of the van appears to have been prioritized by its manufacturers. It was comfortably outsold even on its home market by competitor vehicles such as, primarily, the front engined ]Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
and the by now ageing Bedford CA
The Bedford CA was a distinctive pug-nosed light commercial vehicle produced between 1952 and 1969 by Bedford in Luton, England.
It was manufactured in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase forms, each form available in either a 10–12 ...
.
It also fell short of the more modest market place performance of British Leyland's own slightly more compact Morris J4
The Morris Commercial J4 was a 10 cwt (0.5 ton) forward-control van (driver's controls in front of front wheels) launched by Morris Commercial in 1960 and produced with two facelifts until 1974.
The van was marketed first as both the Morris J4 ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
ARonline
250 JU
Vans
Vehicles introduced in 1967