Fleet Orders
The popularity of the Morris 850 saw it in use not only by private buyers, but also extensively in government and company fleets. In some cases, the vehicles were specifically made or modified by the factory for the respective fleets.
Post Master General (PMG) Department
The Post Master General (PMG) Department, forerunner to Australia Post and Telecom, included the Morris 850 in their fleet of vehicles. The cars supplied to the PMG received a number of modifications by the BMC factory, listed as Special Production Orders (SPOs for short).
The number of 850s supplied to the PMG Department is unknown, however survivors are scarce.
After the 850, the department kept Minis in their fleet, with successors including the Morris Mini Minor and Mini 1100 being used.
Specification
SPOs specific to PMG build Morris 850s included (as per PUB1056M, p.Z-2):
- False floor assembly (in place of rear seat)
- Finisher strip for top of rear seat panel
- Door lock (keyed on passenger side)
- Fuel cap with chain
In addition to the listed SPOs, PMG 850s were also painted in the fleet colour of Birch Grey and received “PMG” on the doors and tyre pressures painted on the wheel arches.
Photos of features
NSW Police Force - General Duties
While it is often known that the New South Wales (NSW) Police Force used Cooper S as highway patrol cars, their use of Minis began in 1964 with the Morris 850 for general duties.
The BMC Rosette reported in March 1964 that 20 Morris 850s had been delivered to the department for use at both suburban and country stations. The 850s were introduced as a replacement for motorcycle and sidecar units. The delivery occurred at Police Headquarters, Phillip Street, Sydney by Lancaster Motors. It was claimed “complete deliveries could total 215”.
The final number of 850s delivered to the NSW Police Force is unknown, however the car proved successful with BMC still supplying Mini Minors in 1966 (The BMC Rosette June-July 1966).
Specification
Minis used for general duties are understood to have been mechanically standard, and each only received additional police equipment as required (such as lights, sirens, radios and aerials; Watson 2007). It is believed that early cars were painted a light grey, while later cars were painted Shadow Blue (a light blue colour that had been available on the 850 from 1962).
As a consequence of minimal police-related equipment, identifying general duties cars many decades later can be a challenge. Small holes drilled for an identification tag may be the only giveaway unless additional equipment had been fitted leaving other mounting holes (Watson 2007).
An early delivery
Australian Mini & Moke (Sneddon 2016, p. 53) lists a grey Morris 850 delivered to NSW Police in August 1963, with BMC contracted to deliver 200 vehicles. Based on the date and colour availability at the time, the vehicle would have likely been Smoke Grey. It would be fair to assume that this car was likely an evaluation vehicle which led to the 200-vehicle contract that began delivery in March 1964.
Queensland Police - General Duties
Queensland Police took delivery of 19 Morris 850s in 1963, with the cars delivered ‘in varied colours’.
The BMC Rosette (June 1963) reported that the cars would be tested “as possible replacements for motorcycle outfits at suburban police stations” (Watson 2021a). A delivery of a further ten cars was reported in the November-December issue.
At least 40 Morris 850s were eventually used by Queensland Police. As reported in The Mini Experience magazine (Watson 2021a), “a letter from Senior Sergeant H. Bougoure of the Police Motor Garage to the Inspector of Police, dated 23 February 1965” detailed that there were 40 Morris 850s in use by Queensland Police.
Northern Territory Administration
The BMC Rosette (March 1964) reported that a delivery of 14 Morris 850s had been made to the Northern Territory Administration by Port Darwin Motors.
The role of the cars is not described in detail, simply stating that they would be used “for duties on patrol in the tropics”.
Snowy Mountains Authority (SMA)
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority, or SMA for short, was responsible for the providing hydroelectric power by controlling the flow of the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers (Watson 2021c, p. 22). It delivered Australia’s largest ever engineering project, and in doing so required a substantial fleet of vehicles.
The BMC Rosette reported a delivery of 22 Morris 850s to the SMA in the September 1963 issue.
A photo from 1965 shows a Morris 850 in use as an SMA Road Patrol Officer vehicle, indicating that they were still in use more than a year later.
The eventual fate of the 22 cars is unknown. With no special production order items or other key distinguishing features recorded, it would be hard to tell the cars apart from a standard Morris 850.
For more detail on the SMA and the vehicles they used, see ‘Taming the Snowy’ in Issue 8 of The Mini Experience Reloaded.
Sydney County Council (SCC)
The Sydney County Council (SCC), established to manage the electricity network in Sydney, operated a vehicle fleet in a dedicated paint colour of ‘Silverpine Green’.
The SCC is reported to have operated the Morris 850 in their fleet (Cripps et al. 2021, p26), and this continued to other standard Mini models including the Morris Mini Minor and Morris Mini Van.
There are no known surviving Morris 850s that worked for SCC.
Avis Rent-a-Car
The Morris 850 was available as an economy car option in the Avis Rent-a-Car fleet.
A period photo shows a delivery of ten cars at a BMC dealership. The total number of cars received by Avis is not known.
References
See References for details of resources used to compile this page.
Last updated 21 March 2026