Half a century ago, the one-millionth Morris Minor rolled off the production line at Cowley – the first time that any British car had achieved such a mighty sales figure. And to celebrate, BMC launched the aptly named Morris Minor 1,000,000 special edition.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Minor 1,000,000, a number of these lilac-coloured specials were recently on show at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, alongside the first ever Morris Minor – NWL 576. Ray Newell, co-author of the book A Restoration of One in a Million, also attended the event, his new title being launched to coincide with the anniversary. The book charts the restoration of a Minor 1,000,000 in a remote location in Australia, and will soon be on sale via the Heritage Motor Centre shop.