Offering a huge variety of benefits including practicality and manoeuvrability, the J-Type appealed to a wide range of customers around the world – from Canada to Columbia and Ireland to Indonesia. In this article, we take a closer look at popular conversions and uses for the Morris J-Type and what made these businesses so attracted to the iconic British van.

Geoff Duke, Morris Commercial J-Type

Bakery Delivery Van

With its tight turning circle, compact exterior dimensions and spacious load area, the Morris J-Type was a popular choice for bakeries to deliver their produce. Australian bakeries Boon’s Bread and W. Cripps both placed large orders in the 1950s

Geoff Duke, Morris Commercial J-Type
J-type R.G. Jones

Mobile Advertising

Thanks to its unique shape and stunning aesthetics. The original J-Type never failed to grab the attention of onlookers. These eye-catching visuals made it an obvious marketing choice for businesses, so many companies painted their vans in their own unique livery. This is why very few of today’s surviving J-Types will look the same as another.

J-type Walls Ice Cream Van High Res copy

 Media Production

The original J-Type is no stranger to being centre stage. Even today, the original J-Type has made appearances across a range of TV programmes, video adverts and films including Doctor Who, Cadburys, GoDaddy and the Great British Bake off,  to name just a few.

J-type Walls Ice Cream Van High Res copy

Food and Drink Trucks

In the early fifties, many food and drinks companies around the world found the J-Type to be the perfect solution to satisfy the needs of the industry. Even today there are many companies still using the J-Type.

Retail Advertisement and Delivery Van

Thanks to its impressive load volume to footprint ratio, the original J-Type the perfect delivery van for many businesses. Being such a popular choice, the J-Type ended up forming the backbone of many companies we are familiar with today.

Pickfords Heavy Haulage - Morris Commercial J-Type

Tradesmen and Property Professionals

With bright, eye-catching colours, a tight turning circle, and impressive handling, the J-Type became the “go-to” run around for tradesmen and property professionals.

J-type Lyons Ice Cream

Ambulance


Although small by modern day standards for an ambulance, the J-Type was used by many hospitals in the fifties and sixties such as this one from the City of Leeds Ambulance Services.

J-type Lyons Ice Cream

Ice Cream Van

Its iconic appearance certainly catches the public’s eye which meant large numbers were converted into ice cream vans. These were a common sight long after production had finished in 1961.

Postal Delivery Van

The Morris J-Type, however, is best remembered as a postal delivery van. The tight turning circle offered great manoeuvrability in urban environments, while its large load area was able to accommodate a large amount of parcels and mail, making this a very popular sight on British high streets in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Morris Commercial Morris JE in Broadway, United Kingdom

Like its forebear, the modern-day, fully-electric Morris JE presents class-leading load efficiency that offers the best of both worlds: compact enough to fit the smallest of requirements, yet large enough to accommodate up to 5.8m and carry up to 1,000kg of goods.

Available in a wide variety of body styles, the All-New Morris JE – which is due for launch in 2022 – provides excellent versatility and its universal appeal makes it the perfect solution for many businesses around the world.