A lifelong interest in cars is reflected in Stephen Morris’ eclectic collection

The garage of Stephen Morris is home to several unusual cars, but the 1963 AC Greyhound, built from 1959 through 1963, and the 1947 Allard M are two that stand out because it is rare to find one, much less both, in the same place.

Morris, 71, of Kansas City, has a long history with cars. “I’ve been tinkering with cars since I was 11 years old,” he said. He has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University. He held a faculty position at the University of Missouri Kansas City before joining the Stowers Institute for Medical Research as director of imaging in 2000. He said his proudest accomplishment was the invention of the realtime multi-wavelength fluorescence microscope, a device used by Roger Tsien when he won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry. But now he is retired.

“I enjoyed work every day,” he said, “but now I feel like an old car.”

Morris loves his vintage cars, but he said his all-time favorite was a 1971 March 722 Formula Atlantic that he raced from 1976 to 1990.

Morris said the Greyhound, which looks a lot like an Aston Martin, was basically just a “roller” without an engine or gearbox when he got it. The Greyhound’s original 2.2-liter, six-cylinder engine was fairly anemic, so Morris, inspired by an article in the 1963 Road & Track magazine, ripped out the firewall and front floor and installed a 215-cubic-inch aluminum Buick V-8. Now the Greyhound has a nice bark and much-improved performance.

“It’s amazing what you can do with nine years of your life,” he said.

The Allard M is a drophead coupe, which is what the British call a convertible. It was originally built for road rallies, so it sits fairly high to clear rocks and ruts of unimproved roads. About 500 were built, but only 40 or so are known to exist, Morris said.

The engine is a hopped up Ford flathead V-8 mated to a 1939 Ford floor-shift transmission. The Allard is a surprisingly large car, whereas the Greyhound is not.

Morris found the Allard in Kingston, Ontario, and traded an MG-B for it. His and his friend, Rick Fisk, made a four-day trip to haul the MG to the Canadian border and bring back the Greyhound.

“That was an act of brotherhood,” Morris said.

Cars for Morris have been a conduit to make friends and meet people, people that helped him restore and rebuild his cars. For Morris, his lifetime of tinkering continues.