I think your setup should still have the resistor for blower motor speed. It might be "buried" inside the HVAC box with only the connector exposed (intended to help keep the resistors cool with airflow). Although, perhaps the right hand drive models are built differently, we of course are not familiar with those here.
One thing that can be a cause of premature death of the HVAC fan on 7/9 series models is if rainwater is getting into the HVAC system inlet chamber due to blocked drains for the plenum area at the base of the windshield (leaves, debris, etc). It can then work its way down into the bottom of the fan motor, since that is the lowest point of the system, and cause the lower bearing to corrode and seize. This is known to sometimes also create extra drag on the motor and extra current load on its circuit, which can lead to melting of the plastic around the blower motor fuse in the fusebox. Pretty commonly seen issue in regions that experience frequent rain and feature a lot of trees/vegetation.
However, if your old motor did run when tapped on, then that suggests it probably was just worn out electrically after long years of use. Not likely in that case that there is anything more concerning going on, like water causing a bearing to seize, or an underlying electrical problem. Probably can just put a new one in and carry on for another 260k.
