NUFFIELD FACT FILE

■ The roots of vehicle manufacturer Morris Motor Co. go back to 1912. The company was founded by William Morris, who later became Lord Nuffield.■ During World■ In 1946, the prototype for the Nuffield Universal tractor was completed and tested.■ Post-war steel shortages delayed production of the tractor until 1948.■ In 1952, British Motor Corp. (BMC), was formed when Austin Motor Co. and the Nuffield organisation (parent of the Morris car company, MG, Riley and Wolseley) merged.■ In 1962, Nuffield tractors ceased to be built in Ward End, Birmingham, and were instead manufactured at a new factory in Bathgate in Scotland. This was a politically motivated move, designed to provide work for the vast numbers of people who had lost their jobs after closure of Scottish coal mines.■ Between 1961 and 1963, the Nuffield 4/60 with its BMC 3.8 litre 4-cylinder engine was produced.■ During the 1960s, Nuffield went on to manufacture larger tractors (like the 10/60 that featured a high- and low-ratio in the gearbox supplying 10 forward and two reverse gears), as well as a mini tractor, which never proved hugely popular as, at the time, the public had little desire for smaller tractors.■ Nuffield tractors never achieved the success that Ford or Ferguson enjoyed, but they did become a very well-respected brand with many loyal customers.■ In 1968, the company merged with Leyland Motor Corp. to create what was, at the time, Britain’s largest motor vehicle manufacturer.■ Under the new name British Leyland, tractors with a completely different look and a new blue colour scheme began to be produced and the days of the Poppy Orange Nuffield tractors were well and truly over.