Morris Minor Owners Club

I was sat by the car the other day looking at all the moderns in the car park when a fellow Minor driver quite unexpectedly hove in to view.
Mine was a feeling of warmth.
It set me wondering, although Lord Nuffield wasn't keen to start with regarding the Minor, I wondered if he were alive today and I recounted the history of the indigenous British motor industry to him, just what his thoughts would be?
So...........if you were telling Bill Morris just what happened, what would you say ?

Where did it all go wrong?

Look how well car panels fit now Bill!

How do you like your eggs - poached, or boiled?

philthehill wrote:Where did it all go wrong?

Love it,made me laugh !

moggiethouable wrote:I was sat by the car the other day looking at all the moderns in the car park when a fellow Minor driver quite unexpectedly hove in to view.
Mine was a feeling of warmth.
It set me wondering, although Lord Nuffield wasn't keen to start with regarding the Minor, I wondered if he were alive today and I recounted the history of the indigenous British motor industry to him, just what his thoughts would be?
So...........if you were telling Bill Morris just what happened, what would you say ?

I never thought of Red Robbo !

Funny old world aint it!
The Germans tried bombing your factory in WW2 and now they occupy it
(comment relates to the assembly of the new BMW Mini Cooper at Cowley)

I thought I may loan him one of Martin Adeneys excellent books on the British motor industry.
It would be difficult to explain that part of the problem was his difficulty in letting go, delegating and accepting that the Morris 8 was a good car, but not any more.
Then there is the thorny subject of under investment and all the money that went in to Nuffield hospitals that ended up private institutions anyway.
Then apologising for the accountancy mess that made the Mini Britains most unprofitable car ever.
Then the issues that arose from his ex second in command taking cowley apart brick by brick, then the climate of fear propagated by Herbert Austin that generated the better red than dead philosophy on the shop floor, then, assuming he was still awake, the way everyone missed the real threat from Japan until it was too late.
Then I imagine he would wish he had stayed asleep.
Who could blame him.
Me too.

He'd probably be even more interested in the future than the history.. such as that the UK makes more cars now than ever.

I'd expect he's find the forthcoming plethora of EV's to be more than interesting - especially with the challenges of new infrastructure and the decade long undecided debate between fuel cell vs battery for technology and/or EV vs bio fuel for politics & lobbying vs logic.

To be honest,I don't think he would be to bothered about today's vehicles. He left his legacy for us all to build on,and we did.
For me, a dinosaur,the past is great to look back on. The leather couch,on display at Gaydon,where he reputedly had a kip every afternoon,speaks volumes about what can be achieved-if you just CHILL ! So looking forward to Classic van and Pick's up event at Gaydon. The non, one Mark event,takes place on Sunday- 10th of August. Get your Morris van/ pick up there,and do William Morris, as well as your self a favor ! See the first Low light, to come off the line,as well as Shelia Wakely's,green GPO Telephone Van. Sadly,gone,she did a great job on it. God bless her !

Nuffield's leading guys were allowed to innovate, invest & to bring new technology, and that's what made the group successful (and removing that being a key part of the downturn when Lord took over) therefore I'd not be so sure he's have no interest in the modern car industry.

There certainly was a lot more to the guy than the motor industry, but if around now, i'm sure he'd take some comfort that the legacy of our UK motor industry is still here with the benefits that manufacturing and technology bring to society.

Our news & media don't like to talk up our achievements, but UK car industry is actually going very well at the moment & on track to beat all previous records.
http://www.smmt.co.uk/2014/01/uk-car-ma ... year-high/