Minor Bid

It was the first high tea Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria had served in years. Near the tea cozies, where U.S. newsmen juggled their cups a bit awkwardly, stood three new 1949-model Morris cars. Peppery Viscount Nuffield, Britain's biggest motormaker, had sent them over by the Queen Mary as an opening bid for the U.S. market and as an answer to an old antagonist.

The antagonist was thin, sandy-haired Leonard Lord, who had gone to work for Nuffield back in 1932. He became Nuffield's chief assistant, was in charge of the far-flung Nuffield organization (Morris, M. G. and Wolseley cars, trucks, etc.). But when Leonard Lord showed that he had a mind of his own, Nuffield quickly kicked him upstairs to run one of his many charities.

Lord, who preferred to build motorcars, quit Nuffield with the observation: "I am pigheaded, and Nuffield has his opinions." He went to work for Austin Motors, became its chairman when Lord Austin died in 1941.

At war's end, while Nuffield was still honking along with cars made from prewar dies, Lord rolled out a spanking new, postwar-model Austin for the U.S. and Canadian market. Last year he sold $22 million worth in the U.S. and Canada. Nuffield had to content himself with selling his prewar cars in the Empire and soft-currency areas in Europe, while he changed over to his postwar models.

With his new four-cylinder models, Nuffield promised to give Lord a stiff race for U.S. sales. The Morris Minor convertibles (see cut) and sedans will retail for $1,555 or less in New York (v. Austin's $1,595); the slightly bigger Morris Oxford for $2,100. Smaller than U.S. cars (147 1/2 inches overall v. 196 3/4 inches for Fords), the Minors get 35 miles to the gallon, have a top speed of 65 m.p.h.

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