history

As part of post-World War II recovery plans, the British Government approached the Nuffield Organization asking they design and manufacture a new all British tractor in 1945. In 1946, the vice-chairman of Morris Motors Sir Miles Thomas announced to the ISMA at Hull “Nuffield to make tractors”. Former David Brown tractor designer, Dr, H.E. Merritt, designed the tractor, and the manufacture was to be done at the former Wolseley factory in Birmingham. By 1946, a prototype tractor had been manufactured. British Motor Holding, which was BMC’s holding company, was merged the Leyland Motor Corporation to become British Leyland in 1968. Tractors continued to be produced under the Nuffield name until they were renamed Leyland Tractors in 1969 and the poppy red tractors changed to the new two-tone blue Leyland corporate colors.