Wheels to Fortune

"A compelling portrait of one of Britain’s greatest industrialists and philanthropists."

At sixteen, William Richard Morris began work as a bicycle repairer in a small Oxford workshop. Through determination, ingenuity and relentless hard work, he built the Morris Motor Company, created the affordable Morris Oxford, and transformed Cowley into the heart of Britain’s largest car manufacturer.

In Wheels to Fortune, James Leasor traces Morris’s remarkable rise from humble beginnings to national prominence, exploring the vision behind his famous ambition to build a car ordinary people could afford.

Yet Morris's greatest legacy may lie beyond the motor industry. Created Viscount Nuffield, he gave away vast sums during his lifetime, funding organisations that continue to shape British education, healthcare and public life, including Nuffield College, the Nuffield Foundation and Nuffield Health.

This is the story of an extraordinary entrepreneur whose influence extended far beyond the factory floor, and whose generosity continues to touch millions of lives today.