Max Hunt’s illustrated talk intertwines the stories of Herbert Austin and William Morris – the two giants of Britain’s early motor industry. Tracing the rise of both men from humble beginnings, Max shows how their contrasting approaches to car manufacture brought motoring to the masses in the 1920s while, at the same time, laying the foundations for the troubles of the British Motor Corporation and British Leyland. Along the way he examines the social impact of the Longbridge works on north Worcestershire and the huge extent of Morris’s philanthropy – the English Bill Gates!

Max read history at university in the 1960s and spent his working life in education. In retirement he combines interests in local history and classic motor cars. Since 2006 he has been a Trustee of the Shelsley Watermill Society helping restore and latterly maintain Worcestershire’s only working water-powered corn mill.