Business Notes Autos

In the luxury auto market, Britain offers the sporty, two-door Rolls-Royce Corniche at $156,000 and the road-hugging Aston Martin Lagonda sedan at $150,000. Last week in Denver, Auto Dealer Jerry Morris unveiled his own very different vision of automotive high life, American-style. Equipped with a bar and Baccarat crystal, trimmed with teak and priced at $50,000, Morris' showpiece is a 19-ft.-long Jeep station wagon. The dealer bills it as the world's first stretch limousine with four-wheel drive. Morris' theory is that off-road travel should be comfortable. Said he: "People have said to me, 'Wouldn't it be nice if there were a luxury car that could be used to go through the mountains in bad weather?' With this vehicle, if we have two feet of snow, you still won't be stranded."

The luxury car is a stretched version of American Motors' Grand Wagoneer, a favorite of skiers and suburbanites. The fancier touches include a built-in champagne bucket and an 8-in. color television, but for rugged back-country terrain, the four-wheel limo also features an electronic shock-absorption system. Morris expects to find buyers for his Jeep limo among oil-well owners and ski-tour operators.