Aronline.co.uk 20th Anniversary at the Gaydon British Motor Museum Part 1

Join us at the British Motor Museum for the fabulous milestone of 20 years of the world's biggest British car web site Aronline.co.uk. With founder Keith Adams and first officer Mike Humble along with special guests including Denis Chick (Austin-Rover Communications Director) and Steve Cropley (Autocar Magazine editor-in-chief).
Part 2 can be seen here: • Aronline.co.uk 20th An...

[@EgroegNosnhoj]

Really enjoyed seeing this and hearing Mike and Keith talk about the Montego, SD2 and the other BL prototypes. Excellent and really interesting. Once again highlights how BL and AR always managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - so very sad to think how things could have been better in the British car industry. Thank you so much John for capturing this event so well for those of us who couldn’t attend. Looking forward to seeing Part 2!

[@JohnGClancy]

Evening George. It was a really nice event and easy to video it all. Putting it together for KZbin took some time though but not as much if it had have been for a disc release because that has to be tip-top perfect and takes forever and a day usually. Part 2 is up if you haven't found it yet. Right now I'm dealing with loads of comments on my Movie Collector channel because I just uploaded a 4K review of The Shawshank Redemption. John.

[@arpinchock]

I was not aware of the SD2 either. I have been to the museum twice and hope to return again some time! I was recently at a classic car event and found myself gravitating to the British cars all the time.

[@paulb4uk]

This was superb thanks for uploading .

[@JohnGClancy]

Thank you Paul. It took a lot of time to put this and part 2 together so it's reassuring to have some positive feedback. Just a shame to do all this to confirm it's not a popular subject. Still, it might slowly find an audience but I do suspect KZbin viewers tend to prefer things a little more slapdash. John.

[@forcedadventure]

Interesting cars...

[@mikehumble1120]

I've remembered.... The other Montego design council award was for the height adjustable front seat belt anchorages.

[@wickiezulu]

Was not aware the AR6 mule used a shortened Maestro platform.

[@JohnGClancy]

Neither was I but these chaps know their stuff. A very interesting tour but I could have done with it being a bit longer.... like several days longer! John.

[@wickiezulu]

Of course, so many questions and nuggets of information to extract. It also raises the question of if the company could have fielded a larger more cost-effective B-Segment model had it been designed early on into Maestro/Montego programme to slot above the Metro yet below the Maestro. Think how the Peugeot 205 sat above and ran alongside to the smaller 104/106 (also Citroen AX in between) yet below the 309/306, a conventional Maestro based Supermini could have replicated both the size and engine range of the 205 (though a 1.6 range topper could have also worked). While a 1.6 S-Series diesel was also envisaged for AR6, wonder if the petrol version possibly the 16v development was also considered instead of the petrol range being topped by the 1.4 K-Series for what was said to be a R3 sized car? As for the K3-cylinder, even though it was dropped together with the aluminium body, Musgrove himself conceded a smaller Mini replacement should have been designed into the AR6 project in retrospect that could have also saved the K3-cylinder (though wouldn’t the R6 or R6X have also benefited from it being carried over due to their lightness?).

[@JohnGClancy]

@@wickiezulu For too many years in England we just haven't had the courage to get on and do things. It didn't help with the militancy in the 1960s that then went completely bonkers in the 1970s but the upshot of all that is that we got through it. But the collection at the British Motor Museum confirms that the British Leyland/Austin Rover styling, design and engineering teams were among the best in the world but as we all know, very little of what they worked on could be taken all the way to production. Today we are a more confident nation so it's a shame that our great entrepreneurs and engineers don't always get the backing they should from the money lenders or the people holding the purse strings. The British motor industry is a different thing today but despite all the changes it is more successful and in a better position than it ever was. Maybe now we're out of the European Union we will get more investment, factory expansions and all new factories bringing even greater success than we've ever known before. Well, we can all dream! John.

[@wickiezulu]

@@JohnGClancy Agreed.

[@KarlHamilton]

Where's the Rover 75 documentary that was mentioned in this video?

[@JohnGClancy]

www.triumphdvd.co.uk is where you'll find that Karl.