Death of the UK Car Industry - Part 4: The Rover Group and MG-Rover

[@waterfoxy5690]

You should be proud of this fine documentary. You really managed to spotlight the cloak and dagger shenanigans of the last days of the British car industry

[@peekaboo1575]

It's like all the executives, gov officials and union leaders were covering themselves in teflon.

[@colinmcgregor123]

Britain you mean

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

@@colinmcgregor123 Brown is the new white ☹

[@scofab]

Moral of the story: If the only way you can "build" cars is to cobble onto someone else's chassis design... maybe you're not a car builder after all. What an unnecessary, ignominious and extremely sad failure. This has been a great series, thank you very much.

[@TSR1989FF]

Better way of putting it; *don't focus on short term gains / savings alone. BAe did, and BMW failed to address it.

[@legallyfree2955]

In one of the previous videos there was a fact along the lines of each UK worker was making 4 cars per year, each Japanese worker was making 30 or something like that. I mean at that point you might as well just give up.

[@chrisdavidson911]

Platform sharing doesn't work? The problem was that it was all done badly and slowly, by an aimless committee, with a lot of wasted money.

[@TSR1989FF]

@Legally Free It wasn't 4 cars per employee though, rather about 8.5 during the late 1970's. Bad yes when compared to GMC's 18 cars, or Toyota's 34 cars, but better than some of the competition across the channel, and amid dire industrial upheaval. By the early/mid Austin-Rover had streamlined heavily on staff and unproductive facilities, and introduced badly needed Unimate semi-automated production. During the latter productivity went up to at least 11.5 cars per employee.

[@TSR1989FF]

@chris davidson Platform Sharing is fine across a single consortium, but when it's platforms from another company, it massively curtails what can be done creatively, and makes the company being shared to supplicant to the sharer in all but name. BAe had an opportunity with AR to step off from being dependent on Honda to being self-reliant on developing platforms again and replace the models reliant on them with fresh designs... they chose not to... a blunder similar to BL back when it repeatedly put off replacing cars when they could've afforded it... only to finally find they'd waited too long and couldn't afford to replace them.

[@rosmeartoo]

A sad tale, mirroring the UK motorcycle, shipbuilding and aircraft industries and finally summed up in Brexit. British engineering, innovative and creative excellence being constantly undermined by commercial & political ineptitude.

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

So true. This story is just the headliner that was repeated everywhere in Britain especially after t'war.

[@mikerichards6065]

Absolutely agree. This has been a terrific series and there is potential for a companion piece about the way poor management and governments veering crazily between intervention and hands-off led to the demise of so much of our aviation sector. But Ruairidh deserves a lie-down before taking on another big project.

[@Lando-kx6so]

Idk about the brexit part

[@duncancurtis5108]

The Ben Houchen Teeside fiasco ( Private Eye) proves the Tories are as corrupt as hell with non entities in charge of Britain's post Brexit industry. All they do is siphon off public money.

[@street-level]

Britain effectively became almost bankrupt by fighting against Mr Hitler. Then perhaps understandably (pride) it declined to wholly throw in its lot with France and Germany, which have dominated Europe since 1945, with the help of the USA.

[@cbmsysmobile]

Nobody can mismanage an industry like the British. We're World Leaders at it!

[@hankosaurus]

This excellent documentary is a great study and reference in how NOT to run corporations which must compete in the world marketplace.

[@chucky2316]

I give you the indian made rover city 😂😂😂😂😂

[@nicob4115]

“World beating” as Boris Johnson would say

[@kieranokeeffe1363]

Sadly there is two tales to this story, the utterly greedy lazy management but also many of the unionised workforce were too lazy and incompetent Makes me sad for the UK manufacturing industry and all of the real hardworking professionals that wanted to make it work.

[@thedukeofbork3147]

The disease - common to both management and workers - was the sense that they deserved something without the effort of earning it.

[@emilyadams3228]

@@thedukeofbork3147 We see the same disease in leftists today. This disease is spread by globalists as part of their plan of world domination.

[@_Ben4810]

The management were just weak & very short sighted in not laying good solid business, design & engineering/production foundations for the future...They had it all, & just let it all slip away....

[@jonnyc429]

They all probably assumed it would be around forever and couldn't possibly fail

[@StupStups]

"A long and cautionary tale of how not to run a car company": perfect closing sentence for an excellent series of videos.

[@DavidDavid-kl4ru]

I read a book a few years ago about BL called "The story of a car crash" or something like that. The main takeaway wasn't how the British car industry managed to fail after BMC was the 3rd largest car maker in the world and profitable in the 60s but how it survived at all after bankruptcy in the mid 1970s. VW was offered to Routes Group after the war but they declined reasoning that the Beetle would never sell. It's all so sad.

[@peekaboo1575]

IIRC it was a British guy who was tasked with getting VW back on track after the war, which he successfully did. So there's that too.

[@hankosaurus]

Ford refused to buy VW after the war too. I'll bet they regretted that a few years later.

[@CommodoreCaravan1981]

after Sir William Rootes, who declined the offer to hover VW, the Britisch military gouvernment asked Henry Ford II if he want to takeover VW. he could get VW as a present with no costs. but Ernest Breech told Henry Ford II not to get VW because the beetle it was worthless in his eyes.

[@briancarton1804]

​@@peekaboo1575It was two British army officers who got VW up and going after the war. They did this to create employment and initialy supplied cars to the occuping powers for administration work.

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

Terrific finale. I was in Istel - the computer systems div - when it was sold off in the late 80s. Sold in a management/employee buyout - and bought up by AT&T (another company that all but flamed out in the late 90s! Saved by a reverse merger). As I'd bought Istel shares I, amongst many employees, made a small fortune on the AT&T buy up. Since Istel continued to do much work with Rover, BMW separately acquired Istel's automtive systems div into Softlab in the late 90s. Where I believe it still lives. BAe made a fortune selling off much of Cowley and Canley, but they were thwarted in land sell offs at Solihull though - a lot of land between the LR plant and the A45 - as there were big restrictions on development, at least in the earky 90s. Maybe off at a tangent, but to switch the POV, a commercial history of BMW's management from their big 70s rise to the stumbles of the late 90s and early 00s revival - that'd be interesting, to me at least.

[@karlosh9286]

Excellent series of videos. Having been born in the 1960s in the UK and lived through this, I was well aware of the depressing endgame, but then you're just the messenger, telling the tale in how not to run a car company. As I said, excellent series of videos, I learnt some new parts about this sad story.

[@Dilley_G45]

Growing up in Germany and visiting UK for the first time in the 80s I was amazed how old and last generation most cars on the roads looked like. Apart from Ford Sierra and Fiestas most cars looked like the average car on the road in Germany ten years earlier. And in those days the design changes were bigger than in the lastb15 years. I was slightly shocked cause I knew about all the British makes like RR, Rover, Jaguar etc.

[@LandersWorkshop]

You should have seen what it was like in the poorer parts of the UK back then. To this day in some parts old Cortinas and other ancient ones are still on the streets!@@Dilley_G45

[@simonf8902]

The death of the British motor industry by thousands of cuts started back when Austin effectively took over Morris in the 1950s. Leonard Lord was the first to start the decline. British Leyland hastened the disease process. Many years of bad management, poor workmanship, poor engineering, government buyouts and financial catastrophes led to the inevitable end. Even the BMW takeover followed by the Phoenix debacle was the mere death rattle of the corpse of British cars. The British taxpayer was the real loser in the end.

[@TSR1989FF]

I'd put forward old man Morris of Nuffield himself as where the rust set in. A great innovator before WWII, his failings became apparent during the war, when he repeatedly blocked all notion of building the *Rover Meteor* engine under licence, rather kept pushing variants of the ancient *Nuffield Liberty* , a former US Aircraft engine from the early 1910's. He would postwar waste plentiful amounts of work hours, personnel and money in keeping old machine tools going when replacements were an option, and for years after retiring he'd encourage successors not to update the factories (as he saw it; wasting money on bells & whistles). A bit like how Henry Ford, old man Morris was a main player when young in the interbellum, but failed to see in later times that what he wanted didn't line up with market nor practical reality.

[@seed_drill7135]

People forget that Ford almost drove them into bankruptcy by building the T too long, that Chrysler passed them as the #2 US manufacturer in the 1930’s, and that the Government threatened to nationalize Ford if he didn’t step down after Edsel died.

[@iainmclaughlan1557]

And the customer

[@royalcrowntowing2464]

Brilliant series on the Uk car industry, it would be brilliant if you made a spin off of the history of LDV vans and the demise of that brand

[@_Ben4810]

That was a sorry tale...not least yet again it involved the shadowy figure & infamous girlfriend/lover of Phoenix Four member Nick Stephenson & her direct link to the Longbridge demise & bargain buy-up by the Chinese....Dr Qu Li.... & she is now CEO of that retro 50's Morris EV van company... Seems she just can't leave anything to do with BMC/British Leyland alone....

[@laurentgully267]

That would be amazing! I am very curious about the Daewoo period at LDV

[@bentullett6068]

LDV was part of the Rover Group, hence all of the BL, Rover components and engines used. Looking at the Rover history the TWR part of it might hold some of the answers.

[@royalcrowntowing2464]

Also the Sherpa vans and LDV ened up in Russian hands somehow, and failed in 2007

[@bentullett6068]

@royalcrowntowing2464 the Russians then passed LDV onto the Chinese. The old design LDV vans were also built by BMC vehicles in Turkey.

[@BOABModels]

Thanks for putting this together - I grew up in the '90s and remember Rover group and BMW being on the news a lot. My grandad had worked for MG, Austin and then Land Rover before retiring in 1997 so it really impacted us as a family. I now work at the British Motor Museum (which appeared in this a few times, including archive footage of the board room) and I enjoy researching the history to improve my knowledge. Such a shame what happened to all those brands.

[@jonnyc429]

Yes I've been looking forward to this for weeks! I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. You've done a fantastic job

[@brettbanta2100]

Me too, I was actually pretty psyched when I saw this new one

[@glynwoodage7280]

Sobering tale, like so many other British industries Ship building, Trucks, aviation, motorcycles, and more! BL, is a great example of when a business cobbled together from many parts, fails due to "tribal" self-interest of both managers and production workers of each of the various components, that fail to believe in, or buy into the new big idea. One in which petty personal divisions dominate all proceedings to detriment of group success. No strategy (even a good one) succeeds if the individuals concerned see no advantage in buying into the big picture. Failure is guaranteed. The UK's union itself is in great danger of the same factors playing out.

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

Indeed tragic. Great series, have to say the last Rovers sere pretty cool. A workmate had a 75. Handled like a boat but he loved it. Nice interior as well.

[@michaelturner4457]

i drove the same car in China, where it was called a Roewe 550.

[@bigmedge]

@@michaelturner4457 It was the 750 in China

[@AndySmallbone]

great series thanks for the hardwork putting it together. The demolition firm I work for demolished the last sections of the rover plant in longbridge. the mains halls empty were amazing to see and I would often think about what they looked like in their heyday.

[@_Ben4810]

When that entire place was in full production, it was staggering to take it all in...

[@michaelturner4457]

I spent a few years living in China, and I saw many Roewe and MG cars there. As understand things, the Roewe marque was invented by SAIC, because it sounds like Rover in Mandarin, and even the Roewe logo is very similar to Rover's longship logo. And SAIC's dealerships in China are called "Morris Garages". From the Morris car marque of course.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

SAIC had to create the Roewe brand at short notice after finding that they didn't actually own the rights to the Rover name.

[@michaelturner4457]

@@thomasfrancis5747 I believe it's Tata Motors of India that now has the rights to the Rover marque. And cars like the Roewe 550, is actually a Rover 75. SAIC in their marketing materials for Roewe, does really emphasise the Britishness of their brand, with images of Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London buses, and the UK flag.

[@laurentgully267]

​@@michaelturner4457 isn't the Rover name still owned by BMW despite the sale of the Land Rover marque to Ford and later Tata?

[@thomasfrancis5747]

@@michaelturner4457 Yes, I think Tata bought it off Ford via JLR. The Roewe 550 is the equivalent of the MG6 which was based effectively on the Rover 75 bulkhead, etc.

[@herseem]

@@laurentgully267 That's what I thought - that BMW still own it, in the same way that Rolls-Royce cars are a licensed use of the name now it's owned by Rollls-Royce the aerospace company.

[@marinedrive5484]

The final years of the mass-market UK car industry were indeed chaotic, lurching from one crisis to the next in pretty quick succession. Many of the models were pretty much cobbled together - due to budget constraints - and lacked any real design integrity. Some of the styling choices were, to say the least, ill-judged. As a former Austin Healey 3000 owner, it's sad to see the Austin brand now owned by Nanjing Automotive and any hope of a revival of the sporting marque lost.

[@Lando-kx6so]

Not completely lost. It could always be revived as a budget brand as they move MG up markets

[@samuelhead4022]

Best, most detailed documentation series on the death of the uk car industry on the internet, it was a joy to watch. Wish we could have some of these marques back

[@TSR1989FF]

Yup. BMW still owns the Triumph marque, probably to keep anyone from ressurecting a former rival. Jaguar-Land Rover bought the Rover marque in thr end, to prevent some random combine from snapping it up.

[@mjookie]

What an exceptional series! I admit I’ve watched it all in one sitting, my father worked for British Steel and sold to the various players in the saga so many parts of the story were familiar to me, but to see it put together in such a coherent cohesive and downright fascinating way has been a rare treat. THANK YOU 💐

[@darrensmith6999]

The City Rover what an insult to Rovers of the past!! superb documentary series i have really enjoyed them , great achievement Sir

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Arguably it should have been an Austin. The Tata Indica was a well designed car (Guigaro) hampered by its Peugeot engine. Rover engineers in India identified its faults, eg gearbox and poor quality components, but Rover management chose to ignore most of them and it bombed as a consequence.

[@torresalex]

Best analysis I've seen of all the reasons of the UK car industry demise.

[@tonydacosta2273]

From a car fan from Montreal, Canada, a wonderfully interesting and very exhaustive ,detailed look at the fall of the British car industry. Fantastic work and excellent series that should be considered a reference for any automobile fan who's interested in automotive industry history.

[@m7dgz]

A great documentary! You really nailed the issues in this part, BAe being unwilling to ever invest in anything (look at how our domestic civil aircraft building capability was destroyed by them in less than 20 years). The Honda tieup delivered the best built Leyland/Rover cars of all, starting with the Acclaim and continuing with the R8 era 200 and 400. Even the 600 was a very highly regarded car when it came out. Between BAe and BMW they managed to totally screw it up, the fact that Rover was still building the Metro in the late 90s and that the company ethos was allowed to go after the pipe and slippers market with tat like the 45 was just ridiculous. Creating the MG versions of the 25/45/75 if done a few years earlier might have given Rover enough time under BMW ownership to get the Mini and Freelander to market, and then things could have been so different. Instead we got the Phoenix conmen wasting money on vanity projects like the SV and a Le Man's 24 programme! The CityRover was the final ignominy,

[@zerocool5395]

I live in the US, and i stay awake for these (It's 3am here) these are my Saturday morning cartoons lol. Cheers from Miami!

[@pioneerz450]

8:28 That gear change looked about as premium as a 1980's Suzuki. Downshifting from 5th to 4th and having that much slop.

[@MS940]

Industrial history is always interesting whether it is fading or thriving. In this case it was like undoing the industrial revolution caused by so many reasons. Your series has been a top production! Well done.

[@simonf8902]

In retrospect BMW was saved by NOT joining Chrysler. The Daimler-Chrysler debacle is another fascinating and awful tale.

[@peekaboo1575]

Chrysler has that reverse Midas touch since at the very least the malaise era. The whole Stelantis group does.

[@michaelturner4457]

Of course this was Chrysler after the Lee Iacocca era.

[@sjokomelk]

@@astafford8865 The Mini is now using Toyota engines.

[@VDPEFi]

I've been waiting for this final part, a fantastic documentary and something to be very proud of. Should be released as a full length item too IMO!

[@nakoma5]

47 minutes, you know it's going to be good! This was the best documentary on the UK car industry, much applause!

[@HarryJamesBooks]

Waited for this and it didn't disappoint. Top notch 👍👍

[@kevinmarsh5034]

Enjoyed this series of films about the sad failure of the British motor industry. Thank you very much.

[@davidgordon2309]

Such a great informative series. I've always found the BMC/BL/Rover story fascinating, so much unfulfilled potential at so many points in their history

[@roadwarrior144]

A very well done series!! Thank you!! I still want to own a Rover 75 that came with the mustang V8 with a manual ‘box. I still think it is so cool!

[@davidhealy4534]

The MG ZT yes

[@paulc9588]

A superb series of videos, many thanks. It is a sad story to be sure, but you highlight really effectively how the seeds of decline and eventual demise were sown decades earlier and then nurtured at every stage by the misguided and ill-informed actions of management, unions and government. What a sorry mess.

[@keeleeng]

Loved your 5 part series.. very interesting and informative.. very well made. I had to watch them all over 2 days.. keep up the good work.

[@grahamt33]

A very fine analysis, as usual...Thank you so much !!

[@martinneumann7783]

Very interesting. I watched all four parts. I will recommend this professional documentary to my friends. Greetings from Germany - Martin

[@martinlintzgy1361]

Absolutely Brilliant. Should be screened on mainstream TV at prime time. That good.

[@jongmans38]

Amazing story well told.

[@klawlor3659]

Yes Yes yes! It's that time again...time to get out the beers, get the KZbin fired up and stick this on my telly...

[@adriandeb2710]

This series has been great, thank you.

[@oilguygamer1744]

Back in the early 90s, my father had a Rover 825i. and while time has marched on, I drove the Rover and I thought it was brilliant.

[@Telecolor-in3cl]

In what year the car was made?

[@oilguygamer1744]

@@Telecolor-in3cl I am not completely sure but I drove it in 1991 because I had a black Ice accident in my Vauxhal cavalier and it was in the garage being fixed, I had to travel 30 miles to work every day.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

The final episode of a fantastic series.

[@Daniel-OConnell]

I hope these fou videos get a wider audience outside of KZbin . These are classics on the history of the decline of the British motor industry.

[@steveparadine1970]

What a shame, and so embarassing on the world stage, we have nothing left of our once renowned car industries.

[@Lando-kx6so]

You're right. Most British brands are just foreign owned nowadays

[@briancarton1804]

​@@Lando-kx6soAll British car brands are foreign owned now. Most prestigious London buildings are owned by foreigners too.

[@matthewrees4449]

Brilliant series about a really sad and frustrating story. The level of detail and insight you have provided is awesome. Thank you!

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Very happy with this , thx

[@AdamAus85]

Woah. Interesting to learn of BMWs troubles too around the same period. I mean for us BMW self proclaimed "purists", this was the golden age for BMW products.

[@garthk506]

I have been looking forward to this one about the Rover group. Thanks for the series. I have seen your earlier one on the Roots group.

[@Andy-lh9bc]

I just finished part 4 and all I can say is, what an amazing job you did here. I enjoyed every bit of it. Thank you

[@kaypac6350]

Very interesting and informative series.I think that a similar series on the demise of the Truck,bus,and special products divisions would be a good subject for a future series.It has been said that not only the profits,but also vital research and development funds were plundered from these divisions to prop up the failing car side of the buisness.This in turn led to the failure to develop new products,especially engines,transmissions,and cabs.also the rivalry between Leyland Trucks, and AEC is similar to the situation with Austin and Morris,and probably did more damage than the unions ever did.

[@stephmaccormick3195]

Amazing series.

[@dbulmannz]

Such a sad tale, but very true

[@mnogoldfish]

Amazing research and quality production. I can’t imagine how much time you must have spent on this excellent series of videos. Thank you.

[@kallekas8551]

Thanks Rory for this fantastic documentary. A real landmark in my opinion.👍👍👍👍👍

[@Casper_Min]

Great video.

[@lauriecooper8194]

Excellent, absolutely excellent. Probably the finest account that I've seen or read about this sad tale.

[@49commander]

What a great series! Thank you so much!

[@imagseer]

An insightful conclusion to a good and well-researched series. Once the Empire was let go the UK motor industry lost its captive world market and had to face competition from modernised countries, so it was sadly inevitable that the chaotic motor industry which at best could only muddle-through, would soon fail and with it most of the intermediary parts manufacturers. Even the large foreign-backed Ford and Vauxhall got into trouble. Subversion of labour during the Cold War by enemies of the UK also added significantly to the problem. Joining the EU further undermined the industry by preventing unfair government subsidies and imposing fiscal common sense; and Brexit, when it came, was a generation too late to allow anything to be saved. Someone already mentioned on here that using the bodies from other manufactures as a base for different marques was not good enough. Car manufacturing Karaoke really, and buyers had seen through it long before!

[@victortaveira8271]

Good point, I have a feeling that British Economy wasn't based upon competitive capitalism and, without colonies, things would not have happened. Lack of investment in building strong and valuable human capital adds a lot

[@briancarton1804]

The Germans and French still have prosperous car industries and they are in the EU still when I last looked 2 minutes ago. Britain fucked up its car industry all by itself. Don't blame the EU for the inadequate management of British industry.

[@herseem]

A truly outstanding series of videos about a captivating and despairing tale of woe for British Manufacturing.

[@SimonWallwork]

There is really a lot in this documentary. An excellent watch. Well done!

[@russellhammond4373]

Thanks for the work taken to undertake and make this series of video. What a sad tale of woe.

[@JonathanHealy-o7k]

The most comprehensive and accurate documentary I've seen on the British car industry's demise - and there are many, many out there. The inclusion of facts about the ERM and failure to join the Euro and the consequences for UK business of these decisions is a welcome addition. Rover's long, incremental failure arguably goes back a decade earlier with the beautiful but appallingly built SD1. The Honda partnership was useful in restoring confidence in the brand, as the 200, 400 and 600 models derived from that relationship were at least well made, reliable cars which Rover cleverly 'Roverised' to produce classy, albeit highly derivative, models that sold well. The mistake in my view was not working more strategically with Honda on the model successors so that the IP could be shared, and profit margins widened. Selling to BMW was very much a double-edge sword that backfired for everyone. The final Phoenix years are an appalling swansong of mismanagement and greed - wasting money on racing Formula MGs, the trophy MG X-Power SV, the fraudulent joke of the CityRover, as well as the pensions scandal, when what was needed was every last penny being invested in replacements for the ageing model line-up. Now that Jaguar is being wound up as a quasi-mass-market carmaker, there really is nothing left of the British car industry.

[@davidchant5550]

Absolute brilliant documentary series, well done and many personal thanks. The workforce finally pulling it together at the end against a poisoned business. I shudder when i see Chinese MG cars today pouring into UK carparks, such a shame. Vauxhall closed and pulled out of the UK last year, it is now just re-badged German cars. Please make a similar documentary on the history of Vauxhall. Absolute rubbish on TV today, more and more of you putting together professional videos is just amazing. Perhaps why is Britain a basket case when producing cars, we can definitely design. I have worked in Production for 38 years and worked in USA and Europe. I have toured the Skoda production plants many times, that is another area of fascinating history, but we seem to try and rebel against the defined production process and try an re-design it while burning through the money. There are almost 2 groups in British production, those that work their heart out 24/7 and are bullied for it and the other half there (but just want wage and not be there) who are appointed through family and friends. The final straw is always corruption at the senior Exec level and government (and another shudder it was new Labour that messed it up) selling vital IP for 67million. I have seen this many many times in the UK and but NEVER in any other country. They would destroy it rather than give it away,. anyway Brits, just keep buying those MG Chinese cars!!

[@boriss.861]

Well done Ruairidh.. A well researched and logically put together documentary.

[@McRocket]

Thank you for this WONDERFUL - if rather sad - series. It explained a LOT for me. ☮

[@scotthawkins1011]

Brilliant video!👍

[@philbraithwaite1316]

An excellent series, thanks!

[@david5845]

Cheers. Thanks very much for all in series. What a cockup up eh?

[@zippyfinleyadventures]

Mate this has been a Brill series, genuinely thank you !

[@celebalert5616]

This is the most messed up saga I ever heard tbh ... 😢 freakin twisted !

[@smorris12]

British management has never had the ability to organise a piss-up in a brewery, let alone a car company.

[@celebalert5616]

@@smorris12 my mommy and daddy manage it okay 😌

[@DeeWhy618]

Brilliant!

[@Byzmax]

This series has been of outstanding quality and detail. Very enjoyable and informative.

[@FitzArias]

Very good work on a very sad story. These cars are liked but they suck and everybody that tried turning their luck around got bogged down by them instead. Like your narrative style, keep up the good work.

[@lewlewis6511]

Thankyou so much for this series, well made and explained. Looking back over my own car owning years several models from the brand stand out as excellent, i had great service from my P6 2000TC and 3500, Landcrab and the Princess, both powered by the simple and frugal 1800 B series engines, which rarely gave any trouble and were simple to maintain, in S form in the Landcrab it was a plenty fast enough car, considering its overall size Landcrab still one of the roomiest cars ever made here and i have a soft spot for them. Rust was the killer but then everything rusted in those days. The most reliable range of cars though were those made with shared Honda components, my facelift 827 of '91 vintage is still one of the best cars i've had, not so simple but one of the sweetest engines you could buy. R8's great cars too, 600 and 623 probably some of the best saloon cars of their time. The lowest point was when we delivered City Rovers to the showrooms, these things were breaking down as we loaded and delivered them, pull the bonnet cable to jump start yest another flat battery and the cable would come away in your hand, sticking the Union flag on the bootlid was pure hypocrisy. I used to deliver cylinder heads and blocks to Longbridge made at the foundry in Wellingborough in the 70s, and many years later picked up and delivered the finished products on transporters, i really liked the 75 but never owned one and probably never will. Again thankyou.

[@davidpeters6536]

A fantastically detailed documentary with most of the intrigue and double dealing through the 40+ years of the demise of the UK owned car industry. The story of the British Aeroplane industry is so similar I wonder if you could indulge us with a comparison that includes deeper scrutiny of the politics involved? Many thanks for all the hard work involved in this and your many other excellent videos.

[@NeoRambler]

I have really enjoyed this four part documentary about the British auto industry. Thank you very much for your time and effort making this series. I will be watching it time and time again! I am a massive fan of British cars (and am saving up to buy a MG ZT 260) but the industry they came from was a huge embarrassment for Britain. We are hopeless at running anything and everything, even with small exceptions notwithstanding. But, I am a proud British man because we did come up with some great cars, innovative technology and a lot of the global car industry copied us, albeit a lot better! Being consigned to the history books ain't a bad thing; we will all be in the end! 👍😊💜😅

[@johncunnane1582]

cheers Ruairidh

[@Dr-who]

Excellent work, I thoroughly enjoyed your fine documentary. You have every reason to be extremely proud of yourself.

[@chrisdavidson911]

the complete disinterest in consistent build quality and longevity during the entirety of this ensured it was the 1 thing the company remained consistently renowned for.

[@saddoncarrs6963]

MG Rover - known as "The English Patient" by BMW management. Still, car construction/assembly continues in the UK. Given the historically poor reputation of the quality of British cars, I find it strange that foreign manufacturers often market their cars as British. For example, Tata flog Jaguars and Landrovers as British products, VW flog Bentleys as British, PSA advertise Vauxhalls as "British brand since 1903" and BMW put union flag tail lights on their Minis. Beats me why that would sell cars - but you have to assume they know what they're doing.

[@Lando-kx6so]

MG does the same thing and sell tons & tons

[@saddoncarrs6963]

@@Lando-kx6so I don't think MG market their cars as British products.

[@emilyadams3228]

In Griffith, Indiana in 2011, I saw a Mini with a Union Jack painted on the top, and on both mirror housings. The lady who owned it said it was made that way.

[@justme-hh4vp]

They go on legacy and at the top end those marques still hold sway because the Royal family drive Range Rovers and Bond has whatever Aston Martin. They prey on foreign ignorance and actually, one thing the British are quite good at is marketting.

[@saddoncarrs6963]

@@justme-hh4vp The British don't own the companies, so it is not the British who are doing the marketing. What puzzles me, is that British products have historically held a pretty poor reputation and yet these German, Indian, French etc. manufacturers continue to use Britain as marketing tool.

[@truebluemiata]

What a wonderful piece of research. I loved seeing the old pictures and filmstrips. The question is, what percent of all the millions and millions of pounds that was poured into this company would have paid for a mass buyout of the excess workers, and subsequent closure of some plants? I'd wager it would have been doable, and if done early on and with a subsequent good business plan, we might still have a strong British automobile industry.

[@edshed6009]

Excellent stuff. A salutary lesson for all of UK Plc. Your one man documentary company produces higher quality and much more interesting programs than any of the big TV companies! When do you sleep?

[@TomCro73]

Superbly researched and produced, Ruairidh - excellent work! What a tragic closing note - the Longbridge workforce finally demonstrated that they'd always been capable of producing volume *and* quality when sufficiently motivated. If only they'd done that throughout history, the British motor industry would likely have remained among the world's foremost. But their reaction was to demand renationalization, so they could return to their old ways under taxpayer subsidy.... says it all. We can continue to thank Lady Thatcher for breaking the unions - her brilliant legacy lives on, daily.

[@LandersWorkshop]

Oh my sweet summer child...

[@6643bear]

Excellent video, am a keen Rover car buyer over the years R800 vitesse turbo and R420GSi , finding well built decent quality cars . I currently own Mg Zs180+ which is not well built like the Rover 400 cars . I also own Austin Maxi 1.7HL and Austin princess 2.0HLS 1981, I did also own before u bought early R800 vitesse an Austin Ambassador V-Plas was a comfortable car but lacking a 5 speed box . Regards mark

[@drstevenrey]

Upmarket, upmarket, upmarket. I can't hear it anymore. Ever since the last Rover P5 was built, Rovers direction was downmarket at various speeds.

[@stevem-h3562]

The only thing BMW wanted was Land Rover/Range Rover 4WD technology. Once they got hold of that, it was surprising how quickly the X3 and X5's appeared and how quickly BMW offloaded the dying carcass of the company.

[@R.-.]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to reverse engineer? i.e. Pay someone to take the vehicle apart, figure out how it works then write a tech spec for your own engineering team to develop from.

[@victortaveira8271]

BMW jumped to SUVs to save itself with some desperation. BMW X-drive was developed by Magna-Styer, that time was Magna-Styer-Puch. BMW wanted to create a mass producing brand underneath to gain money sustainably and avoid take-overs, but that vison didn't turnout

[@LandersWorkshop]

That very risky. You can end up getting into the dangerous waters of I.P / Patents / Copyrights being crossed and expensive court cases being launched against you. Ineos nearly fell into that trap when it made the Grenadier 4x4 (by Tata who own JLR now funnily enough)@@R.-.

[@AeroGuy07]

I really enjoyed this series, thank you!

[@tangerinedream7211]

My last company car before decamping from industry to teaching was in 1995, a Rover 418 turbodiesel, we had a choice of Rovers or Nissan's. Previously I'd had Sierra's, cavaliers, Escorts and Astra's, I liked the Rover design and interior more than a Primers, I was a bit sceptical about reliability, but in three years until I jumped ship it did 124,000 miles , just services, cam belt, tyres and wiper blades, absolutely unbelievable, most reliable cat I'd ever had.

[@KarlHamilton]

Been waiting for this 🎉

[@mickeydodds1]

Ruairidh, What about a video or two about the history and fate of the UK lorry, truck and bus industry? Leyland trucks, AEC, Albion, Scammel, Guy, Atkinson, ERF, Foden, Thornycroft and all the rest.

[@trevorcourt1403]

What a fantastic documentary

[@macjim]

The Rover 75 was an odd car… it had potential (and a potent model in the MG range too) but looked dated when it was released. The MG ZT & ZT-T got rave reviews when they came out but they showed how week the design language was as the interiors were visually okay but felt cheap and nasty. What was on the drawing board for replacing the dreadful toadstool on wheels (the Austin allegro) was a step in the right direction but then they went and got cold feet and released the Allegro… In essence, the Rover group deserved being raised to the group especially under Phoenix as it had become the bull too the matador… Even now, under Chinese ownership, what remains is the misnamed MG range where a sports car brand is selling family cars many of which, has struggled to gain a foothold due to the designs being too much aimed at the Chinese market which likes odd and quirky designs. Only now, are we seeing some worthy designs now in the form of the MG ZS, 4 and 5’s and the soon to be launched Cybester (probably misspelled the name) sports car. The 4 is an odd wedge shaped car but it gets rave reviews and is priced really well and is a capable car.

[@michaelturner4457]

The Rover 75 did realise its potential in China as the Roewe 550. I used to live in China, and did drive a Roewe 550 a few times as rental cars.

[@_Ben4810]

The Rover 55/R60 would have certainly pushed them in a better direction...It was alot sleeker, more aggressive & less pipe & slippers...

[@michaelturner4457]

I think the Rover 55/R60 development eventually became the Roewe 750.

[@somenobody8599]

Dad had an SV1 Vitesse. We lived rurally so the school run was basically a rally stage. God be with the days. This is a brilliant series, thank you.

[@hazeliadams1]

Really good series, thanks vm

[@mervwhitney7229]

Verry interesting series. Thank you

[@brendangarvin7787]

I'd love to see an alternative history of the British motor industry, where they made all the right decisions with regard to design, quality, marketing, industrial relations etc. What, if anything, could have saved it?

[@simonf8902]

not being made in Britain perhaps ?

[@street-level]

Perhaps William Morris (Lord Nuffield) properly rewarding the efforts of Leonard Lord in 1933, when Lord worked for him as managing director, rather than sending Lord into the arms of Herbert Austin, who by 1941 needed a successor. Please note that it was the Austin company which provided the design of engines used for BMC (since 1952). It was daft to leave Morris, Wolseley and Riley after 1959, as badge-engineered Austins, competing for the same customers, through separate dealerships. It was also daft, not to downsize, in the face of dwindling market share. The Morris plant at Cowley was always doomed, as ultimately was Longbridge.

[@Grichal1981]

Perhaps having competent managers who could account properly, and not make a loss on every Mini sold. Maybe properly integrating all the various bits which made up British Leyland after they were all merged in the late 60s. Maybe looking at adopting German style industrial relations where the unions were given a place on the company board. Maybe not trying to bodge the development of new models by doing everything on the cheap. Trying to run a volume car manufacturing operation on the cheap doesn't work, as this story demonstrates. All of these could have helped.

[@peekaboo1575]

@@simonf8902 You just poured salt in the wound, Simon.

[@_Ben4810]

That's simple...The alternate universe Rover Group would now be producing cars similar to those that Hyundai, Kia, Skoda & Seat currently make, with a specialist Austin of England EV division fully utilising all the years of experience & know how in cutting edge design EV vehicles that car buyers cannot get enough of. MG would still be producing both 2 & 4 seater sports cars & hot hatches, & following the successful re-purchase from Ford, Jaguar Land Rover continues to dazzle the world with their vehicles, known for their excellent reliability, build quality & high residual values...!

[@speedonz]

The conference centre and design centre have been derelict for quite a few years now. MG only use one small building there now.

[@subnormality5854]

Whole thing pisses me off - I'm not even British, but the fact that they could never fix their problems and fall entirely, is galling.