Pride of Longbridge – A Very British Celebration

Once we left the camera-infested M42 Motorway, we found ourselves travelling through some rather picturesque hamlets, with well-presented houses adorned with elegant linear finishing and perfect lawns. Perhaps houses once habited by former BMC workers, as we imagined visions of Austin Cambridges parked up the ample driveways. Even as we edged towards Longbridge, guided by the tree-lined avenues and wide roads, there was still a suggestion that it’s still comparatively rural and free of the bustle of the city centre.

It’s within this setting that we present you with a day out at a classic car show. The rural greenery, the damp ground and the potential promise of spring all set the ideal scene for a typical classic car show. However, this one is slightly different to the usual springtime classic car events and has a fascinating connection with the locality.

Longbridge of course was the home of one of the UK’s most productive car factories, producing 300,000 cars a year at its peak. A hub of productivity, bustling with life and commerce. But in April 2005, the factory fell silent, as Rover went into administration. With the upsetting news that 6,000 of the remaining workers would be made redundant, exactly 100 years of car and commercial vehicle production finally came to an end.

SIAC Motor, the company that now markets Chinese-built MG branded cars still retain a technical centre onsite, but much of the 400 acres where the plant once stood has since been redeveloped, now accommodating private commercial and residential buildings. Thanks to Longbridge’s historical importance in British manufacturing, the memory of 100 years of car production is celebrated every April with a free and rather impressive display of cars.

The event is titled The Pride of Longbridge and acts as the connection between the plant and those who celebrate modern MG/Rover products as well as vehicles with Riley, Austin, Morris, Rover Triumph and Vanden Plas badges or sports cars and commercials using the Longbridge-built family of engines. Thanks to the organisation of the Longbridge Federation (ALF) and more recently the Rover Community Action Trust (RCAT) the event has been created to recognise the historic importance of car building at Longbridge.

Walking along the picturesque Cofton Park, as dog walkers and joggers started their weekend, we head towards the base of the hill where the congregation of cars collected. The first thing we note is the dominance of post-2000 model years Rovers and MG’s, but not without reason. The first official get-together was held in 2006, a year after the closure of the Longbridge plant. Set at the same location amongst 135 acres of rolling fields and trees, the Pride of Longbridge event has grown in stature ever since.

We used the opportunity to walk around the cars, appreciating the value of preserving, as a tribute to both the owners who tirelessly keep their cars running and offer a little potted history on some of the cars of Longbridge.

One of the first cars to emerge from the factory was the Austin Seven. This 1929 example was one of the oldest cars seen at the event, and the Seven has been a staple of the British motoring landscape since then. The Seven has recently celebrated 100 years since its launch, and judging by the car’s continuous loyal following, still as popular as its ever been.

The spiritual successor of the Seven was the Mini, and indeed early Austin versions were badged as such. It’s never really a proper British Classic car show without a Mini and there were tens of dozens of examples to admire. They ranged from every era, style and body shape but it’s this 1962 Beach Car, complete with wicker seating that caught many people’s attention. Believed to be just one of around 15 Beach cars built, it’s also likely to be one of the most valuable Mini’s in the world.

Equally as evocative of the era, is the Austin/Nash Metropolitan. Assembled in Longbridge using existing Austin running gear, it was exported to North America badged as a Nash, to be sold as a second car in a two-car family. Over 100,000 cars were made over 7 years, with 90% of those ending up in the States, at the time making the Metropolitan the second biggest import into the US after the VW Beetle. Sold as both a convertible and the more popular coupe, it was a financially successful venture. It seems a shame that this Anglo-US connection was not encouraged.

Niche models like the Metropolitan were ideal for attracting attention, but the core of Longbridge’s output was dominated by the bread-and-butter cars. Worthy and robust, the Farina saloons, offered steady work-man-like abilities for those who valued dependable engineering. This 1966 Austin Cambridge had been in the hands of the same family for its first 34 years and then retained by its second family ever since then. The current owner has inherited it from his father and it is still being used for beach trips and day outs.

This unique and lovely period piece was brought over by its owner Sharon. Having attended the event in her Metro pick-up last year, she caused a sensation this year in this roof-chop Cambridge. It had been converted several years ago, and it’s in the middle of a renovation, as she pointed out the car is yet to be fitted with side windows! There were some lovely little details, including a little pair of ‘Manneken Pis’ acting appropriately as windscreen washers…

The ADO16, an in-house code designation for the BMC 1100/1300 represents the peak of the Longbridge success, and it consistently topped the UK sales charts. When introduced in 1962 it retained its best-seller status for 8 of its 11 years of production. Perfectly suited for 1960’s urban travel, the FWD Pininfarina-designed car, was sold under six different marques over its lifetime.

The Wolseley version was launched in 1965, catering for the higher end of the market, recognisable by its exterior decoration and Wolseley grille. MG, Vanden Plas and Riley versions were also available, to complement the more common Austin and Morris versions. It also saw assembly in 13 other countries, which symbolised the global reach BMC had at the time. Italians build their own version badged as an Innocenti, with South Africa and Spain producing three-box versions specifically for their own respective markets.

The transverse engine philosophy, thanks to its success in the Mini and ADO16 gave impetus for further developments based on the FWD theme. Applying the layout to larger cars certainly had its benefits, as valuable cabin space wouldn’t be burdened by a transmission tunnel and the engine eating up into the passenger area. The BMC 1800/2200 series, often known as the Landcrab, due to its low and wide stance, was not only space efficient but also offered excellent visibility, sophisticated suspension and an exceptionally strong body shell. Those attributes were particularly appreciated when used in various competitions as an endurance rally car.

The final development of the 1960s FWD Transverse engined cars came in the form of the versatile Austin Maxi. The first car from the renamed British Leyland brand was sold with 5 doors and the novelty of seats that could lay flat to form a sleeping area. Notable as the first British hatchback car, its use of a fifth gear also gave the car plenty of cruising appeal. While actually a Cowley-built car, the engine was very much sourced from the Longbridge factory. A trendsetter in many ways, the Austin Maxi’s lack of development symbolised the heart of the problem that ruined some potentially good products.

The last of the ADO16 series of cars left the production line in 1973, to be replaced by the much-maligned Austin Allegro. When first launched, the styling wasn’t the issue, it looked modern, and it was comfortable and handled well. Its roomy interior and wide range of engines was expected to carry on the best-selling legacy of its predecessor. However, the financial issues that were troubling the company had devastating effects on its reputation. Despite this, it maintained credible sales throughout the 1970s.

Like its predecessor, the Allegro still maintained an Italian connection and was also made under license for the Italian market as the Innocenti Regent. While its short 18-month product run suggests that the car was not a runaway success, the company persevered with BL products and found considerably more joy in its successful Mini 90/120 model. Similar in many respects to the British-built version, even down to the quartic steering wheel, the Italian version used a revised wring system.

Building on the capacious interior space of the Landcrab, the Princess was initially badged as an Austin, Morris as well as Wolseley, with only trim levels to separate the marques. As the parent company reined in the practice of badge engineering, the Austin version remained the core model but was only referred to as the Leyland Princess. A design that remained true to Harris Manns original sketches, the car was another BL product that came to symbolise the negative aspects of the company, mainly through lack of investment along with relentless strike action.

The late 70s was a torrid time for British Leyland, plans for new models were continuously delayed, meaning that BL had to make do with using existing tooling to spruce up a generation of ageing models. Two examples of this were illustrated by the Morris Ital and Austin Ambassador. Both using the Morris Marina and Princess models respectively, mild improvements, such as a much-needed 5th door on the Ambassador and a cleaner look for the Ital, did little to encourage new buyers to the showroom and it was clear that something drastic needed to be done.

BL was often in the press for the wrong reasons, so any mention of good news offered hope for the survival of the brand into the 80s. A Mini replacement was imminent for 1980, but it’s the collaboration with Honda that provided a far more fruitful and encouraging prospect for the future. The Triumph Acclaim was launched at the 1981 Motorcar at Earls Court, with the car remaining under wraps until unveiled. To many observers, it wasn’t a particularly well-kept secret as the car was recognisable as a Honda Civic with a boot, but the significance of the Acclaim and future Honda-sourced cars became vital for the success and survival of the company.

After several decades of development, the Mini Metro finally broke ground in 1980. The Metro heralded a genuine optimistic prospect for the company and soon became the best-selling BL car of the era. Heavily reliant on the Mini for its existing mechanics and engines, the Metro soon branched out into further trim levels. The most notable was the MG badged version of the car, released 18 months after the demise of the original brand, it really wasn’t much more than a marketing gimmick on a visually improved Metro but the later Turbo versions followed which at least gave the MG name some substance.

The revised version of the Metro was rolled out in 1990 and became known as the Rover Metro following another significant rebrand by its new owners British Aerospace. The big news was the deployment of a new series of engines; the celebrated K-Series blocks. Along with a series of PSA diesel engines and a revised hydrogen suspension, helped by the improvement in build quality did much to elevate the car as a genuine contender in the early 90s Supermini market.

The final incarnation finally saw the removal of the Metro badge and post-1994 cars were sold as the Rover 100, however, its body shell was a thinly disguised update of the 1980 original and its deficiencies were clear to see. The Metro saw an impressive 18 years of production, notable for its ability to capture the budget end of the Supermini sector, but it was rather long in the tooth by the time the last one left the production line in 1998.

The replacement for the Allegro finally arrived in 1983, another car that should have seen the light of day much earlier. An innovative design characterised by its low waistline and glassy area, the Austin Maestro dispensed of the Hydragas suspension and made the headlines by its use of solid-state instrumentation, which included a voice synthesis warning and information system. Its impressive interior room and comfort, which was a hallmark of previous BL cars, were considerably more deserving of acclaim.

Keen to capitalise on the resurrected MG branding, the Maestro (and later the Montego) was finished in a body kit to provide a little excitement in a brand that no longer produced sports cars. Initial models used mildly uprated fuel-injected engines and adapted running gear that helped to raise the presence of the model in a competitive market but it was the Turbocharged versions that were poised to elevate the Maestro into new territory. The chassis coped with the hike in power, and despite it being faster than most of its rivals, sales were not as forthcoming as hoped.

While the Maestro took care of the 5-door family car sector, the market for a small upmarket saloon with economical engines was still very much in demand, and this is where the Japanese liaison with Honda proved to be particularly useful. Using the Civic-based platforms as an ample starting point, the Rover 200 picked up after the Triumph Acclaim and demonstrated further improvements in quality and reliability.

The true measure of the Honda-Rover collaboration, however, can be measured in the 1989 R8 Rover. Created to replace the Maestro, the Rover 200/400 series models spawned several unique models that were never available as a Honda. Taking advantage of the newly privatised and renamed Rover Group, the reception for the new mid-sized family cars was positive, and soon took over the Metro as the brand’s best-selling car.

The R8 had served its time with dignity and was one of the few Rover cars that didn’t overstay its welcome, although the ‘Bobcat’ Coupe, Cabriolet and Tourer versions were retained for a few years after the demise of the hatchback models in 1994. The new R3 200/400 series were supposed to replace the Metro to compete in the Supermini sector but were priced in alignment with the GM Astra and Ford Escort. Despite this, initial sales were strong.

The 1999 facelift version of the 200/400 models was now badged as the 25 and its revised pricing was far more competitive. The 400 series models, now badged as the 45 which were the bigger variants of the 200, catered for those looking for a few additional touches of luxury. By this stage, Rover had been sold by its parent company BMW to Phoenix Consortium, which resulted in a brief boost in sales in 2000.

Relying on the heritage of the brand, the MG name was rolled out again for sporting variants of the 25, 45 and 75, which was to become the now-ailing Rover brand’s last gasp at staying in the public eye. Strangled by a chronic lack of investment, several niche models including the Streetwise and a van version of the 25 called the Rover Commerce.

As the production of the Austin-developed Montego wound down, its replacement lent heavily on the proven Honda-Rover collaboration, this time using the larger Accord as a base. While the R8 excelled and helped level up the fortunes of Rover, the 600 didn’t quite capture the public buyer’s imagination in the same way. Only sold in one body shell, a 4-door saloon, it still combined the favourable combination of British luxury and quality Japanese engineering. UK Sales never exceeded 25,000 units a year, roughly on par with the Derbyshire-built Toyota Carina.

The final incarnation of the Longbridge Rovers was a product of the development between Rover and their new owner BMW. Following the take-over of the brand by the German giant in 1994, the new injection of cash resulted in a completely new car with very little shared with previous Rover badged cars but was developed with minimal interference from BMW. Sold in both sedan and touring form, further developments including a V8 installation weren’t enough to guide the Rover name to safer waters. Those who did take the trouble to invest in the 75, were rewarded with a safe, quick and well-made car and a genuine match for its German rivals.

A curious but valuable contribution to the final stage of the British MG brand arrived in the form of the MG XPower SV in 2002. An Italian-built car based on the Qvale Mangusta, its final assembly was finished at Longbridge. Styled by Peter Stevens, the purposeful series of sports cars were priced from £65,000. Clearly created as a halo model on the 11th hour of the brand’s demise, perhaps its intention was to be considered a last hurrah for the MG name.

The very last car to be produced at the reduced Longbridge plant is actually a product of SAIC Motor. In partially knock-down form, the MG6 was produced in small numbers in 2011. It is a distant relation to the Rover 75, having shared a modified form of the older cars platform. Dropped due to poor sales in the UK in 2016, the car is still in production in China.

The day acts as a social get-together, of local people with memories of Longbridge, but also an opportunity for like-minded owners to get together. Travellers from as far away as Slovenia and Germany were in attendance for this one-day show. All of which ensures that the Longbridge heritage is never forgotten, the day is not so much a lament of the turbulent past but a celebration of the British car industry.

The story of Longbridge is fascinating, with numerous take-overs, rebranding and later attempts to save the company. Several brands like Mini, MG, Jaguar and Land Rover were allowed to be saved, and can still maintain their status as British-made cars. There is certainly value in the Rover brand, but given its dramatic demise and the fact that Ford now owns the name, a return to Longbridge doesn’t seem likely. But we’ll always have the Pride of Longbridge, thanks to legions of dedicated owners and clubs.