Thread: Rims
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Old 01-28-2018, 10:28 AM   #1837
Carruthers
Junior Master Dwellar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Buckinghamshire UK
Posts: 4,059
Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce View Post
The British car industry...
Heavens! That's a blast from the past.

The British car industry has changed beyond all recognition over the last few decades.
Most of the familiar names from that era have disappeared through mergers, bankruptcies or 'rationalisation'.
The latter often being a euphemism for hostile takeover, asset stripping and removal of competition.

Cars are still produced in sizeable numbers in the UK but there isn't really any such thing as a British car manufacturer anymore.

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Morgan is the only British owned and manufactured brand in the above group and Rolls Royce (ROLLS ROYCE!) is owned by BMW.

Ten British Car Brands… and Who Owns Them

Honda, Toyota and Nissan also have UK plants and export substantial numbers of cars.


ETA. Having watched the video it jogged my memory about the British Leyland plant at Cowley on the outskirts of Oxford.

Pressed Steel manufactured body shells in their factory on one side of the Oxford Eastern Bypass which were then moved across the road to BMC/BL for final assembly by means of a glass sided conveyor bridge.

I haven't passed that way in years so I thought I'd have a look at Street View.

The conveyor bridge has long since gone but BMW now produce the Mini on the old Pressed Steel site and a business park exists on the former BMC/BL site.

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The Oxford Eastern Bypass with an Audi dealer on one side and the BMW Mini plant on the other. How times change.

Street View

One last edit. Rolls Royce cars and Rolls Royce Aero Engines are completely separate entities.
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