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Thursday, 16 March, 2000, 16:35 GMT

Longbridge classics in pictures

Long before BMW bosses set foot in the West Midlands, Britain had a car industry that was all its own.

Longbridge, the Rover plant that, on Thursday, was sold to a firm of venture capitalists called Alchemy, played a pivotal role in that history.

Since it opened in 1905, under the direction of Herbert Austin, many classic models have rolled off its production lines.

Patriotic principle

The plant's heyday was arguably 1939-1960, when Austin held a steel-like grip on the UK market and car ownership was a point of patriotism.

Other old Longbridge models
The Hampshire (1948-51)
The Atlantic (1948-53)
The Riley (1957-65)
The Lancer (1957-1959)
The Ital (1982 to late 80s)

That urge to be identified with Britain was reflected in the naming of the cars. The Devon, the Somerset, the Hereford, the Cambridge and the Westminster were all models that bore the Austin badge.

The 1960s was the decade of the Mini, the revolutionary front-wheel drive car that captured the vibe of Swinging London and won legions of devotees around the world.

But by the 1970s, things had begun to turn sour. Longbridge, by then in the hands of British Leyland, had become a byword for union militancy and restrictive work practices.

Yet many of the cars turned out in those troubled times are remembered with fawning enthusiasm today.

Related to this story:
BMW splits up Rover (16 Mar 00 | Business)
The Rover breakdown (15 Mar 00 | Business)
Rover's troubles (15 Mar 00 | Business)
Rover's options (15 Mar 00 | Business)

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