Through Rose tinted glasses.
- Thread starter t-tony
- Start date
I'm surprised that UK actually built any cars at all back in those days. My dad spent more time out on strike than he did in work. And then they wonder why the world stopped buying british.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2014
- Points
- 174
- Model of Z
- 2.2i Sport
If my job had involved building Allagros I'd probably have been a tad militant too.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2018
- Points
- 139
- Location
- Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
- Model of Z
- Z4 E89 20i sdrive roadster
Sad though . . . Growing up in South Africa, my first car was a 15 year old 1966 Rover 2000 with 45,000 miles on the clock. It was mint like it came off the showroom floor, but boy did that car have 'foibles'. And did I get stick for being a Pommy with an unreliable pommy car - why don't you buy something decent like a Toyota, it'll never break. There was no answer to that really . . .
The irony is that we make more cars in this Country now than we ever did. Just that the profits all go to the Japanese.
I don't blame poor business plans, poor workmanship, poor management and certainly not poor engineering (in the 1970s we were still leaders in that, and there is an argument for saying we still are). Down to the unions and, as a consequence, lack of investment in R&D IMHO.
Cars in this Country, until the 1990s, were being made with virtually no development to try and make a quick buck to pay for the Unions' ridiculous demands for 'their members'. The unions ultimately won and 'their members' all lost their jobs. Then our car industry was no more, until the Japs saw an opportunity to use the considerable skills and knowledge they all had.
I don't blame poor business plans, poor workmanship, poor management and certainly not poor engineering (in the 1970s we were still leaders in that, and there is an argument for saying we still are). Down to the unions and, as a consequence, lack of investment in R&D IMHO.
Cars in this Country, until the 1990s, were being made with virtually no development to try and make a quick buck to pay for the Unions' ridiculous demands for 'their members'. The unions ultimately won and 'their members' all lost their jobs. Then our car industry was no more, until the Japs saw an opportunity to use the considerable skills and knowledge they all had.
I remember in the 70s when I was a young lad and my dad was teaching me how to fish.
"when the float goes down strike like British leyland" he would say
Saying that he would insist on a orange Morris Mariner estate from new.
On the way home from buying it the wheel fell off!
"when the float goes down strike like British leyland" he would say
Saying that he would insist on a orange Morris Mariner estate from new.
On the way home from buying it the wheel fell off!
Well I had a brand new Ford Sierra in 1988 (built in Genk I believe). I was driving along the M40 and the carburettor fell off. Luckily it stayed in the engine bay and I had tools in the car, so screwed it back on (tight). Never had an issue with it after that.
