Impromptu BL line up
Discussion
I absolutely love the cars in this thread. I am slightly saddened though, it reminds me that the motor industry in this country used to produce some amazing vehicles, which should have been true world beaters. Unfortunately they seem to have been plagued by a lack of investment, unwillingness of workforce to build them properly and from thereon a bad reputation. If these cars had (or at least the production of them) had lived up to their full potential , I can't help thinking that we would still have a British (owned) Motor industry.
Anyway, enough moaning about the good old days, it's great to see these beautiful old classics being kept going and enjoyed.
Anyway, enough moaning about the good old days, it's great to see these beautiful old classics being kept going and enjoyed.
The idea of the unwilling workforce is, I suggest, somewhat inaccurate. Bad leadership by both management and unions contributed to the problems. One of the biggest issues was the British commercial disease of dividends - the obsession with short term gain instead of long term investment and steady returns. British banking has also tended to take the short term view.
Breadvan72 said:
The idea of the unwilling workforce is, I suggest, somewhat inaccurate. Bad leadership by both management and unions contributed to the problems. One of the biggest issues was the British commercial disease of dividends - the obsession with short term gain instead of long term investment and steady returns. British banking has also tended to take the short term view.
^^^This is bang on^^^All bolstered by the fact that the union leaders knew that very few of their members would want to step out of line and go against their workmates, afterall, nobody likes a scab. During that same period my Dad worked for an export firm down at Watford Gap, packing up British vehicles (including some BL specials) for far flung Middle Eastern destinations, the union bods at his place used to drive him up the wall, all he wanted to do was earn a crust and many's the time he'd come home looking utterly fed up with it all. (Completely off topic, but a couple of weeks ago he told me that one of his tasks back then was to crate up one of the Bond DB5s to be sent to Jamaica, presumably to Ian Fleming's gaff).
It is not very well known that when BL sacked Red Robbo the workforce voted against going on strike to secure his reinstatement. They wanted to sit down and do deals with the new management regime under Michael Edwardes. Deal were done, cars were made, including some quite good ones in teh 1980s. One of Edwardes' main complaints was that the Thatcher Government interfered far too much in the running of BL. Then, as now, whitehall Ministers were trying to micro-manage things that they should have left alone.
Later on, one of the tragedies of the badly run Rover Group that emerged from what was BL was that on the day that rover went bust it was the top selling manufacturer in the UK.
Later on, one of the tragedies of the badly run Rover Group that emerged from what was BL was that on the day that rover went bust it was the top selling manufacturer in the UK.
Breadvan72 said:
Later on, one of the tragedies of the badly run Rover Group that emerged from what was BL was that on the day that rover went bust it was the top selling manufacturer in the UK.
It's tragic that when BMW bought Rover in 1994, they didn't immediately put their top bods in, fire a raft of managers and implement a 'softly softly with a big stick' policy. It worked for Nissan. Rover could be with us today with Triumph and MG offshoots selling 1 or 2 million cars a year. Oh well.
Stone me, the XJS looks very 'swish' from that angle. There were a couple of tasty looking early examples at the NEC Classic Show just before Christmas, my pal and I couldn't take our eyes off 'em.... Kent alloys, bold '70s colours, non-wood infested interiors, much closer to mid period S2 XJs than anything else, lovely. All yours needs is a long tunnel with flourescent lighting bouncing off the windscreen, accompanied by a slice of mid '70s Pink Floyd.
Older Beemers are starting to look agreeable to my somewhat biased eyes now, chap round the corner has a mint early 635 in dark blue which hits the right spot. I don't need another shed (I'm trying to consolidate my current fleet so I can bag a nice Maser QPV at present) but '80s BMWs are quite tempting nonetheless.
Older Beemers are starting to look agreeable to my somewhat biased eyes now, chap round the corner has a mint early 635 in dark blue which hits the right spot. I don't need another shed (I'm trying to consolidate my current fleet so I can bag a nice Maser QPV at present) but '80s BMWs are quite tempting nonetheless.
t! The heap went off to Dorking today for new arches etc.
As for old Beemers, I remember when you could get a 1970s 3.0 CSi for Jack. Look at them now! So, maybe a sound plan to snap up any good 635 CSi, E30 325i or 318iS etc that you can get hold of. The E34 is still in banger territory - mine is a 525i SE that cost me a grand last October.
This might be a nice cheap addition to the fleet if you have a chap to do some work.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
It's the car, not the van!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
It's the car, not the van!
Breadvan72 said:
As for old Beemers, I remember when you could get a 1970s 3.0 CSi for Jack. Look at them now! So, maybe a sound plan to snap up any good 635 CSi, E30 325i or 318iS etc that you can get hold of. The E34 is still in banger territory - mine is a 525i SE that cost me a grand last October.
I think I mentioned this when posting pics of the XJ elsewhere, but the chap who fettled it for me last year has a pair of 3.0 CSis which he bought a few years ago, both are in bits awaiting full restos, worth around $50k. Madness isn't it? He also has a Mk2 RS2000 gathering dust, a pair of XJCs (one is a Daimler V12 variant) and a very low mileage S3 Daimler Double Six which looked brand new when I saw it in his workshop. Your XJS doesn't look its age one bit in those photos! My pal who owns the green 2600 SD1 used to work at the Jag from '86 to '92, his last job on the line was fitting the dash into XJSs, if you ever have occasion to remove yours you might find a rude message / drawing, or possibly a rolled up porn pamphlet stuffed behind it.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
This might be a nice cheap addition to the fleet if you have a chap to do some work.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
It's the car, not the van!
Gorgeous - I was hoping to bag a S1 before I eventually settled on my S2. Dodgy choke unit the ad says, I wonder if it starts first time, mine used to but won't at present! Looks like a genuine bargain if it's not hiding anything nasty below decks. http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
It's the car, not the van!
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff