Great pics of Longbridge as it is today

[williamp]

There's huge arguments about who/waht killed MG Rover on this forum and others (AROnline is another good one).

Its interesting tk talk about selling out of date cars. The Audi A4 of the time was first sold in 1994, and stopped in 2001 after one facelift. Its replacement, went on unitl 2006.

VW Golf 1997-2004 in Mk4 guise, with no updates and the "hot" GTi version not at all.

Rover 200/25: 1995-2005, one major facelift, a very sporting version with thr MG badge.

I dont think they were bad cars (certainly top gear thought they were decent, and I remember them saying the press had been cordering on cruel about the "fields full of unsold cars"), but the brand was dead by then, the management knowlingly asset stripped them (BMW then the phoenix) and the imcompetence of the labour government at the time didnt help either. Why did Patricia Hewitt announce that they were insolvent? What has a privately owned business got to do with her? And the God-awful Stephen Byers

But then again, I didnt buy one. I could of, but didnt... Shame

[MarshPhantom]

They had nothing to replace those models though. That was the problem.

[ChocolateFrog]

Rightly or wrongly (likely the latter) I used to get the impression that Longbridge was full of guys that were basically impossible to sack due to the unions but did very little.

It would have been interesting to compare Nissan's Sunderland plant to Longbridge if nothing else than to put aside my prejudice.

[DegsyE39]

Howard- said:

I think you need to learn to read

Edited by Howard- on Thursday 29th September 07:40

I think you need to read DoubleD's comment , f1nn changed it quite clearly.

[AH33]

Good pictures, always love a bit of urban exploration.

[MitchT]

I've said said elsewhere on here and I'll say it again. BMW could have done with the MG brand what they did with the Mini brand - Revived an old British icon and has a new, small, two-seat MG sports car to sell alongside the new Mini. Can't help thinking they missed a trick there.

[Jimmy Recard]

ChocolateFrog said:

Rightly or wrongly (likely the latter) I used to get the impression that Longbridge was full of guys that were basically impossible to sack due to the unions but did very little.

It would have been interesting to compare Nissan's Sunderland plant to Longbridge if nothing else than to put aside my prejudice.

From the many I know who worked there, that's how it was.

I was always a fan of Rover's cars, but there were more problems than just 'the management'

[Howard-]

DegsyE39 said:

I think you need to read DoubleD's comment , f1nn changed it quite clearly.

This was only made clear after I commented

[SonicShadow]

Another...

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/rover-mg-longbridge-d...

Wide arch TF?

[DegsyE39]

Howard- said:

DegsyE39 said:

I think you need to read DoubleD's comment , f1nn changed it quite clearly.

This was only made clear after I commented

Not to worry then old bean

[SystemParanoia]

MitchT said:

I've said said elsewhere on here and I'll say it again. BMW could have done with the MG brand what they did with the Mini brand - Revived an old British icon and has a new, small, two-seat MG sports car to sell alongside the new Mini. Can't help thinking they missed a trick there.

And then they would have had a militant, unionised and unreasonable workforce to deal with.
lots of legacy issues better left to anyone else.

the workforce only really have themselves to blame, as much as the incompetent management.

( fan of MG/Rover )

[MarshPhantom]

MitchT said:

I've said said elsewhere on here and I'll say it again. BMW could have done with the MG brand what they did with the Mini brand - Revived an old British icon and has a new, small, two-seat MG sports car to sell alongside the new Mini. Can't help thinking they missed a trick there.

There's only a small market for stuff like that. It's taken nearly 30 years for Mazda to sell 1m MX5's.

[buggalugs]

Evolved said:

Jimmy Recard said:

Evolved said:

Ghostly, can't believe there are still full shells on the line!

There aren't now. There's bugger all left there. A few MG SAIC buildings, some car parks and a shopping centre. The rest is just flattened ground

ETA: Romantically, I want to believe that's still there. I just don't know howit can be. Why would it be? And if you go past the site, where would this be? You can see most of it from the road.

And why would it be so well preserved? If St Modwen or SAIC weren't interested in what's there, surely it would be sold or scrapped? If neither were possible, why maintain it by keeping the lights running?

Edited by Jimmy Recard on Wednesday 28th September 22:55

Oh well that's pissed on my fire

I actually thought those were current day pictures, didn't read the thread they were on tbf and just flicked through the images. Well that's ruined my day!

The thread on 28dl is titled Sep 16, which would generally mean that the explore was this month.

[f1nn]

DegsyE39 said:

f1nn said:

Difference being of course, is that shed loads of people want to buy/rent/lease Audi A3's.

I think that has an awful lot to do with marketing and perceived quality tbf.

note ''perceived''.

I don't doubt it at all, but I think that is the point people often miss when MG/Rover threads are posted.

A lot of the car buying/leasing public want an "aspirational" car, just look at the popularity of BMW, Mercs, Audi etc, and the various funding options make it easier than ever, and let's be honest most people don't care if the car is any good as long as the badge is right. It just so happens that by and large, the examples I've listed above make some cracking cars.

So a badge that no one wants, coupled with a cars that were not receiving the development they needed after Honda as a technical partner exited stage left, married to the lack of development of new models, to be sold in a market that was changing rapidly, based at a production facility that was light years behind even UK based production facilities...I can't really see any other result.

No doubt people will say that the the ZR or the 75 or whatever was a good car and better than BMW's whatever, and they may have been, but that doesn't really matter to todays buyer.

Okay, MG rebadge some st box at the minute and despite there being a dealer about 5 miles away I hardly ever see any of them, why is that? If enough people were passionate about the brand they would be far more popular surely?

Cue the "it's not a real MG though so doesn't count" Hmm, hasn't stopped the MINI or modern FIAT 500 has it, you can't move for those things. Infact, my wife has a 500 and it's pretty crap. Doesn't matter to most of the people who buy them.

[DegsyE39]

f1nn said:

I don't doubt it at all, but I think that is the point people often miss when MG/Rover threads are posted.

A lot of the car buying/leasing public want an "aspirational" car, just look at the popularity of BMW, Mercs, Audi etc, and the various funding options make it easier than ever, and let's be honest most people don't care if the car is any good as long as the badge is right. It just so happens that by and large, the examples I've listed above make some cracking cars.

So a badge that no one wants, coupled with a cars that were not receiving the development they needed after Honda as a technical partner exited stage left, married to the lack of development of new models, to be sold in a market that was changing rapidly, based at a production facility that was light years behind even UK based production facilities...I can't really see any other result.

No doubt people will say that the the ZR or the 75 or whatever was a good car and better than BMW's whatever, and they may have been, but that doesn't really matter to todays buyer.

Okay, MG rebadge some st box at the minute and despite there being a dealer about 5 miles away I hardly ever see any of them, why is that? If enough people were passionate about the brand they would be far more popular surely?

Cue the "it's not a real MG though so doesn't count" Hmm, hasn't stopped the MINI or modern FIAT 500 has it, you can't move for those things. Infact, my wife has a 500 and it's pretty crap. Doesn't matter to most of the people who buy them.

I just find slight irony in the hate mgr products seem to conjure up.

I sat in a nissan juke for a bit sunday night (ste tinder date) and god it was like something out of hellraiser..

It was just unusable knees in the dash no space crap seats gopping styling, An utter utter turd.
Yet they cant sell enough of them and they are TERRIBLE cars.These useless rear doors the size of a microwave door.

I'd rate a rusty 25 over that it was that bad. But as you say and i do agree its ''aspiration'' innit.

Funny about the VAG Quality my old lade had an a4 1.8t that went through two engines and a gearbox under warranty, Its still an utter heap.

[f1nn]

I think you may be mis understanding me a little perhaps, I've not got anything against Rovers/MG's. I drove a few in the late 90's early 2000's and they were fine.

Edited to add: from a driving perspective at least, I can't comment on reliability as they were either hire/loan cars etc.

Edited by f1nn on Thursday 29th September 15:03

[DegsyE39]

At the end of the day you cant deny there was some talent at longbridge ive driven all sorts over the years but the chassis of the ZR sticks in my mind as an absolute cracker.

Why would plato say that the zs was the best fwd chassis he'd driven if it was ste? Look at jag pre-ford where they any better than rover? No not in the slightest but under tata with some new direction they are doing rather well indeed.

Im not claiming to be a rover fanboy ive got e39 in my username FGS but i just think with the right help MGR Could of done a jag and turned it around.

[DegsyE39]

DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.

Granted it seems like your hate is justified.

My dad has an irrational hatred for audi after he spent 32k on a car for my old lade and the 4 ringed turd thanked him by stting itself under warranty so badly it needed 15 grands worth of repairs.

It eats coilpacks as consumables, drinks oil its a terrible car and it has been since 2003.

I do beleive in taking as i find

[f1nn]

DegsyE39 said:

At the end of the day you cant deny there was some talent at longbridge ive driven all sorts over the years but the chassis of the ZR sticks in my mind as an absolute cracker.

Why would plato say that the zs was the best fwd chassis he'd driven if it was ste? Look at jag pre-ford where they any better than rover? No not in the slightest but under tata with some new direction they are doing rather well indeed.

Im not claiming to be a rover fanboy ive got e39 in my username FGS but i just think with the right help MGR Could of done a jag and turned it around.

I don't think anyone is saying that there were not talented people at Longbridge, just that they ended up working for a unviable business screwing ever more elaborate plastic trims and coloured leather to outdated designs with no signs of adequate investment to properly develop new models.

[eliot]

DegsyE39 said:

Im not claiming to be a rover fanboy ive got e39 in my username FGS but i just think with the right help MGR Could of done a jag and turned it around.

How do you deal with the unsackable union types ?