RE: Can Riley revive MG and TVR?
Tuesday 13th March 2007
MGTF - will we see it revived?William Riley, from the Riley automotive dynasty, has plans to revive a sizeable chunk of the indigenous British car industry -- including TVR and MG. If it all happens, the cars will be made in a new factory in Blackpool.
Can Riley revive MG and TVR?
Ambitious plans emerge from Blackpool
MGTF - will we see it revived?
According to local paper Blackpool Today, Riley's been offered a plot of land at Bispham Technology Park, where he plans:
- To buy the MG Sports and Racing brand that went under along with the rest of the Rover Group
- To build one half of a twinned manufacturing facility, the other half being in the USA
- To build high performance MGs and some handbuilt Rileys
- To make some 1,800 cars annually
The report reckoned that talks started last week, although they're still at a very early stage. Riley does though have the right automotive industry experience and has asked the council to draw up a contract. Apparently, he's also in negotiations with receiver Pricewaterhousecoopers to buy the MG brand; he bought the Riley brand back in 1999.
If it all happens, he'll be building cars selling for around £60,000, mostly by hand. He plans to make the MG X-Power SV and a MG X-Power roadster and coupé. They'll be based on Italian designs and chassis but finished "with British styling and heritage", according to the report.
Riley currently runs Cranhills International Consultants Ltd, based in Worcestershire.
We wish him luck.
Discussion
snorky said:
and this has what? to do with TVR
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=365695&f=13&h=0
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
The Hypno-Toad said:
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
Thank you for your contribution Mr glass-half-empty ;-)
Riley DID mean cutting edge technology, smart design and ultimate performance... Ok, so that was back in the 1930's but I didn't hear anyone successfully complain about VW riding off the Bugatti name decades after it stopped being relevant.
Not everyone wants to buy German (I certainly don't) and there is a noticeable gap in the market for British sports cars since MG and TVR went to the wall. If they guy thinks he can do it, let him have a crack. This country is best at entrepeneurship.
Oh and its spelt "heritage" by the way.
JJ
Edited by jazzyjeff on Tuesday 13th March 11:09
Edited by jazzyjeff on Tuesday 13th March 11:10
jazzyjeff said:
The Hypno-Toad said:
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
Thanks very much, needed a good laugh.
Yeah right, Riley, theres a name to install you with confidence, to make you think cutting edge technology, smart design, ultimate performance, Riley.....
These people need to realise that there are too many cars chasing too few people. Anybody who wants a car with 'heritige' will have now bought either an old MG or another brand. The people who bought the F have now moved onto better things (TTs, Porsches.) and the market is no longer there.
Just another dreamer....
Thank you for your contribution Mr glass-half-empty ;-)
Riley DID mean cutting edge technology, smart design and ultimate performance... Ok, so that was back in the 1930's but I didn't hear anyone successfully complain about VW riding off the Bugatti name decades after it stopped being relevant.
Not everyone wants to buy German (I certainly don't) and there is a noticeable gap in the market for British sports cars since MG and TVR went to the wall. If they guy thinks he can do it, let him have a crack. This country is best at entrepeneurship.
Oh and its spelt "heritage" by the way.
JJ
Edited by jazzyjeff on Tuesday 13th March 11:09
Edited by jazzyjeff on Tuesday 13th March 11:10
I suspect that most people remember Riley as just a dull company that took someone elses car and stuck a crude lump of chrome on the front to try and make it look like a Rolls to myopic retards.
There certainly spent the last decade of their life attempting to polish turds.
Actually, that probably makes them the perfect candidate to resurect a car that was complete rubbish when it was new ten years ago.
Edited by Horse_Apple on Tuesday 13th March 11:21
No this country isn't;
In case you hadn't noticed there is now no longer a BRITISH motor industry. Every car manufacturer in the UK is owned by foreign investors. So I guess that means we are the best at running companies, which in my book is a pretty good definition of being an entrepenurer. No company has a right to exist just because people look back at what they did in the past through rose tinted glasses. Of course not everyone wants to buy German, thats why the new Mini has been such a flop, BMW are closing showrooms and Audi can't sell any cars. We live a captialist, fast moving economy. If people don't want to buy something, then they will look on the internet and go and buy something else. This isn't the seventies, people now have high expectations with regard to product quality and percieved image.
The problem is (as I have just said.) that there are too many cars chasing too few people. For the motor industry to survive it needs to start losing brands, not giving life support to brands that the majority of consumers don't want anymore. Manufacturers need to start cutting down on models and brands and just start concentrating on the cars that they are good at.
Warning! the above post contains irony....
In case you hadn't noticed there is now no longer a BRITISH motor industry. Every car manufacturer in the UK is owned by foreign investors. So I guess that means we are the best at running companies, which in my book is a pretty good definition of being an entrepenurer. No company has a right to exist just because people look back at what they did in the past through rose tinted glasses. Of course not everyone wants to buy German, thats why the new Mini has been such a flop, BMW are closing showrooms and Audi can't sell any cars. We live a captialist, fast moving economy. If people don't want to buy something, then they will look on the internet and go and buy something else. This isn't the seventies, people now have high expectations with regard to product quality and percieved image.
The problem is (as I have just said.) that there are too many cars chasing too few people. For the motor industry to survive it needs to start losing brands, not giving life support to brands that the majority of consumers don't want anymore. Manufacturers need to start cutting down on models and brands and just start concentrating on the cars that they are good at.
Warning! the above post contains irony....
The Hypno-Toad said:
No this country isn't;
In case you hadn't noticed there is now no longer a BRITISH motor industry. Every car manufacturer in the UK is owned by foreign investors. So I guess that means we are the best at running companies, which in my book is a pretty good definition of being an entrepenurer. No company has a right to exist just because people look back at what they did in the past through rose tinted glasses. Of course not everyone wants to buy German, thats why the new Mini has been such a flop, BMW are closing showrooms and Audi can't sell any cars. We live a captialist, fast moving economy. If people don't want to buy something, then they will look on the internet and go and buy something else. This isn't the seventies, people now have high expectations with regard to product quality and percieved image.
The problem is (as I have just said.) that there are too many cars chasing too few people. For the motor industry to survive it needs to start losing brands, not giving life support to brands that the majority of consumers don't want anymore. Manufacturers need to start cutting down on models and brands and just start concentrating on the cars that they are good at.
Warning! the above post contains irony....
In case you hadn't noticed there is now no longer a BRITISH motor industry. Every car manufacturer in the UK is owned by foreign investors. So I guess that means we are the best at running companies, which in my book is a pretty good definition of being an entrepenurer. No company has a right to exist just because people look back at what they did in the past through rose tinted glasses. Of course not everyone wants to buy German, thats why the new Mini has been such a flop, BMW are closing showrooms and Audi can't sell any cars. We live a captialist, fast moving economy. If people don't want to buy something, then they will look on the internet and go and buy something else. This isn't the seventies, people now have high expectations with regard to product quality and percieved image.
The problem is (as I have just said.) that there are too many cars chasing too few people. For the motor industry to survive it needs to start losing brands, not giving life support to brands that the majority of consumers don't want anymore. Manufacturers need to start cutting down on models and brands and just start concentrating on the cars that they are good at.
Warning! the above post contains irony....
The British motor industry isn't that dead. Sure, we import more cars than we used to, but we are also exporting more strongly these days thanks to Honda, Nissan and Toyota. And who says you can't count these? They are British factories using British workers and with lots of local content. When was the last time that we could actually really count a British car company making an sizeable difference to our balance of payments anyway? Rover has been the only mass car manufacturer for a long time and they had been on the skids for an age before it all went tits up.
We live in a free market society, yes, but that will sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to small scale sportscar production. There may seem to be lots of brands, but how many have something to give the market? When Riley, MG, Jensen, AC and whatever start producing cars in volumes then th emarket will decide which they want. There really is no point talking about competitive pressures when most of the brands being discussed here are just sketches and rhetoric.
WHEN someone gets something to market to fill the shoes of the Griffith then I think they'll do well as for many enthusiasts the TT, SLk, Boxster, 350Z et al do not speak their language.
In direct competition to this brand I am setting up a new manufacturing facility in my lock up in Wigan. I will be resurrecting the prestigious Wolseley brand.
I plan to sell a high end modern version of the Wolseley Hornet using a crate Chevy LS2 motor. The bodies will be made from carbon fibre with the engines being installed in my other factory at the saw mill in Four
ings, Arkansas, USA.
Estimated top speed is 300mph.
The car will revive the glorious motorsport rivalry between Riley and Wolseley.
A spokesman said "We can't wait to see the Hornet dicing on the circuits against the Elf and the Pathfinders."
The range will be a lifestyle brand with a host of extras to enhance the ownership experience - tartan travel rugs, thermos flasks and branded Primus stoves for brewing up in layby's and they will all be designed by Phillip Stark.
To link the brand to it's Wigan HQ the interior will be cutting edge with Uncle Joe's Mint Ball dispensers and Pooles pie reheating microwaves.
Warranties will not be available or honoured, New Wolseley will not honour any compensation claims arising from gravy burns.
I plan to sell a high end modern version of the Wolseley Hornet using a crate Chevy LS2 motor. The bodies will be made from carbon fibre with the engines being installed in my other factory at the saw mill in Four
ings, Arkansas, USA. Estimated top speed is 300mph.
The car will revive the glorious motorsport rivalry between Riley and Wolseley.
A spokesman said "We can't wait to see the Hornet dicing on the circuits against the Elf and the Pathfinders."
The range will be a lifestyle brand with a host of extras to enhance the ownership experience - tartan travel rugs, thermos flasks and branded Primus stoves for brewing up in layby's and they will all be designed by Phillip Stark.
To link the brand to it's Wigan HQ the interior will be cutting edge with Uncle Joe's Mint Ball dispensers and Pooles pie reheating microwaves.
Warranties will not be available or honoured, New Wolseley will not honour any compensation claims arising from gravy burns.
Edited by racingsnake on Thursday 15th March 09:55
Edited by racingsnake on Thursday 15th March 09:56
eddy_hyde said:
The Hypno-Toad said:
In case you hadn't noticed there is now no longer a BRITISH motor industry. Every car manufacturer in the UK is owned by foreign investors.
If there is no british car industry, what exactly am i working in? From where i sit it is very much live and kicking
do you remember matrix
racingsnake said:
In direct competition to this brand I am setting up a new manufacturing facility in my lock up in Wigan. I will be resurrecting the prestigious Wolsley brand.
I plan to sell a high end modern version of the Wolsley Landcrab using a crate Chevy LS2 motor. The bodies will be made from carbon fibre with the engines being installed in my other factory at the saw mill in Fourings, Arkansas, USA.
Estimated top speed is 300mph.
The car will revive the glorious motorsport rivalry between Riley and Wolsley.
A spokesman said "We can't wait to see the Landcrab dicing on the circuits against the Elf and the Pathfinders."
The range will be a lifestyle brand with a host of extras to enhance the ownership experience - tartan travel rugs, thermos flasks and branded Primus stoves for brewing up in layby's and they will all be designed by Phillip Stark.
To link the brand to it's Wigan HQ the interior will be cutting edge with Uncle Joe's Mint Ball dispensers and Pooles pie reheating microwaves.
Warranties will not be available or honoured, New Wolsley will not honour any compensation claims arising from gravy burns.
I plan to sell a high end modern version of the Wolsley Landcrab using a crate Chevy LS2 motor. The bodies will be made from carbon fibre with the engines being installed in my other factory at the saw mill in Four
ings, Arkansas, USA. Estimated top speed is 300mph.
The car will revive the glorious motorsport rivalry between Riley and Wolsley.
A spokesman said "We can't wait to see the Landcrab dicing on the circuits against the Elf and the Pathfinders."
The range will be a lifestyle brand with a host of extras to enhance the ownership experience - tartan travel rugs, thermos flasks and branded Primus stoves for brewing up in layby's and they will all be designed by Phillip Stark.
To link the brand to it's Wigan HQ the interior will be cutting edge with Uncle Joe's Mint Ball dispensers and Pooles pie reheating microwaves.
Warranties will not be available or honoured, New Wolsley will not honour any compensation claims arising from gravy burns.
LMAO - I want one of these :-)
Good for you, eddy. I don't know which part of the industry you work in but the part that I work in (for the past 13 years.) has seen wage cuts, redundancies, showrooms closing, good staff leaving the industry and morale at rock bottom.
Case in point, in order to make (American) manufacturer designated targets, one showroom I know pre registered a load of its top of the line model just before Christmas. Because at the moment the market is so stagnent, they then sold these vehicles through auction last month. The RRP of the vehicles was around £33500. They went at auction with about 15 miles on the clock and the dealers name in the log book, for £16500. That is not economically sustainable. Especially when you consider the effect that will have on the resdiuals for any poor sap who bought one privately for say £30000 for a Xmas present. The joke is the dealer who did this is actually owned by the manufacturer, which would seem an awfully expensive way of being able to beat up the dealer network with,
"Well XXXX XXXX did their target, why didn't you?"
Someone, somewhere is going to have to blink. We can't keep pumping cars into the marketplace in the hope that someone, somewhere will buy them. My best guess is that just after Hillary wins the election, one of the big guys will file for Chapter 11. Then they can blame it all on her, as the infastructure collapses pushing both the USA and Europe into recession.
Yes I might be glass half empty and maybe I can't spell but people need to open their eyes a little and stop living in this world where we can keep bringing back brands and supporting others just because in the fifties they might have won a rally.
Case in point, in order to make (American) manufacturer designated targets, one showroom I know pre registered a load of its top of the line model just before Christmas. Because at the moment the market is so stagnent, they then sold these vehicles through auction last month. The RRP of the vehicles was around £33500. They went at auction with about 15 miles on the clock and the dealers name in the log book, for £16500. That is not economically sustainable. Especially when you consider the effect that will have on the resdiuals for any poor sap who bought one privately for say £30000 for a Xmas present. The joke is the dealer who did this is actually owned by the manufacturer, which would seem an awfully expensive way of being able to beat up the dealer network with,
"Well XXXX XXXX did their target, why didn't you?"
Someone, somewhere is going to have to blink. We can't keep pumping cars into the marketplace in the hope that someone, somewhere will buy them. My best guess is that just after Hillary wins the election, one of the big guys will file for Chapter 11. Then they can blame it all on her, as the infastructure collapses pushing both the USA and Europe into recession.
Yes I might be glass half empty and maybe I can't spell but people need to open their eyes a little and stop living in this world where we can keep bringing back brands and supporting others just because in the fifties they might have won a rally.
To be bluntly honest, this is the most concise and realistic view on the automotive industry that I've read in a long enough time. Because of testosterone management and a complete failure of most of the industry to align what, where, how many and when they build with actual market demand, an unsustainable amount of metal is pumped into the market, the effect this has on prices means the whole industry column from the OEM downwards isn't earning any money nowadays.
Thing is, it would be a blessing for the automotive industry if one of the lumbering giants finally fell - but at the same time the socia-economic affects would be totally unacceptable politically. So my best guess is in the next 5 years, whichever government the USA gets will find themselves forced to be throwing good money after bad and help sustain an unsustainable situation.
Thing is, it would be a blessing for the automotive industry if one of the lumbering giants finally fell - but at the same time the socia-economic affects would be totally unacceptable politically. So my best guess is in the next 5 years, whichever government the USA gets will find themselves forced to be throwing good money after bad and help sustain an unsustainable situation.
The Hypno-Toad said:
Good for you, eddy. I don't know which part of the industry you work in but the part that I work in (for the past 13 years.) has seen wage cuts, redundancies, showrooms closing, good staff leaving the industry and morale at rock bottom.
Case in point, in order to make (American) manufacturer designated targets, one showroom I know pre registered a load of its top of the line model just before Christmas. Because at the moment the market is so stagnent, they then sold these vehicles through auction last month. The RRP of the vehicles was around £33500. They went at auction with about 15 miles on the clock and the dealers name in the log book, for £16500. That is not economically sustainable. Especially when you consider the effect that will have on the resdiuals for any poor sap who bought one privately for say £30000 for a Xmas present. The joke is the dealer who did this is actually owned by the manufacturer, which would seem an awfully expensive way of being able to beat up the dealer network with,
"Well XXXX XXXX did their target, why didn't you?"
Someone, somewhere is going to have to blink. We can't keep pumping cars into the marketplace in the hope that someone, somewhere will buy them. My best guess is that just after Hillary wins the election, one of the big guys will file for Chapter 11. Then they can blame it all on her, as the infastructure collapses pushing both the USA and Europe into recession.
Yes I might be glass half empty and maybe I can't spell but people need to open their eyes a little and stop living in this world where we can keep bringing back brands and supporting others just because in the fifties they might have won a rally.
Case in point, in order to make (American) manufacturer designated targets, one showroom I know pre registered a load of its top of the line model just before Christmas. Because at the moment the market is so stagnent, they then sold these vehicles through auction last month. The RRP of the vehicles was around £33500. They went at auction with about 15 miles on the clock and the dealers name in the log book, for £16500. That is not economically sustainable. Especially when you consider the effect that will have on the resdiuals for any poor sap who bought one privately for say £30000 for a Xmas present. The joke is the dealer who did this is actually owned by the manufacturer, which would seem an awfully expensive way of being able to beat up the dealer network with,
"Well XXXX XXXX did their target, why didn't you?"
Someone, somewhere is going to have to blink. We can't keep pumping cars into the marketplace in the hope that someone, somewhere will buy them. My best guess is that just after Hillary wins the election, one of the big guys will file for Chapter 11. Then they can blame it all on her, as the infastructure collapses pushing both the USA and Europe into recession.
Yes I might be glass half empty and maybe I can't spell but people need to open their eyes a little and stop living in this world where we can keep bringing back brands and supporting others just because in the fifties they might have won a rally.
Thank you for that 900T-R. As you might have seen from one of the other posts on General Gassing, I might not have a future in the motor industry shortly and if I haven't, one of the things I intended to do is write a detailed account of how the industry, not only in this country, is sinking fast. I don't claim to have the inside scoop but I have seen a number of things that have beggered belief.
I've been selling cars now for 13 years for 5 different manufacturers and in that time not one of them has asked me or any of my collegues how they feel things are going on the coal face or how matters could be improved. Yet we are the people the general public pass their views and perceptions onto every day. Just one example of the blinkered attiude that exists throughout every level of the new car trade.
I've been selling cars now for 13 years for 5 different manufacturers and in that time not one of them has asked me or any of my collegues how they feel things are going on the coal face or how matters could be improved. Yet we are the people the general public pass their views and perceptions onto every day. Just one example of the blinkered attiude that exists throughout every level of the new car trade.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff