RE: Jaguar sells Brown's Lane
Discussion
Peter Ward said:
I worked at Browns lane a few years ago. I know it is foolish to get sentimental about such things but there did seem to be something special about the place. How long before Ford decides it makes more sense to move Jaguar R&D to Gaydon with the other PAG brands? Then the evocative phrase, "Jaguar Cars, Coventry, England," which made me feel proud of my adopted home shall apply no more.
I regularly visit Browns Lane for my job, and I agree it's a special place. It's a ghost town now, so probably better to move out and on than to keep it just for the sake of it -- it would help with staff morale too. After all, it's not a modern factory and it doesn't have the facilities needed to be cost-effective. I would rather see Jaguar survive away from Browns Lane than fail hanging onto it. Nevertheless, it's a sad day and not something to celebrate.
PS. According to Ford, all PAG brands are currently profitable.
I was there at Browns lane , before I left Jaguar (after over 8 years) at the tail end of last year. It was really sad to see the place all deserted, a few X100s and X350s lieing around and some empty crates
. A far cry to when I started and things were gearings up for the launch of the new X308 and X200......L1OFF said:
Was the spitfire assembled at Brown's Lane? I seem to remember the spitfire logo on the factory drainage down pipes,
Spitfire production was at Castle Bromwich, the factory disappearing in the late 50's to become the Castle Vale housing estate.
The Brown's Lane site may have been a satellite component manufacturing plant for the main Castle Bromwich factory though...????
Went on the new XK factory tour last month. The Spitfire and Lancaster factory (the largest free standing internal area in the world during WWII) is still being used at Castle Bromwich, it is now the paint shop.
The housing estate oppostie was an airfield where they flew all 20,000 aircraft from!
The housing estate oppostie was an airfield where they flew all 20,000 aircraft from!
triple7 said:
Went on the new XK factory tour last month. The Spitfire and Lancaster factory (the largest free standing internal area in the world during WWII) is still being used at Castle Bromwich, it is now the paint shop.
The housing estate oppostie was an airfield where they flew all 20,000 aircraft from!
Doh....I should have said the airfield part, as I've got a relatively recent photo of the factory marked up with the appropiate wartime production facilites. And IIRC, some of the wartime camo paint is still visible on some parts of the factory...???
aeropilot said:
Went on the new XK factory tour last month. The Spitfire and Lancaster factory (the largest free standing internal area in the world during WWII) is still being used at Castle Bromwich, it is now the paint shop.
The housing estate oppostie was an airfield where they flew all 20,000 aircraft from!
Doh....I should have said the airfield part, as I've got a relatively recent photo of the factory marked up with the appropiate wartime production facilites. And IIRC, some of the wartime camo paint is still visible on some parts of the factory...???
Yes, and the bullet holes as well.
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