Recommended Posts

Don't want to get political or cause a fuss, and I've nothing against foreign cars.  I'm just curious.  What really happened to the British car industry.  Morris, Austin,. Fords etc.. I know some of the names are still around, but they are owned by others,. Eg the Mini.  Isn't it built by BMW now.  I've always bought Fords and been happy with them.  Parts readily available at reasonable prices.  Up until recently it provided jobs for a lot of local folks too.  I guess they are all becoming victims of so called 'globalization.'  A pseudonym for cheaper labor elsewhere.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 119
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

What a memory, Benjamin 1945! Talking of Sunlight soap, my mother had a miscarriage in 1953 and was rushed off to Peel Street Women's Hospital in the early hours of the morning. She never forgot the

Dolly tubs and ponches! Brings back childhood memories. Monday washday, Sunlight soap, the kitchen copper boiling away and my mother doing the washing. Gosh, did she love that old mangle? In later yea

benjamin, I had to smile at the way you reel off the prices of all the items for sale at Marsdens. That was 56 years ago, how can you remember that? I didn't know you worked at Marsdens, you should've

Unfortunately LL, we were the cause of our own undoing. We sat back on our laurels for too long, until it was too late!! Amongst a few other things!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the only fully British owned car company now is Morgan. Probably one of the oldest too. I don’t think the production has reached 1,000 a year yet though. I’ve had a couple some years ago but you’ve got to be an enthusiast to drive one. There are a few specialist producers but their output is negligible. As said Mini is now BMW. I remember my father buying one for my mother to learn to drive in 1963. I drove it most of the time. I think it cost around £450 from an agent in Bulwell. That included the optional heater at around £10!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

They were before they folded. I think a Russian guy was interested but they’re due to restart production next year under British ownership. Would I buy one? - probably not, but I have a friend who owns one so I can have all the excitement without experiencing the many problems! I do give him the benefit of my extensive experience of messing around with sportscars though!

Link to post
Share on other sites

The similar model was an SUV I think Lizzie. It certainly looked good.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Another point about "foreign" cars which many people don't realise.

 

Ford do not make any cars in Great Britain, and haven't done for a number of years. The surviving Ford factories make engines, gearboxes, and other bits, but they don't make any cars here. All Ford cars come from various sites in Europe.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well I've always detested Fords. I had a MK 4 Cortina in the 80's, which was crap. I had three P100 pick ups which were OK, but one had bad body rot, and the diesel one blew up. Never again !

Link to post
Share on other sites
30 minutes ago, Cliff Ton said:

Another point about "foreign" cars which many people don't realise.

 

Ford do not make any cars in Great Britain, and haven't done for a number of years. The surviving Ford factories make engines, gearboxes, and other bits, but they don't make any cars here. All Ford cars come from various sites in Europe.

 

 

Transit Custom is made in Turkey of all places. Transit van proper are all imported from USA. But at least Ford is an American company.

Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, philmayfield said:

I think the only fully British owned car company now is Morgan. Probably one of the oldest too. I don’t think the production has reached 1,000 a year yet though. 

A friend of ours has a Morgan and has owned different ones for many many years.  They go away with the Morgan Club every year on a jolly.   

What about Bentley? British manufacturer but a subsidiary of VW.  Most are built here in Crewe though. 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread.  I guess I should stick to appliances.  Are any washing machines made in England anymore.  I know Hoover was US company but they made a lot of twin tubs and the Keymatic back in the 60s.  I worked on Keymatics.  As a program switch they had an electric timer that that controlled the various functions like filling emptying spinning etc.  In many ways it was ahead of its time.   Today I'm sure all of that would be controlled by a computer card.  I think hotpoints were made in the UK. and the notorious Rolls definitely was.  Hey! it worked most of the time. ;)   Last time I was back in England 1997 it seemed like all my Mother in laws kitchen appliances were made somewhere in Italy.

Link to post
Share on other sites
13 hours ago, philmayfield said:

Yet Lada are made by the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi alliance. But Lada are Russian so that’s definitely a ‘no’.

 

So is that because Russian cars are crap..Russia used to be 'Communist',  but is now essentially a Mafia run country, or because of recent ( alleged) events?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Might just be that Lada don't offer their vehicles for sale in Europe any more? Possibly because they wouldn't meet EU safety or emissions standards?

 

http://www.lada.ru/en/country/

 

As for white goods, we bought a Gorenje larder fridge about fifteen years ago, made in Slovenia and a lot cheaper than other brand names. Turns out that it was actually identical to a Smeg fridge, but with a different door and less than half the price of the trendy version.

 

It's still working perfectly, even though it has now been demoted to being the beer fridge in the garage.

 

Not as old as our Zanussi tumble dryer. That's nearly twenty-five years old and still going strong. :)

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, DJ360 said:

 

So is that because Russian cars are crap..Russia used to be 'Communist',  but is now essentially a Mafia run country, or because of recent ( alleged) events?

Russian and Eastern European countries don’t have a high reputation for producing quality consumer goods.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I didn't know Russia even built pianos for export.  I don't know who makes the best piano today.  I have a Roland electronic piano.  I don't play it much but it seems ok for an electronic instrument.

 

Waddo.   I've never heard of an Ebac.  Sounds like a throwback to the days of electricity board appliances.  In the Nottingham area there was the Emelec twin tub.  Interesting machine!  I think it was made by the same company that made the Rolls.  Just a different name tag on it.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 19/03/2018 at 10:07 AM, philmayfield said:

Russian and Eastern European countries don’t have a high reputation for producing quality consumer goods.

 

I think you have a point there Phil.  Russia seems an odd place these days.  Somewhere between a super power and a failed state.  As far as I can tell LADA cars aren't imported here at present, unless maybe by some specialist.  Skoda is a different story.  Two of my neighbours bought Skoda saloons and have been very happy with them for several years now.  Whilst I'm no fan of the current Turkish regime, a lot of goods are now made there and seem Ok for the price.

Col

Link to post
Share on other sites

Russia makes its money mostly from exporting natural resources. They don’t tend to export high tech consumer goods and the West hasn’t set up manufacturing plants there because of the hostile regime. The Chinese have stolen a march on them there. I presume they have the technology as demonstrated by their space programme and weapons development, or are all those missiles we see made out of discarded cardboard from  toilet rolls?

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 18/03/2018 at 6:03 PM, loppylugs said:

Don't want to get political or cause a fuss, and I've nothing against foreign cars.  I'm just curious.  What really happened to the British car industry.  Morris, Austin,. Fords etc.. I know some of the names are still around, but they are owned by others,. Eg the Mini.  Isn't it built by BMW now.  I've always bought Fords and been happy with them.  Parts readily available at reasonable prices.  Up until recently it provided jobs for a lot of local folks too.  I guess they are all becoming victims of so called 'globalization.'  A pseudonym for cheaper labor elsewhere.

 

My take Loppy.  Ford of course was always American, although it made cars here for many years.  Genuinely British 'brands' such as Vauxhall, were 'hoovered up' by General Motors (American) along with continental brands such as Opel and the Aussie 'Holden'. Yet more .. Singer, Sunbeam, Hillman and Humber were part of the Rootes Group from early on and later associated with Chrysler.  Then Peugeot-Talbot-Citroen, Britiash Leyland including Austin, Morris etc.,Volkswagen-Audi Group, now including Skoda.. etc etc.  Also American Co. Chevrolet selling re-badged Daewoo models in Europe under the Chevy badge.

Just a symptom of globalisation I suppose.  You now find engines from a single manufacturer used in numerous seemingly different 'brands' of car. One particular 1.9 L diesel engine has cropped up in things so diverse as Vauxhall and Renault (same but for the badge) vans, and the FIAT Punto Turbo. I can't recall who actually makes the engine.  Others here who are more 'into' cars will know much more than me, but basically, there isn't much that qualifies as a truly 'national' vehicle brand in any country anymore.  So at least we can be relieved that it's not just a British failing.  :)

 

Col

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...