Words: Clive Goldthorp Photographs: Simon Davies/Pegasus Photographics MG Motor UK Limited’s works British Touring Car Championship team, MG KX Momentum Racing, was officially launched at MG Birmingham yesterday. Guy Jones, the company’s Sales and Marketing Director, geniunely believes that he has assembled a ‘Dream Team’ and those present were left in no doubt that the [...]

We take yet another look at the cars which once littered the highways and by-ways of the UK. This one is often regarded as a talented machine which was handsome, refined, well built and astonishingly capable when driven hard. Mike Humble  explains all – and gets emotional. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury… The Rover 620ti The quiet [...]

  AROnline gets down in the dirt as we take another look at the T45 cab system Leyland introduced back in the early 80′s. Another big seller in the commercial vehicle sector was the Leyland Constructor – a range of 6 or 8 wheel vehicles up to 30 tons GVW.   Mike Humble gets into gear and takes [...]

Leyland’s medium weight Freighter was the company’s bright new hope of the 1980s, combining two previous ranges into one – and putting in a strong performance in what became the fast growing sector up to 17 tons GVW. Mike Humble takes up the story. The Boxer is beaten by a new middleweight Even those unaware [...]

Mike Humble: AROnline hops on a bus that was destined for Shattered Dreams Parkway, only to find it was actually quite good yet was a victim of it’s own technology, it’s forward modern thinking, oh.. and an unhealthy dose of classic British Leyland union militancy!   Strange when you look back in time isn’t it? [...]

Hot on the heels of the stylish Roadtrain, and replacing the Buffalo 2 range of meduim weight artics, was the T45 Cruiser launched in 1982. Differing from the Roadtrain by only being offered with in-house power units and 4×2 axle configuration, Mike Humble tells the story. Cruising the UK’s mean streets The Leyland truck portfolio [...]

Words and photography: Mike Humble The project 75 blots its copy book and gives the owner a mild heart attack. But thankfully, it’s all dealt with in Just A Minute! I reckon the essay header is a fitting one to those who know and love the Rover marque. BBC Radio Four is of course preset number [...]

Another development of the Leyland/British Rail partnership was the Rail bus. This time it all came to fruition for BL in a period when the bus market was dying. But this time, it got nasty, and had it not been for the Swedes, Leyland would have most certainly been sent into bankruptcy. Story: Mike Humble Far from being put off [...]

Words: Keith Adams Photography: Newspress/HeadlineAuto The Brits were less in evidence at Detroit as they have been in recent years – an understandable situation given our amazing 2011. Last year was most definitely the year of the concept, with Jaguar Land Rover basking in the limelight of the C-X16 and DC100 concepts, and 2012 will [...]

HonestJohn.co.uk has cemented its ambitions for growth by announcing that it has acquired AROnline. As a partner site to HonestJohn.co.uk, AROnline is a perfect match, as it’s focused on the classic, used and contemporary British automotive scene, while HonestJohn.co.uk will serve the needs of today’s car buyers. It’s also editorially driven by the concept of [...]

Mike Humble fondly recalls the halcyon days of the UK bus and coaching scene from the 1970′s and pays tribute to the Leyland Leopard.     For me, its all about the sound – you never forget the noises of your childhood, the school bell ringing to signal 3.30, the now almost extinct two tone [...]

Another jovial look at some automotive blunders, which for whatever reason, were rubbish.We take a peek behind the Iron Curtain to see what awful cars they could produce when they put their minds to it. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury… The Lada Samara. Just because a car is dreadful, it doesn’t have to mean [...]

Many people are unaware that some British Leyland products ran on the rails as well as the roads. AROnline looks at the Advanced Passenger Train (APT-E), which was BL’s first engineering partnership with British Rail. Story: Mike Humble I make no apologies for the fact that I love trains, and if it hadn’t been for [...]

AROnline takes a look back at some of the memorable automotive blunders in more recent times, both our own and from rival makes.  Mike Humble Sometimes, an automotive manufacturer drops a proverbial clanger by introducing a model in haste or born of misguided advice. Ever since its formation in 1968, British Leyland never failed to be [...]

Words / Pictures: Mike Humble Almost another thousand clicks pass by on the 75′s digital readout. Its now my daily hack which is smooth, comfortable and never fails to impress – until today! Yes, I know some of you out there will be chuckling at the heading of this latest ramble on the Rover 75 [...]

We love Bangernomics at AROnline and in the interests of running cars effectively, we choose 10 great and unusual first cars to run on a shoestring using the principles we hold so dearly. But just because a car costs under a grand, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be interesting, classic, reasonably dependable, and easy to [...]

Mike Humble says good riddance to 2011 and embraces the new year with both hands 2011 has left the building, its official. As a rule, I am often in bed long before the first strike of Big Ben come New Year’s Eve, but this last one, I made sure I was there to throw the [...]

Mike Humble has packed his tools away for 2011 but one last job was undertaken, but this time, not on a Rover…  But he wishes it was! As I have mentioned before, Swiss Towers is situated in a deathly quiet cul-de-sac on the extreme outskirts of leafy Horsham, most of us know each other either by [...]

Keith Adams As the sun sets on 2011, I thought I’d wish you all a Happy New Year, and hope that 2012 ends up being a good one for you. Usually the last night of the year is a time of thought and reflection, a pause for breath before launching into a whole new year [...]

After spending time driving around the UK at Christmas, Mike Humble wonders if the Golf truly does lead where others merely follow. And comes to an unsurprising conclusion. Simply the best? I seem to have a certain affinity with Germany if I think and look hard enough, my record collection contains nearly everything Kraftwerk ever [...]