Archive

On this day in 1973, Sir George Harriman, former President of the British Leyland Motor Corporation passed away after a short illness, aged 65. Here we rewind to his 13 […]

On this day in 2000, and just weeks after Phoenix Consortium’s buyout of MG Rover, the Sunday Telegraph highlighted how BMW has been left waiting for its £10 payout… The […]

On this day in 1986, the Austin Rover Group’s Chief Executive, Ray Horrocks, tells The Guardian’s Industrial Editor, Michael Smith, that the Government’s impending privatisation of the Group was being […]

On this day in 1970, The Guardian’s Eric Dymock tested the Austin 3 Litre, and came away with more questions than answers… AUSTIN’S ANACHRONISM Eric Dymock tests the Austin 3 […]

On this day in 1971, Jaguar unveiled its new V12 engine under the bonnet of the E-type Series 3, with the XJ12 and Daimler Double-Six following in 1972, and the […]

On this day in 1975, and to coincide with the launch of the Austin-Morris 18-22 Series, the Daily Express profiled its designer Harris Mann – the firm’s new head of […]

From the archive: it’s February 1987, and Rover announces that the Mini has been saved from oblivion. It’s the positive market research following one of the most famous seasonal car […]

Last of the traditional sports car line, the Triumph TR6 was unveiled to the press in January 1968. Ian Nicholls recalls the press launch. […]

Ian Nicholls recalls British Leyland’s terrible year of strikes – 1969. Much of the fault for which, lay at the Government’s door.  The year of 1969 will always be remembered […]

CAR magazine‘s Doug Blain gives his steer on the Range Rover, at the time of its launch back in June 1970. Doug Blain on the design thinking behind the all-purpose Range […]

Into the future, with Spen King ‘The next Rover model will be very much a Rover car. It will be better than previous Rovers. A lot better, actually.’ Rover-Triumph head […]

Ian Nicholls delves the archive to recall the 1964 Racing Car Show. Yes, it really is 55 years since this gathering of the brightest minds in and around BMC came […]

Here’s another in AROnline’s series of articles featuring archive images to mark the 60th birthday of the Mini. The 1960s may have been The Beatles’ decade, but it was also the Mini […]

AROnline is, as previously indicated, using the excuse that 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the Mini to publish images which cannot be used elsewhere on the site. Our Mini development […]

With the Mini celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2019, it gives us an excuse here at AROnline to scour our picture archives for images that could not be used elsewhere […]

In February 1969, Roy Haynes went public about his decision to leave BLMC. It followed the decision to downscale design operations based at Pressed Steel Fisher in Oxford, and centralise […]

Motor magazine interviewed Austin-Morris’ Home and Export Sales Director, Filmer Paradise a year after the creation of mothership British Leyland Motor Corporation. The American offered some fascinating insights into the running, and […]

On 12 June 1968, Donald Stokes met with around 500 dealer principals and distributors to set out his vision of the future for the company. The Times’ Clifford Webb reported […]

AROnline’s historian-in-residence Ian Nicholls digs into the archives to discuss the Austin Allegro launch and growing pains from the perspectives of British Leyland’s movers and shakers at the time. Overture to […]

In an exclusive and far-reaching interview published in Motor Transport, Lord Stokes, Chairman of British Leyland, has spoken his mind on many topics vitally affecting the future of his company, and of the country. This summary first appeared in Autocar, 28 September 1972. […]

In September 1967, The Times talked to ex-Ford man Filmer Paradise and got him to spell out BMC’s plans for European sales and production. It’s an interesting snapshot of BMC’s huge market ambitions on the eve of its takeover by the Leyland Motor Corporation. […]