BL50 - AROnline

BL50 : BLMC merger – Stokes reassures dealers

10 June 2018 Keith Adams 0

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 […]

Facts and figures : BLMC’s UK factories in 1968

7 May 2018 Keith Adams 4

Ever wondered how many factories there were in the BLMC empire when it was created in 1968? Here’s the definitive list of all the UK operations at the turn of […]

Video : Two More For the Road, Rover 2300/2600

29 April 2018 Keith Adams 16

Keith Adams ponders one of his favourite BL videos, the lovely Two More For The Road, starring the late Anton Rodgers and a trio of launch-spec Rover SD1s in the […]

Video : 18-22 Series development on video

19 April 2018 Keith Adams 22

Keith Adams shares this intriguing video which charts the development of the Princess. It’s a shame that car manufacturers rarely release videos like this – ones that follow the design process […]

BL50 : AROnline readers choose the 10 greatest BLMC cars

6 April 2018 Keith Adams 57

For the 50th Anniversary of the creation of BLMC, we’ve been running a series of features to celebrate, reflect and inform about the achievements of British Leyland Motor Corporation. To […]

BL50 : Video – George Turnbull and the creation of Hyundai

27 March 2018 Keith Adams 20

Here’s an intriguing documentary on the early years of the Hyundai Motor Company, and how former Austin-Morris Managing Director, George Turnbull, spearheaded the creation of this car manufacturing giant in […]

History : The evolution of the AR logo

30 January 2018 Declan Berridge 12

Ever wondered how Austin Rover ended up with its iconic green and blue chevrons? Thanks to Declan Berridge, you now know. Enjoy! Branded history Further to recent discussion of the […]

Sports car projects : Mini-based ADO70 (1969-1970)

29 January 2018 Keith Adams 6

The ADO70 Calypso, a sporting Mini prototype, was built by Michelotti as a proposed low-cost replacement for the MG Midget. Sadly, this promising idea was canned before it was evaluated […]

BL50 : A perspective on Europe in the 1970s

19 January 2018 Chris Cowin 10

Based largely on an interview with Jan Thoenes – formerly responsible for British Leyland International’s sales to European ‘Distributor’ markets, within Leyland International – Chris Cowin tells the oft-tragic story […]

Concepts and prototypes : Triumph Lynx (1972-1978)

18 January 2018 Keith Adams 18

The Triumph Lynx would form the basis of another sad BL story. It was a victim of lack of funds, but also the ongoing battle between Michael Edwardes and the […]

Concepts and prototypes : Triumph Broadside (1979-1981)

18 January 2018 Keith Adams 20

Was the Triumph Broadside one of the biggest missed opportunities of the British Leyland era? It was designed to take the best bits of the TR7 it was based on, […]

Blog : Austin Maxi – the best BMC>MGR classic of them all?

17 January 2018 Keith Adams 46

Are there any reasonably-priced 1970s classic cars left? It’s a conversation I have with myself many, many times in recent months. Given it’s BL50 year, it’s apposite that the answer […]

BL50 : How the great merger happened

17 January 2018 Keith Adams 10

As part of the series marking 50 years of British Leyland, Keith Adams picks through the numbers and recalls the views of the major players, to describe fully the merger […]

BL50 : The BMC Board Files – the model line-up analysed

8 January 2018 Chris Cowin 25

In the BMC Board Files, Chris Cowin, author of British Leyland: Chronicle of a car crash, unearths the minutes of BMC’s secret Board meetings and finds that they contain an honest view of […]

British Leyland Motor Corporation (1968-1975)

News : AROnline launches BL50 – celebrating the half-century

29 December 2017 Keith Adams 4

2018 marks the 50th Anniversary of the creation of BL. Considering that’s now ancient history in the fast-paced automotive world, it’s amazing to see just how much love – some of […]