If you want to know the full story behind a car, this is the place to come. With information about the design and engineering process, as well as styling evolution, and subsequent production evolution, these are the most comprehensive stories you’ll find online.
So closely did the X350 look like its XJ40-based predecessor, that many buyers would be forgiven for thinking that it wasn’t a new car at all. But as Ian Nicholls […]
The Rover 820 Turbo 16V was a last-gasp performance variation of the XX-generation. Supplanting the V6 Vitesse, this car predicted the R17-generation’s shift to the smaller engine. Rover Special Products […]
Following on from his excellent Rover SD1 development story, David Morgan tells the rarely-related story of how its little brother, the 216 Vitesse, made it into production. Read on to […]
In the 1990s, Rover exported Maestro production to Bulgaria and Montego assembly to India. But did you know that it almost repeated the feat with the Rover Metro/100? Read on […]
The Austin Kimberley and Tasman, and their Morris-badged cousins, were an interesting development of the BMC 1800/2200 reserved for the Antipodean markets only. They featured conventional three-box styling and were […]
Based on the Mini, the Austin Metro shared its A-Series engine, and when launched in 1980, it was hailed as the car to save British Leyland. It did, too… […]
MG Rover wanted to form alliances with other industry players, but no one could have predicted a tie-up with failed Italian supercar builder, Qvale Modena SpA. However, in 2001, that’s […]
Few can doubt the enormous contribution the Vitesse name had in raising the performance profile of the Rover marque in the 1980s and ‘90s. David Morgan tells the story of […]
Ever seen an Austin FX4 not wearing its illuminated taxi light on its roof? Chances are it’s an Austin FL2, the black cab designed for hire and reward drivers. Declan Berridge […]
The Panther Solo was a short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful mid-engined, four-wheel-drive sports car designed to replace Lotus and TVR at the head of the UK sports car industry. But the […]
What’s left to be said about the Allegro – it never met sales predictions, earned a terrible reputation in the press and with buyers, and its fame far exceeded its influence in the automotive industry. British Leyland threw everything into making it a success, and yet failed dismally… […]
The Italian Allegro that, it seemed, no one wanted… Short and not-so sweet There’s not much to say really about the Innocenti Regent. This version of the Allegro was produced […]
The Range Rover’s launch in 1970 came after a long lead-up as the company grappled with the issue of building an additional model that was more-road focused than the agricultural […]
The Range Rover P38 development story explains how this car looked the way it did. It took Rover 24 years to replace the Range Rover – but, when it did, […]
Triumph’s early 1960s future looked far from assured but, thanks to the launch of the Herald in 1959, it looked a whole lot brigher than once-dominant Standard’s. So it’s no […]
Between 1958 and 1997, the Austin FX4, FL2 and the Carbodies versions were an icon you could buy new and off the shelf. The history and development of the famous […]
More than a decade in the making, the Jaguar XJ40 was Browns Lane’s bold leap into the 1980s… However, the rest of the industry was already looking forward to the […]
Featuring five-door supercar-aping styling, and one of the nicest engine notes ever to grace an executive car, the Rover SD1 has a place in the hearts of many car enthusiasts […]
The Clubman was developed through BMC’s want to expand the Mini concept, without spending too much money. It started out as a hatchback proposal penned by Roy Haynes, but then […]
Updated development story with new testing images to paint a fuller picture of the conception and creation of this vitally-important car for BL. However, the Maestro failed to capitalise on […]
The Trident Clipper is one of the most attractive British GT cars of the 1960s that you’ve (probably) never heard of. With dramatic style and copious performance, it should have […]
The Rover 200 (R3) started out as a Metro replacement, but was soon marketed into something far more grandiose. […]
The MINI’s development story is a tale of politics, Anglo-German disagreements, and a brilliant end product. […]
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