Development story

On the trail of the enigmatic Argyll Who says the ‘Car Guessing Game’ is no more than a bit of pointless froth? Almost ten years ago now, in a Celtic […]

The MINI’s development story is a tale of politics, Anglo-German disagreements, and a brilliant end product. […]

In 1974, Leyland’s Italian subsidiary Innocenti introduced a rebodied, three-door hatchback Mini, styled by Bertone. However, within a year of its launch, BLMC went bankrupt, the company was sold to […]

The Morris Ital development story was a case of Italian badge, British style. Although BL sold this car as being designed in Europe, it was styled in the UK by […]

The Triumph Stag development story is a tragic missed opportunity – it had everything: looks, power, a soundtrack to die for and a market niche all to itself… Yet it […]

Romania during the 1980s was the unlikely production site for the last ever non-PSA Citroën to find its way to the marketplace. But the Oltcit – or Citroën Axel in Western Europe – proved to be the wrong product at the wrong time for both partners. Even if it was technically interesting and has a fascinating back-story. […]

Keith Adams tells the little-known story of the three-seat Talbot-Matra Murena, a mid-engined sports car for the ‘masses’ that ushered its maker into a brave new world for the 1980s. Sadly, its […]

The 1977 Matra-Simca Rancho is one of those wonderful cars that made more of an impact than anyone realised at the time of its launch. Today, no-one would bat an […]

Following on from his excellent Rover SD1 development story, David Morgan tells the interesting story of how the 800 Series battled to emerge the shadow from its illustrious predecessor. Read on […]

Keith Adams recounts the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 development story – a tale of close ties with Opel in Germany, some interesting UK design tweaks and the beginnings of an impressive […]

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. However, 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 […]

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 […]