In production

BMC and British Leyland had a bewildering array of factories dotted around the UK when the empire was at its peak. Using this interactive map as created by Jonathan Barber, […]

The Adderley Park plant entered the BMC fold by way of the Nuffield Group. It had been home to the Wolseley motor company from 1901 until the late 1920s when, […]

Our man with the photos, Stuart Collins, pointed his camera in the direction of the production of a dealer video for the Rover 800. He tells the story to accompany the pictures – if you have the video, please get in touch. […]

Andrew Davis, a former worker at Cowley, sent us this fascinating image of one of those workaday hacks that never escape the factory. This one, a pick-up conversion of the Maestro, lived a long and absolutely fascinating life. […]

Our man Stuart Collins has been busy scanning the pictures he’s taken over the years while working at Longbridge. These photographs of Rover’s Company Protection Services (CPS) vehicles are absolutely […]

Ever wondered what Longbridge looked like in 1984? Thanks to these great photographs by Stuart Collins, you need not wonder any longer. Enjoy a trip back in time wandering around the Metro’s production line. […]

According to our resident historian, Ian Nicholls, more than six million classic Minis of all types were made between 1959 and 2000. Along the way, a number of interesting landmarks […]

Following BMW’s disposal of the Rover Group in 2000, production of the then-new 75 needed moving from Cowley to Longbridge. Here’s the amazing story of how it happened, as recounted by Ian Elliott back in 2000, and produced for the then fledgling MG Rover PR Department. It makes fascinating reading to this day, and shows just how seemingly insurmountable logistical mountains can be climbed. […]

Early last century, amidst the green meadows to the south of the dreaming spires of Oxford City, there was a village called Temple Cowley. In one corner of this village there […]

Mike Humble accepts an offer to tour General Motor’s Ellesmere Port assembly facility some 20 years after his first visit and makes some sobering comparisons with our very own Longbridge, but remains […]

Keith Adams MG Motor UK opened its doors to ex-Longbridge workers and managers and invited them to share their memories of time worked at the iconic works based on Low […]

A brief look at BMC>Rover’s light commercial vehicles being built. A colourful shot of the J4 van on the production line (presumably at Drews Lane, now home to the Sherpa-based […]

The Innocenti factory was a world class facility, as these pictures clearly show. In many ways, this Mini production line was more advanced than its progenitor back in Longbridge. Pictures […]

A century of carmaking… STROLL along the perimeter fence that surrounds the Car Assembly Buildings at Longbridge, and it’s hard to believe that the silent buildings once teemed with life […]

For many, the sun set on Longbridge in May 2005 when MG Rover went into administration – but three years on, and small scale car production has returned with the […]

The 1960s were an exciting time for Triumph, which saw great expansion at the Canley factory. Below are some photographs taken at the 180,000 cars-per-year facility, as well as some […]

During the development of the Marina, it was decided that the Cowley plant in Oxford needed an overhaul – the result was that the production line was completely gutted, giving […]

The Anglicized version of the SIMCA 1307/1308 went into production at Ryton in 1976. This meant that Avenger production moved to Linwood in Scotland, and Hunter production went to Ireland. […]

Avengers in New Zealand To celebrate the opening of Todd Motor’s Todd Park car plant at Porirua, Wellington, the December 1974 issue of NZ Motor World ran a large feature […]

Ryton’s finest The Avenger was originally built at a new assembly line at the newly expanded Ryton plant, near Coventry. Ryton was essentially an assembly operation, because the bodies and […]

More admiring glances and comments for the Polski-SD1 reinforces my thoughts about arguably British Leyland’s finest creation.  Words and Photographs: Mike Humble  Well, the Pride of Longbridge gathering is now […]