Widely recognised as a missed opportunity for buyers in the UK, the Italian subsidiary of BL, Innocenti, had carved out the novel idea of selling a Bertone-styled Mini to Europe. Bearing a striking resemblance to BLs own British design 9X prototype, the Innocenti 90/120 series was launched in 1975. The company had been bought out […]
1979 Innocenti 120L Read More »
Rover was still an independent company when the car was released in 1963, and the P6 was considered a brave attempt to guide the brand away from the traditional conservative Rover image. Cleverly focusing on a new generation of the emergence of younger affluent middle management customers, the Rover P6 captured the zeitgeist of the
60 years of the Rover P6 Read More »
A celebration of cars produced at the Longbridge plant, this event was initially set up a year after the last car left the factory in 2006. Since then the nearby Cofton Park has served as the venue for the annual get-together for modern MG/Rover products as well as Riley, Austin, Morris, Rover, Triumph and Vanden
Pride of Longbridge Rally 2023 Read More »
In today’s ruthless executive car market, it’s hard to believe that a 10-year-old design would still be competitive, such are the demands of modern buyers but in 1974, the Rover P6 was still a respectable seller. An effortless and comfortable cruiser that offered a genuine air of quality coupled with a loyal ownership profile. Despite
1975 P6 Rover 2200 SC Read More »
One of the many marketable aspects of a sale of a new car is the approach to safety considerations. By the 1960s, passenger safety had become a top priority, with advancements in impact ‘cages,’ as well as mechanical and interior attention, but it was the investigation into pedestrian safety that themes today’s post. What appears
British Leyland Safety Research Vehicles Read More »
Rooting around in Reallylouds photo archives looking for doppelgängers of TV cars, has uncovered a whole feast of cars that would be the source of interest to visitors to this site. Cars are often used today, as a statement to define the character but originally cars were simply props, but cleverly used to help promote
The ’70s as well often documented, was a troubling time for the UK homegrown car companies, with strive and strikes dominating the headlines, when it should have been the cars. This is a brief overview of the cars that became the brands best sellers. A scan outside the top 10 includes the Jaguar XJ6 which
Best selling BL cars of the ’70s Read More »
In terms of new car sales sectors, the budget estate car has become a rarity today. This may be partly due to the styling of the modern hatchback being considered good enough to cope with most scenarios where a small load-lugger is required, with the boxy utilitarian nature of a no thrills estate car being
Early ’80s budget estate cars Read More »
Here’s a question to ponder over. How should people remember British Leyland Princess? Subjectively, if we forget about the fact it suffered mostly due to the parent companies failings and focus at the initial impact it had in 1975. At the time the industry was going through economic and political turmoil, so a new British
An evolution of the Mini, utilising the East-West transverse engine with Hydrolastic suspension. From the moment the first one left the factory in 1963, it hit the top of the sales charts and maintained a top place or at the very least top three places throughout its ten-year production. Car buyers were presumably less discerning
ADO 16 BMC 1100/1300 Read More »
