What was the best period for the British motor industry
What was the best period for the British motor industry
What do you consider to be the greatest era for car production for British motor manufacturers, what were the very best cars, who were the most iconic designers, what were the greatest Marques?
Strive for perfection in everything you do
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
I think it has to be the 60s with all those iconic cars coming out, Mini (OK I know it was 59, but close enough to 1960) Austin/Morris 1100, Jag E-Type, MK2 amongst others I could go on about but I'd be here all night! 
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
There were some iconic cars in the sixties but I prefer a decade earlier when life moved at a more leisurely pace. The Austin Counties cars have always been favorites of mine and the name Austin was among the world leaders for many years. Yeah, for me its certainly the 1950's
Strive for perfection in everything you do
-
tractorman
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
- Location: Wigton, Cumbria
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
I think the 50s were the boon years for the British motor industry - apart from the war years stopping much production, there was rationing and there were steel shortages at the start of the fifties. However, there was the "export or die" ethos at the time - we needed foreign currency - and several small car makers stayed in business for a lot longer than perhaps they should have been (for various reasons).
Apart from the Austin Counties, the XK Jags (and other models) were big sellers - I didn't like the XK120s when I was young, but appreciate them more now! Then there were the eccentric things like the gold Daimler Conquest (?) and, of course, the era of the sports car (big Healeys, MGA and TRs) and GT cars (DB2 etc).
While the Moggy and Land Rovers were, technically, forties cars, they flourished in the fifties and even Ford gave us some interesting stuff: Mk 1 and 2 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac. Though they blew it with the side valve 100E (if those had OHV from the start, the Minor might have had more competition!). Then there were the Vauxhalls, with their American styling and built in rust traps - magic!!
Apart from the Austin Counties, the XK Jags (and other models) were big sellers - I didn't like the XK120s when I was young, but appreciate them more now! Then there were the eccentric things like the gold Daimler Conquest (?) and, of course, the era of the sports car (big Healeys, MGA and TRs) and GT cars (DB2 etc).
While the Moggy and Land Rovers were, technically, forties cars, they flourished in the fifties and even Ford gave us some interesting stuff: Mk 1 and 2 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac. Though they blew it with the side valve 100E (if those had OHV from the start, the Minor might have had more competition!). Then there were the Vauxhalls, with their American styling and built in rust traps - magic!!
-
Martin Evans
- Posts: 3279
- Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:16 am
- Location: South Wales.
- Contact:
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
As Sir Jackie Stewart once remarked, when comparing Grand Prix drivers, you can only be the best of your time, so you can’t really compare Fangio with Senna.
Britain was slow to embrace the car but once it got going, in the Edwardian period, I’d say Rolls Royce and Sunbeam gave us something to shout about (Plus Morgan in their field) and Morris Motors kicked off in about 1913. Ford began production in the UK before WW1 but since that is an American company, I am not including it.
In the 1920s, Austin built the 7 and that was very much a world leader in small cars, with cars eventually being built in Germany and France (What chance of British cars being built in those places now?). It was at this time, that General Motors took over Vauxhall and the marque went downmarket.
During the 1930s, the UK had the second largest car industry, after the USA, as pointed out by Guderian, in his book, Achtung Panzer. During the 1930s, the small British sports car really came of age, with Austin and MG building cars to take speed records, in the smaller engine classes.
After the war, export was the name of the game (My grandfather ordered his first new car, an Austin 10 and when it came, three years later, it was an Austin A40). MG sold most of their post war production to the USA. With much of Europe in ruins, British manufacturers could sell all they could make and I wonder whether this allowed a degree of complacency to creep in, which culminated in the 1970s.
At the 1948 Motor show, there were three outstanding new cars, the Jaguar XK120, the Land Rover and the Issigonis (How do you class a Greek/German, who settled in the UK – shall we just settle for gifted?) designed Morris Minor. This did seem to usher in a period of some very good models, such as the Gerry Palmer designed MG Magnette (And it’s lesser known Wolseley versions), the Sunbeam Talbot 90, The Healey; the fastest production saloon of it’s time (Using the same Riley Big Four, as the RMB – a favourite of mine), the Triumph TR range and we cannot overlook the next Issogonis milestone, the Mini. At this time, we saw three superb engines appear, the Jaguar XK (That won Le Mans five times), the BMC A Series and the superb Standard Triumph wet liner four (That won it's class at Le Mans, in a Morgan and also powered tractors).
The Mini was an example of what was good and bad about the British Motor industry. On the track and on rallies, it swept all before it. As a road car, it outperformed many bigger cars, not only in road holding, but in interior space (My father had a Mini estate, followed by an Escort estate and although the Escort was bigger, if anything, the Mini had more usable space). If only BMC had followed on from the example of some of the customisers and put in a hatchback, we could have had the “Metro” best part of twenty years sooner. The bad parts were the poor quality control and the apparent inability to do anything about it (Whilst all the while the Germans were making an effort to build well finished and reliable cars and the Japanese were not content to go on building rubbish).
During the 1960s, Chrysler absorbed Rootes, whilst BMC and Leyland merged to constitute much of the rest. The sorry tale of BL, in the 1970s, is another matter, though they still produced some exiting cars, unfortunately not always as well , as they should have done (And it has to be said that development was lacking; I include the MGB in this!!!). I think the 1970s marked the time when the British motor industry passed the point of no return and Austin Rover, Rover, MG/Rover at best only ever struggled on, in the face of competition from others.
For me, one of the greatest car designers, was Colin Chapman. His Lotus cars (Sometimes light, to the point of fragility) were world leaders and his racing cars are the stuff of legend. Perhaps however, Lotus is outside the field of production.
Britain was slow to embrace the car but once it got going, in the Edwardian period, I’d say Rolls Royce and Sunbeam gave us something to shout about (Plus Morgan in their field) and Morris Motors kicked off in about 1913. Ford began production in the UK before WW1 but since that is an American company, I am not including it.
In the 1920s, Austin built the 7 and that was very much a world leader in small cars, with cars eventually being built in Germany and France (What chance of British cars being built in those places now?). It was at this time, that General Motors took over Vauxhall and the marque went downmarket.
During the 1930s, the UK had the second largest car industry, after the USA, as pointed out by Guderian, in his book, Achtung Panzer. During the 1930s, the small British sports car really came of age, with Austin and MG building cars to take speed records, in the smaller engine classes.
After the war, export was the name of the game (My grandfather ordered his first new car, an Austin 10 and when it came, three years later, it was an Austin A40). MG sold most of their post war production to the USA. With much of Europe in ruins, British manufacturers could sell all they could make and I wonder whether this allowed a degree of complacency to creep in, which culminated in the 1970s.
At the 1948 Motor show, there were three outstanding new cars, the Jaguar XK120, the Land Rover and the Issigonis (How do you class a Greek/German, who settled in the UK – shall we just settle for gifted?) designed Morris Minor. This did seem to usher in a period of some very good models, such as the Gerry Palmer designed MG Magnette (And it’s lesser known Wolseley versions), the Sunbeam Talbot 90, The Healey; the fastest production saloon of it’s time (Using the same Riley Big Four, as the RMB – a favourite of mine), the Triumph TR range and we cannot overlook the next Issogonis milestone, the Mini. At this time, we saw three superb engines appear, the Jaguar XK (That won Le Mans five times), the BMC A Series and the superb Standard Triumph wet liner four (That won it's class at Le Mans, in a Morgan and also powered tractors).
The Mini was an example of what was good and bad about the British Motor industry. On the track and on rallies, it swept all before it. As a road car, it outperformed many bigger cars, not only in road holding, but in interior space (My father had a Mini estate, followed by an Escort estate and although the Escort was bigger, if anything, the Mini had more usable space). If only BMC had followed on from the example of some of the customisers and put in a hatchback, we could have had the “Metro” best part of twenty years sooner. The bad parts were the poor quality control and the apparent inability to do anything about it (Whilst all the while the Germans were making an effort to build well finished and reliable cars and the Japanese were not content to go on building rubbish).
During the 1960s, Chrysler absorbed Rootes, whilst BMC and Leyland merged to constitute much of the rest. The sorry tale of BL, in the 1970s, is another matter, though they still produced some exiting cars, unfortunately not always as well , as they should have done (And it has to be said that development was lacking; I include the MGB in this!!!). I think the 1970s marked the time when the British motor industry passed the point of no return and Austin Rover, Rover, MG/Rover at best only ever struggled on, in the face of competition from others.
For me, one of the greatest car designers, was Colin Chapman. His Lotus cars (Sometimes light, to the point of fragility) were world leaders and his racing cars are the stuff of legend. Perhaps however, Lotus is outside the field of production.
Last edited by Martin Evans on Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:47 am, edited 3 times in total.
Rules exist for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.
MG Midget 1500, MGB GT V8, Morris Minor Traveller 1275, MG Midget 1275 & too many bicycles.
MG Midget 1500, MGB GT V8, Morris Minor Traveller 1275, MG Midget 1275 & too many bicycles.
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
when they started importing japanese cars...
-
DoloMIGHTY
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:25 pm
- Location: Isle of Wight
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
I too would say the 1950s, it seemed to be a productive era in engineering terms generally in this county too.
Alan the First Forum Glitch!
-
Martin Evans
- Posts: 3279
- Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:16 am
- Location: South Wales.
- Contact:
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
And building themrich. wrote:when they started importing japanese cars...
Rules exist for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.
MG Midget 1500, MGB GT V8, Morris Minor Traveller 1275, MG Midget 1275 & too many bicycles.
MG Midget 1500, MGB GT V8, Morris Minor Traveller 1275, MG Midget 1275 & too many bicycles.
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
did nissan build the bluebird in the uk?
-
tractorman
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
- Location: Wigton, Cumbria
Re: What was the best period for the British motor industry
Indeed; and, according to some friends who worked there, they were exporting British-built Bluebirds to Japan as they were better built than the Japanese ones!rich. wrote:did nissan build the bluebird in the uk?