Pride of Longridge Birmingham April 15th 2023

[Mr Vlad]

Did anyone go today? I did and it was ruddy wonderful. Yes Longridge. Home to where Rover cars were once built. And today at Crofton Park opposite the factory where they were built was a superb collection of the cars built there all those years ago. 

Yes my car history started with an Austin Metro 1.3s. What a car that was. The first of many Rover and MG cars I had over about 20-22 years. 

It was great to see so many well cared for and restored cars. The camaraderie of the 'fans' was just brilliant. I lost count how many chats I had with owners and visitors. 

No one car stood out but to see an Austin Morris Ital 1.7 HL out there was a miracle. Yes I've had one of those lol. The V8 MG ZT's with superchargers were just jaw dropping andcthe sound? OMG awesome. 

So, did anyone go?

[Gary H]

Sadly not. I was aware of the event taking place but unfortunately I'd already made plans for yesterday about a month ago! I will be catching up with what was happening over on YouTube. Someone who I subscribe to was there.

My father owned an 'S' plate Morris Marina in blue, which he was really fond of. It's actually the first car I remember him having when I was a child and do have short, vivid memories of using the rear armrest as a 'booster seat'! 😄 

My brother also had a 'D' plate three door Metro City in red. What a tough little thing that was... It remains to this day one of the few cars which has survived his ownership (a combination of some truly terrible luck and not the most mechanically sympathetic). He also had two black Freelander vans back-to-back at one point, due to the nature of the job he was doing at the time. Unfortunately, neither of those lasted beyond his ownership.

Pride Of Longbridge is certainly one event that I'd love to attend one day. Maybe next year, you never know...

[Malc1]

18 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

So, did anyone go?

had i known I might well have made that pilgrimage to nostalgia land 

My revered Wolseley 16/60 and Morris Oxford estate readily come to mind .  Austin Somerset my very first car ( cost £4, amazing ) and learning to drive on a simple Morris 1100 and on my dad's Wolseley 6/110, wow I scared him on that one for sure .....  he had many Rovers and also the now very rare Austin 3 ltr   ( very gearbox prone ) 

I also momentarily, foolishly bought an ancient Austin Westminster 3 ltr thingy ....  wonderful car but would have been a moneypit had i kept her .  she broke down on the M4 on our way to Wales on holiday .  good 'ol RAC  to the rescue that day 

ah such nostalgia .....  a benefit of being old and ancient me'self eh !

Thanks for the memories 🖕

Malc

[Bill Dawes]

My very first car was a 1946 Austin 8, bought it off a mate at work for £50, payable £1.00 per week.

This would have been about 1959 ish.

Remember a braking scare whilst on a fishing trip with mates, having to stop suddenly behind a coach I had my foot hard on the brakes and hand brake pulled on hard it drifted to a standstill.

Investigation found the rear drums full of oil from the Diff, brakes were rod type with plenty of clearance in all the links.

Then had a 1950s era Morris Cowley (not a bullnose!!) the Cowley was a budget version of the Oxford I think, 1200 cc engine rather than the Oxford 1.5 litre, column gear stick and big front bench seat, massive boot and the engine was lost in the huge under bonnet space, used to climb in and sit on the wheel arch for servicing.

Then a 65 Sprite in which I felt a real jack the lad, also had a Metrowhich  served us well for several years, even had the much maligned Allegro which I found to be a nice car, Reynard metallic I think, 1500cc Maxi engine which ran like a sewing machine, plush comfy seats.

Had other makes but the one thing I liked with the BMC cars was the SU carbs, simple and reliable.

Didn't know they made Rovers at Longbridge, Rover had their own factories around Brum, my dad and most of my uncles worked at various Rover car / Landrover plants, perhaps it was the Leyland days when Rovers were made there?

Bill D.

[Mr Vlad]

lol Bill. Longbridge factory was/is still in Birmingham. 

[Bill Dawes]

As a born and bred Brummie now living in Somerset I do of course remember the old Longbridge works, I had an Aunt who lived in Longbridge, it was up a hill and you could see the factory from her garden with trains and trucks going back and forth. This was in the 50s so when it was 'proper' Austin not a badge engineering exercise. Havn't been along that part of the A38 for years now but I understand whatever still exists does not actually make cars anymore, some sort of facilty for MG?which are made in China.  (Morris/MG never was a Brummie company of course, although we did have Morris Commercial)

My Dad worked at Rover Tyseley, next door was Girling brakes.

I was born just up the road from the BSA motorcycle works, round the corner was James motorcycles and round the corner from them were Watsonian sidecars.

My what a changed world we live in now, not convinced its's totally a better world to be honest but maybe that's the rose tinted specs of old age.

[Mr Vlad]

Funnily I watched a fabulous YouTube video earlier today about the demise of the Longbridge site. All that remains now is the front gates and entrance where the sign for Conference Centre. It only has MG signs since the shortlived chinese investments.

Lots of owners still make a pilgrimage just to get a photo of their car in front of what still stands. 

I was amazed just how huge the site was and just how much of it has became a shopping centre and housing estate. 

Since you're in Somerset I'm not sure how far you are from Gaydon as there is a yearly or bi-yearly Rover MG get together. 

[Bill Dawes]

Well Gaydon is in Warwickshire but not a miliion miles away, we do go up to the Midlands  a few times a year to see family. Never been to the motor museum but one of my list of 'must do' places. Been to motorcycle museum by the NEC which was brilliant but sad at the same time to think of the demise of this and many other British industries.

We do of course have the Haynes museum in Somerset but that is another 'must do'

Incidentally when I left school I commenced an engineering apprenticeship at Alldays & Onions in Sydenham Road Small Heath, makers at the time of foundry equipment and industrial fans, an experience that set me on a 65 year career in the industrial fan industry. The point of this aside is that Alldays (founded 1650!) in common with many engineering companies also went into car production in the early 1900s, motorcycles and and vans as well. When  was in the machine shop I worked with a fella who had a load of dusty envelopes on top of his locker, plucking up courage I asked him what was in them and it was a  load of photographs of Alldays cars, vans, push and motor bikes, even ice cream and hot pie trikes, wish I had that extra bit of courage to ask if I could have some. I think there might be an Alldays motor bike in the National Motorcycle museum.      And I come across varios items of smithy equipment at various small museums, there is an Alldays pneumatic hammer in the Blists Hill museum.

Bill D.

 

[PaulWhitt20]

This is the last 2566th mini to be made at longbridge

 

 

[Mr Vlad]

I'm sure that mini was at the Pride of Longbridge show last weekend. Ruddy stunning looking car.

[Cotswold Pete]

Lovely looking mini, that was in  the days when a mini was a mini (not the current 'hugeez' we now have on the road).

Many a happy days pottering about the new forest in late 70's in mates mini, always felt like you were going twice as fast as you actually were, being that close to the ground