THE talents of Birmingham’s car making industry are to be honoured at a Pride of Longbridge rally marking the fifth anniversary of the MG Rover’s collapse.
Around 6,500 workers lost their jobs when the firm fell in April 2005 after clocking up debts of around £1.3 billion.
The company had been run by John Towers’ Phoenix consortium following the purchase from BMW in May 2000 for a symbolic £10.
But the Towers era saw the firm annually lose tens of millions of pounds and a string of failed projects, including abortive joint ventures with the likes of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, China Brilliance and Proton.
Yet the talented car makers at the plant produced some of the most sought-after motors of our time, and revolutionised our lives.
Now the Austin Federation is looking to mark their successes with a display of some of the famous brands opposite the former plant at this year’s rally.
Famous makes created between 1905 and 2005, such as the Vanden Plas, Morris, MGBs, Wolseley, Riley, Honda, MG and of course the Austin brand, will be on show.
John Lakey, from the Federation, added: “No other car maker produced iconic, egalitarian cars that motorised the masses and revolutionised the very idea of what a car could be, twice, in 1922 and 1959.
“The Pride of Longbridge rally is a celebration of those great achievements and a chance for the community to gather alongside the plant and enjoy the vehicles they and their ancestors created.
“Come and join us if you have a vehicle with a Longbridge connection (remember the factory built engines for cars as diverse as MGBs and Jensen 541s) and be part of an event that is as much a pilgrimage as a car rally.”
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