UK’s motor vanity fair (24) [Bâlciul deşertăciunilor cu motor din UK]

Although I dedicated another episode to this legendary British car, I feel that there’s a little more to say before exhausting (or maybe not?!) the topic.

In tune with the season, these images (taken by my reader C.L.) are meant to illustrate the good news of 2011 for England’s motor industry.

The Chinese owners of MG have kept their word, and seem more determined to succeed than the previous German owners (BMW).

Not only that they reopened a former MG plant in Birmingham, yet the result of their work could be seen on British roads as of April 2011.

The (re-named) ‘Modern Gentleman’ is back. A new model (MG6 1.8T Fastback) was launched in spring, for a starting price of £ 15,495.

Obviously, many could argue that this ‘renaissance’ of the motor industry in Britain is rather symbolic, having a negligeable impact (what’s more fragile than ‘air bridges’? :-) on the whole of UK’s economy.

Over 75% of the ‘new MG’ is build in Shanghai, shipped to Britain, and finished by less than 100 skilled British specialists.

Anyway, irrespective of the adverse global economic climate, why wouldn’t we hail any little success, in this world so flooded with bad news about the automotive industry?

It took 16 years for the brand’s fans (some of their car clubs: here, here and here) to see a new MG and their patience was rewarded.

There are less than 10 years since no new ARO left the assembly plant in the Romanian municipality of Câmpulung-Muscel, Argeş county (AG).

MG has always been an elitistic brand, such as it’s birthplace (Oxford) is. Still, we are witnessing its resurrection.

Would it be so exaggerate to dream that ARO – a ‘SUV for the masses’, exported to over 110 countries – could be reborn thanks to its current British owner of Romanian descent?

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

UK’s motor vanity fair (6) [Bâlciul deşertăciunilor cu motor din UK]

I wish I saw many other cars like these on the British roads, apart from the two illustrating this post, as I guess I’ve always been somekind of fan of this type of vehicules. Unfortunaly, they seemed to be as rare as ARO IMS cars have become on Romanian roads. Is it because the Brits are ashamed that their ‘national icon’ was bought buy the Indians from Tata Motors?

Anyway, owning a Land Rover and driving it through the Scottish Highlands, in the Australian outback, throughout the plains of East Africa or the Namibian desert wouldn’t have been a proof of vainly investing in a car. I guess that, at the time, it was one of the wisest and most useful investments one could make.

Maybe it’s just the end of an era, and they simply don’t make cars like these. Buying petrol or diesel for these monsters is just too expensive, yet they were incredibly reliable. It is estimated that 75% of all Land Rovers ever produced are still in use today. I wonder how many of the first 914 original ARO IMS vehicles, hancrafted from 1957 to 1959 are still functioning?

Sadly, the fact that I saw so few cars like thise on Brit soil doesn’t leave for me any better comment than saying sic transit gloria mundi...

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]