# How come British don't make cars any more? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150 "2004-08-03T16:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/21 "2004-08-04T13:28:45Z")
Bristol is still a British company, isn’t it? I never quite understood why people buy those cars… they’re hideously expensive, hideous to look at (admittedly an IMO thing), and are outdone on almost every count by most other manufacturers. IMO, the only thing they have going for them is exclusivity. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/22 "2004-08-04T15:21:53Z")
But I still love my Triumph Daytona 955i !!! ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/23 "2004-08-04T16:48:26Z")
**Johnny L.A.** , you really need to come to the Old English Car Affair in the Park, that we hold every September at Fort Rodd Hill in Victoria. (September 11-12 this year). Linky: [http://www.oecc.ca/ecaip.htm](http://www.oecc.ca/ecaip.htm) You’ll be knee-deep in everything from 1930s Singers, to MGBs, Lotuses, Rollers, Sunbeams, Triumph, Allards, BSAs etc. We had over 200 vehicles last year (including some nice old bikes). Our 1942 Willys won’t be in the show, but still on display nearby! If you’re in town, I’ll stand you a pint (or two!) Looks like the Vauxhall plant at Luton is closing down (after nearly 100 years!); most recently produced commercial vans for customers including the French post office. Ellesmereport was making the Vectra, but I’m not sure if it’s still doing so (a lot of restructuring of the company in the last year). ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/24 "2004-08-04T17:26:35Z")
A friend of mine here at work used to buy old MGs, fix them up, and sell them as a hobby. He had on his office wall a bumper sticker that stated, “All the parts falling off of this car are of the finest English workmanship.” RR ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/25 "2004-08-04T18:45:25Z")
MG was prime example of a part of the British motor industry which had the potential to be successful - a factory which actually functioned without striking every five minutes, two products - the MGB and the Midget - which still sold, although they were looking distinctly long in the tooth, and a customer base which was waiting patiently for a new model to buy. And British Leyland closed it down because they couldn’t think what else to do with it (the badge-engineered things which appeared after Abingdon closed aren’t MGs…) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/26 "2004-08-04T18:57:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Everybody finally realized that British cars were crap. They’ve never managed to master electricity and it shows. I’ve never known anybody who owned a British car who didn’t have major problems with it, especially the electronics. The old joke was “Lucas, crown prince of darkness” They really did have some strange practices. One I’d heard of was grounding the ignition system by way of a tail light. Using light bulbs is an old way of limiting current flow, so on the surface, it’s a decent way to do things, but the problem is tail lights tend to burn out at the worst possible times. And, if the tail light goes out or simply has a bad connection (Another Lucas legacy) the ignition will fail and in the inimitable words of Rolls Royce, the car will fail to proceed. ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/27 "2004-08-04T21:59:07Z")
HOOLY COW! from beeing leader in almost every field of industry, to not beeing able to make stupid [car.UK](http://car.UK) went really fast down the drain. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/28 "2004-08-04T22:36:33Z")
> [@nonpolar](#): > > HOOLY COW! from beeing leader in almost every field of industry, to not beeing able to make stupid [car.UK](http://car.UK) went really fast down the drain. Hmm, if you just want to spout off about how useless Britain is, I think you’re in the wrong forum. Returning to matters factual, Britain has the same per capita GDP as Germany and France, according to the latest [CIA factbook](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html#Econ), and higher economic growth. Someone, somewhere in Britain must be producing things that people want, then. ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/29 "2004-08-04T22:53:06Z")
I have not seen anything innteresting or innovative comming out of UK in the last 50 years except ;Harrier VSTOL, or Concord actually French/UK design. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/30 "2004-08-04T23:10:43Z")
What about Landrover- who owns them, and are their cars any good? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/31 "2004-08-04T23:17:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What about Landrover- who owns them, and are their cars any good? 😕 Yeah! Land Rover, I forgot. And something else BIG and cool came out of UK - rock/roll 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/32 "2004-08-05T04:09:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > But I still love my Triumph Daytona 955i !!! My '96 Tiger still runs as good, no, better than new! Oh, this thread’s about _cars_ …nevermind :o ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/33 "2004-08-05T04:14:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What about Landrover- who owns them, and are their cars any good? 😕 Earlier in the thread - GM … and a link to the [MG-TF]([www.mgcars.org.uk/](http://www.mgcars.org.uk/) cambs.mgoc/nl012002.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/34 "2004-08-05T04:26:18Z")
I would really like to have a Landrover Defender 90. A really bad ass off-roader! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/35 "2004-08-05T04:29:18Z")
Did you guys see that amphibious car from UK?Beauty! But quite expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/36 "2004-08-05T04:30:01Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Earlier in the thread - GM > > … and a link to the [MG-TF]([www.mgcars.org.uk/](http://www.mgcars.org.uk/) cambs.mgoc/nl012002.html) General Motors? Or MG? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/37 "2004-08-05T04:32:19Z")
Timeless, well-worn, classical, hand-tooled joke: In Heaven, the police are British, the cooks are French, the cars are German, and the women are Italian. In Hell, the police are German, the food is British, the cars are French, and the women are Italian. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/38 "2004-08-05T05:20:00Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Earlier in the thread - GM Wrong. Land Rover and Jaguar, and Aston Martin are all part of Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group. (PAG) According to a recent article in Automotive News these three are losing money like it is going out of style. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/39 "2004-08-05T06:27:04Z")
Sign at a MG mechanics shop: “The parts falling off these cars are of the_finest_ Briyish manufacturing”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150/40 "2004-08-05T06:33:32Z")
Some funny pics here: [http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/comics.html](http://www.brit.ca/%7etboicey/comics.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-british-dont-make-cars-any-more/258150.md?page=3)