MG Rover collapse, part 1

News clips showing last days of MG Rover. In part 1 you will see dramatic news from April 2005 when SAIC pulled out of MG Rover deal and Rover redundancy notices were in post.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• MG
• Rover
• collapse

[simonburnley]

I just love my MG Rover cars. Isn't it strange that the government, having stuffed manufacturing with their Sterling-busting economic strategy, can find billions to bail out City banks. But anything that is manufacturd and engineered, and outside of precious London, it couldn't give a toss about.

MG at least is coming back in 18 months or so with three new models so good luck to them and Longbridge. I will hang on to my ZS a little while longer until I can trade it in for a new Longbridge car...

[hew35s]

Hear hear. And as is increasingly (way too late, mind) being recognised is that manufacturing is what's going to be sorely needed if the UK's going to pay its way in the world from now on. Shame we now have virtually no manufacturing base left as that wasn't considered important, given the 'new' economy; i.e. based on financial services. Ah, the irony of short-termism...

[harryhillys]

I own a 2000 MGF VVC and it is excellent. The problem with MG Rover historically is they didn't deal with obvious faults like the head gasket, however its easily sorted now and I still say the K Series is the best mass produced engine to be made as it did what no other manufacturer could in using the throughbolt system. Revs for fun and like s*** off a stick. I still mourn the passing of Rover and in particular the theft of MG by the chinese who now produce dullards under this badge

[bradps3gamer]

I find it sad that my car, my first car that I bought second hand, is a 2005 MG ZR, sold on the 20th of March 2005, a brilliant car, brilliantly made, brilliant looking, was one of the last off of the production line, that it was like a last call for RoverMG, building amazing cars like that in their final hour. As a proud Brit born and bred, I see this as upsetting to the UK as Michael Jackson's death was upsetting to the USA.

[mikeeG77]

Well - maybe someday some American cowboy will show up over there on your shores and build a car with gull-wing doors! Anyways - cheers! I had a brand new MGB in 1980 and drove it regularly to Palm Beach Motor Cars in West Palm Beach Florida for constant maintenance.  I think they dedicated a wing of that building to me and my MG. Thank god the Alfa Romeo Spyder came along in '83 - I needed a reliable car!

[discocreator76]

The reason for MG Rover's collapse is complex and long running. The only reason why MGR needed that Chinese deal was because they were near collapse anyway, a well run and successful company doesn't get to that stage... Britain as a whole has been declining since the 50s mainly due to complacency, laziness and bad government generally...

[danielcrawford1991]

They were going since 1885, Many of us English had ancestors work at or along side Rover, Rover really is something to make us English proud it's part of our superior engineering history, RULE BRITANNIA FOREVER AND ALWAYS I COULDN'T WISH TO HAVE BEEN BORN TO A BETTER NATIONALITY! :D

[1sick93]

This was very sad for the workers and the company.

[TJ347]

And I had hopes of importing an MG TF...

[AnthonyUK]

MG coming back yeah, but in chinky guise!

[runforit420]

I have a Honda Civic (joint venture car used as a basis for the Mk. II Rover 400/45/MG ZS) and it is absolutely the WORST handling family hatchback I have ever driven. It has horrible understeer. I've never driven a Rover 400 but hopefully it drove better than the Civic (the MG ZS does)

By 1996, the design was already four years old (JDM Honda Domani) - by 2005 it was 13 years old.

It's a wonder Rover didn't fall apart sooner by having a family hatch/saloon based on that Honda Civic hatchback.

[itsnotoverrover]

i will be buying a second hand car, a rover 25 i won't bother looking for ed anything else, the government could have nationalised it like they done with the banks. THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IN FRANCE.