British Leyland From Triumph To Tragedy

A history of the British automotive manufacturer and an analysis of what went wrong. What really happened at British Leyland (BL)? Was it ‘just’ the cars, or were other factors vital to the story? Who really was to blame for BL and MG Rover’s death? The ‘truth’ about BL is deeper than its cars – were ultra- Left-wing plots to topple BL and British society real? Did secret deals and political intrigue really exist? Was it Labour or Conservative powers who ‘killed’ BL, or was it BL itself? How was it that BL’s design genius was hobbled? Author Lance Cole lifts the bonnet on BL and presents a forensic yet easy to read new analysis in a story of BL, its cars, and the era of their motoring as powers on the political Left and Right waged war, sometimes even with themselves. Here is a book about cars and more, a conversation on all things BL: this is a new account of a classic British story told across a trail of evidence in a British industrial and political drama. Many mistakes made BL, but some of the cars were superb, the designs of genius, the engineering excellent; it is just that we have either forgotten, or been brainwashed into believing the worst. In a BL book like no other, written by a classic car fanatic with a background in industrial design, automotive, and wider journalism, this story lifts the lid on BL's cars and more. The author also adds inside knowledge from time working in the motor industry. Lance Cole tells the deeper BL story across the era of its greatest successes and its biggest failures. “An important and overdue book, well researched which will find a welcome place on the shelves of transport academics and motoring aficionados alike.” —The Journal of the Road Transport History Association “Cole’s engaging and informal writing style makes things very readable and helps us untangle a lot of the more complex shenanigans that went on. With fifty colour and fifty monochrome pictures, it’s well-illustrated too. Thoroughly recommended for its astute insight whether you’re a BL fan or not.” —Car Mechanics

What really happened at British Leyland (BL)? Was it 'just' the cars, or were other factors vital to the story? Who really was to blame for BL and MG Rover's death?The 'truth' about BL is deeper than its cars - were ultra- Left-wing plots to topple BL and British society real? Did secret deals and political intrigue really exist? Was it Labour or Conservative powers who 'killed' BL, or was it BL itself? How was it that BL's design genius was hobbled?Author Lance Cole lifts the bonnet on BL and presents a forensic yet easy to read new analysis in a story of BL, its cars, and the era of their motoring as powers on the political Left and Right waged war, sometimes even with themselves.Here is a book about cars and more, a conversation on all things BL: this is a new account of a classic British story told across a trail of evidence in a British industrial and political drama.Many mistakes made BL, but some of the cars were superb, the designs of genius, the engineering excellent; it is just that we have either forgotten, or been brainwashed into believing the worst.In a BL book like no other, written by a classic car fanatic with a background in industrial design, automotive, and wider journalism, this story lifts the lid on BL's cars and more. The author also adds inside knowledge from time working in the motor industry.Lance Cole tells the deeper BL story across the era of its greatest successes and its biggest failures.

The early Triumph sports cars that set the standard for others to follow. Providing full details of all models in a readable and engaging style.

In a fresh view of Bugatti, this book frames the design highlights of a series of Bugatti supercars that colour the marque's journey from its origins as an early 'supercar' to its reborn reality as a modern 'hypercar'. These Bugatti's have been chosen to tell a story that uniquely covers the original Bugatti's and the very latest iterations of Bugatti. Joining the two Bugatti camps, old and new, together creates a new roadmap of Bugatti coverage that is essential reading for both those familiar with the marque and for more recent Bugatti enthusiasts across a wider motoring landscape. Blending engineering, styling, art and more, Bugatti's unique story has stretched over one hundred years, giving us cars that capture the soul through exquisite engineering and design. Illustrated with stunning photographs, many of which are previously unpublished, the seasoned enthusiast, the established aficionado and the younger generation of Bugatti newcomers are provided with an up-to-date album of Bugatti information. The text is a guide by which to enter and explore Bugatti and also a conversation about Bugatti details and delights for those with deeper knowledge of the marque.

This book tells the life story of the much-loved Triumph TR6 in unprecedented detail, bringing to life the genesis and magnificent history of one of the most-loved British sports cars of its era. Covering the design, development and manufacture of the car as well as its motorsport history, it shows how this last bastion of traditional British sports car motoring went against the grain of troubled automotive times, outstripping its predecessors in sales and popularity. Triumph TR6 - The Complete Story is dedicated to the last traditional open-topped TR sports car - one of the most-loved British sports cars of its era and will be of great interest to motoring and Triumph enthusiasts. The book gives full details of the much-loved Triumph TR6 from 1969-1976, including design, development and manufacture as well as its motorsport history.Superbly illustrated with nearly 400 colour photographs.

Having worked within the UK engineering industry for many years and chaired 15 companies, including stock market quoted, private equity backed, and university spin offs, Tom Brown offers a unique insight into the challenges facing engineering companies, as well as the impact this has on the economy, people’s working lives, and society. Tragedy & Challenge will appeal to readers interested in economics and politics, business management, investing, and our changing society – including those who enjoyed Evan Davis’s Made in Britain and Peter Marsh’s The New Industrial Revolution. This book examines existing data on UK manufacturing in order to demonstrate how badly our engineering has fared compared with international competitors, especially Germany. The author also recounts his varied early experiences in the industry from night shift manager to Managing Director and the life-changing lessons he gained from working in a German-speaking company. Tragedy & Challenge analyses the causes of the decline in UK engineering, considering its poor leadership, original analysis of the detrimental effects of government economic policy, and the destructive influence of the City including an insider’s uninhibited view of fund managers, analysts, and private equity. Tom Brown concludes that, while some decline was inevitable due to global factors, the example of Germany shows it did not need to be nearly so precipitate; some responsibility lies with management and unions, but ultimately poor governments, the City, and decaying social attitudes were to blame, and now Brexit makes the prognosis even more daunting.

Key themed treated are the global character of the field of management; quality; the balance of theory and practice and that management is a generic activvity not confined to large businesses. Examples used discuss management in both small and large businesses as well as in not-for-profit organizations.