Flying Plughole

[RichardMoss]

I've just bought some generic interior door handles from a company called Car Builder Solutions and when they arrived, I found this logo embossed on the back.  I thought I'd share it with you :

[Inspector Morose]

Logo still used by Ashok Leyland who incidentally own Optare in here Blighty so it is theoretically possible to get that logo over here you know.

[RichardMoss]

My guess was that CBS (a UK based company) bought them from whoever supplies Ashok.  We see lots of Ashok Leyland buses on the roads here in the UAE and it's great to see the old plughole still in action.

[Inspector Morose]

In all it's glory.

 

 

[cobblers]

Solo? As in a castoff optare solo or did they just rip off the name?

[Rover414]

As in Ashok Leyland now own Optare and use the Solo for foreign markets just without the Optare bit.

[cobblers]

Makes sense.

[HH-R]

Wasn't the Optare factory ex Leyland so it's come full circle sort of?

[Felly Magic]

The old Optare factory in Cross Gates was Charles Roe, part of the Leyland empire, but sadly that is now toast, and they are now built in Sherburn-in -Elmet

[Inspector Morose]

Optare was, in effect, the old Roe coach builders of old. It was part of the empire till closed as surplus to requirements in the 80s. Instead of going with a whimper, the employees had what you and me call a whipround and bought the place and carried on under the name Optare from the Greek "to choose". After building a few Roe clones it got into its stride and started designing its own products, starting with the LT55 based City Pacer minibus and found itself a niche market in well styled, if not totally reliable, buses. After a failed dalliance with DAF and being bought back by the original managers again, it carried on. However a self made entrepreneur from the Blackburn area bought East Lancs coach builders from certain bankruptcy and arranged a deal for Optare to be taken over by the smaller East Lancs ( I have no idea how that worked). The new company was Still Optare and still based in the original Roe works up until recently when it moved from Leeds to a new site in Sherburn in Elmet. Optare was a little short of cash by now so jumped into a partnership with Ashok Leyland who eventually took full control of the company fairly recently.

 

I think.

[andy18s]

Used to weld up all the seat frames for Optare,amongst other companies !

[TRW]

Full circle. I see what you did there, HH-R.

 

P.S - Why can't I quote people? I hit the quote icon but their comment fails to appear in my text box.