Did you work at Longbridge? Rover stories. Red Robbo things.

[motorpunk]

On 25/03/2025 at 14:17, Pieman said:

Former Communist Party HQ in London?

This. The building had been bugged and was part of a dodgy financial matrix where the KGB funded British communists, but sadly that money never reached the likes of Robbo on the frontline.

[motorpunk]

Bit held up. Have two large features to write for ClassicRetroModern mag (on a Zastava and the Porsche 924, if you’re asking), plus a chunky feature on modified Fiats for a completely new mag which isn’t launched yet so I won’t name it here, and I appear to have caught bloody Covid again in Italy last week, plus work takes me to Scotland, London, Denmark, Newcastle, London again, Paris and maybe Dublin in the next couple of months. I am knackered.

[Matty]

We can wait 🤣

As an aside, lent the Roy James book out to a mate. Doesn't do cars, big football man who has just snapped his knee ligaments playing so laid up. Will be interested to see how he gets on with it.

[motorpunk]

Oh yeah, and I’m driving up Pikes Peak in May in a probably-broken M5. First world problems…

[inconsistant]

3 hours ago, motorpunk said:

Porsche 924

 

[IronStar]

On 27/03/2025 at 11:11, motorpunk said:

Bit held up. Have two large features to write for ClassicRetroModern mag (on a Zastava and the Porsche 924, if you’re asking), plus a chunky feature on modified Fiats for a completely new mag which isn’t launched yet so I won’t name it here, and I appear to have caught bloody Covid again in Italy last week, plus work takes me to Scotland, London, Denmark, Newcastle, London again, Paris and maybe Dublin in the next couple of months. I am knackered.

Zastava? 👂👂👂

I have to admit I haven’t had the patience to read a book in ages, but this one I’m buying and reading as soon as it comes out!

[Carl1981]

On 15/03/2025 at 22:09, New POD said:

4 of those prefabs are for sale currently. 

Until about eleven years ago, I lived on Central avenue. We were there for about 10 years, and we completely renovated ours back to something like original.

We bought the house because I’m an Austin / Leyland / Rover / Jag  nut! That’s taking things too far! 😂

The houses were built in 1917 for the workers before there were any other significant number of houses or significant population to work at the factory. They differed from other period pre-fabs as these were wooden construction catalogue houses (Aladdin homes) shipped over from the US. My great Grandads cousin was a carpenter who worked on the assembly. 

the ‘village’ was originally going to be an oval shape (you can see the end of this in the first picture above) when viewed from above but the second phase of the project was lost at sea. Sunk by a U boat!

the Austin Village is a lovely little community and feels so out of place there. It’s unfortunately not actually a village at all and it’s surrounded by the most depressing suburban council estates. 

the people that lived on the Austin Village then were very proud of the history of the place.

[Carl1981]

Finally, my mother met Red Robbo at some sort of event in Rubery town centre whilst pregnant with me (about June ‘81).

she said he was lovely guy and that they had a bit of a chat. Apparently he jokingly wanted her to name the baby after him, she thought no way is my son going to be called Derek. But she did make my middle name Robert which she thought was close enough, embarrassingly! 

Quite why she felt a need to honour his request I’m not sure 🤔 although he was seen as a local hero by my parents generation 🤷🏻‍♂️

[New POD]

25 minutes ago, Carl1981 said:

Until about eleven years ago, I lived at number 65 Central avenue. We were there for about 10 years, and we completely renovated ours back to something like original.

We bought the house because I’m an Austin / Leyland / Rover / Jag  nut! That’s taking things too far! 😂

The houses were built in 1917 for the workers before there were any other significant number of houses or significant population to work at the factory. They differed from other period pre-fabs as these were wooden construction catalogue houses (Aladdin homes) shipped over from the US. My great Grandads cousin was a carpenter who worked on the assembly. 

the ‘village’ was originally going to be an oval shape (you can see the end of this in the first picture above) when viewed from above but the second phase of the project was lost at sea. Sunk by a U boat!

the Austin Village is a lovely little community and feels so out of place there. It’s unfortunately not actually a village at all and it’s surrounded by the most depressing suburban council estates. 

the people that lived on the Austin Village then were very proud of the history of the place.

We spend 5 years living in Rednal. I never even knew it existed. 

[Carl1981]

6 minutes ago, New POD said:

We spend 5 years living in Rednal. I never even knew it existed. 

I’ve known it as long as I can remember… when I was a kid my Dad would use the village as a cut through on the way to my Nan’s house; purely so that we could ford the River Rae at the back of the village 😂

usually in an Allegro or a Metro, which would occasionally conk out for a minute or two just the other side of the river 🤣🤣🤣

[motorpunk]

1 hour ago, Carl1981 said:

my Dad would use the village as a cut through on the way to my Nan’s house; purely so that we could ford the River Rae at the back of the village 😂

usually in an Allegro or a Metro, which would occasionally conk out for a minute or two just the other side of the river 🤣🤣🤣

You Dad sounds like a great bloke 👍🏼

PS - Your anecdote above is the only instance I’ve heard of Robbo ever properly laughing, by the way. I’m meeting some old friends of his in April, where I hope to learn a bit more about his personal life. 

[Rustyrotavator]

Ive Just listened to BBC Radio 4 Archive on Four today. saturday night, should be available on iplayer or bbc sounds, was excellent.

'As a child, Nathalie Olah would ask for toy garages and racing tracks for Christmas. Every person in her family drove a Rover car. Most of them worked at the vast car plant at Longbridge, southwest of Birmingham, at the foot of the Lickey Hills where Tolkien had been inspired to write The Lord of the Rings. Cars, to her, were just as fantastical. Nathalie revisits the story of Britain's leading volume car producer, from its origins in 1904 to the iconic Mini, the much-derided Austin Allegro and the suped-up 'boy racer' models of the Phoenix Four, through years of industrial disruption, nationalisation, foreign ownership and bankruptcy. With voices from the BBC Sound Archive and new interviews with former Rover employees Alison Debenham (track worker), Giovanni Esposito (chassis engineer) and Ian Murter (showroom salesman).'

[Rustyrotavator]

A Child of Rover  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0029hks

[grogee]

Post-Robbo picture, but I thought maybe @motorpunk would enjoy. 

"Hand built by Roberts" 

[motorpunk]

Thanks for the messages and info above. It all helps to paint a great picture. Another gem from the national archives…

[lesapandre]

Courtway House. An 8-storey tower block constructed 1958 - owned by Birmingham City Council.

A bus ride from the former factory.

[Lord Sterling]

On 29/03/2025 at 08:09, Carl1981 said:

Until about eleven years ago, I lived on Central avenue. We were there for about 10 years, and we completely renovated ours back to something like original.

We bought the house because I’m an Austin / Leyland / Rover / Jag  nut! That’s taking things too far! 😂

The houses were built in 1917 for the workers before there were any other significant number of houses or significant population to work at the factory. They differed from other period pre-fabs as these were wooden construction catalogue houses (Aladdin homes) shipped over from the US. My great Grandads cousin was a carpenter who worked on the assembly. 

the ‘village’ was originally going to be an oval shape (you can see the end of this in the first picture above) when viewed from above but the second phase of the project was lost at sea. Sunk by a U boat!

the Austin Village is a lovely little community and feels so out of place there. It’s unfortunately not actually a village at all and it’s surrounded by the most depressing suburban council estates. 

the people that lived on the Austin Village then were very proud of the history of the place.

Interesting. Unused to drive quite often through the Austin Village estate and have pics from around the time you there.

At that time, I was tearing around Birmingham in a either a 1987 White Rover Sterling or a champagne silver 1990 Rover Sterling. I used to drive around Longbridge a lot as it was only up the road and took pics of the Sterlings I've had on the plinth outside Q-gate. I used to live in Birmingham 29.

[lesapandre]

17 hours ago, grogee said:

Post-Robbo picture, but I thought maybe @motorpunk would enjoy. 

"Hand built by Roberts" 

The David Bache 'scallop' well on display there. Highly disliked by his successor Roy Axe and partly responsible for his downfall.

But BLMC had a habit of dumping those who outlived their welcome - Roy Haynes replace Dick Burzi in 1968 as part of the boardroom coup that made BLMC.

[motorpunk]

6834 words. This takes us (I’m writing in reverse order, as usual) from his death to c.1986. The meaty stuff starts soon…