As of today there are no more...

Sad but true, there are no more Ford Vehicles being built on British soil!

So what has happened to our car industry that was once the envy of the world. What have we got left, anything at all?

Perhaps the Morgan is the only true British built car left, unless you can tell me different members?

Ford Transit production moved to Turkey after the last one rolled off the production line here yesterday I believe 

I can't think of any still made here apart from the Morgan Ron. 

Ford Motor Co. (England) Ltd, later Ford of Britain lasted longer than many of its competitors, starting production in Manchester in 1911.

Hard to imagine that in 1952, England was the largest exporter of cars in the world. And in the 70s with Honda and it's little cars and Toyota were selling their new cars through secondhand car dealers, clearly they were no threat to the UK car industry. And in the 70s, most of the mechanical parts of Volvos were made in England.

I guess all that's left now is specialist car makers, and the only one I can think of off hand is McLaren to add to Morgan, plus a few  small sports car companies I can't recall their names off hand.

To add to your specialist cars list Paul

Aston Martin Lagonda

AC Cars

Bristol Cars

TVR Motor Co

They did this to themselves you know, they wanted to keep prices up so the expenisve cars were in tune with them as intermidate priced cars...didn't work..when people couldn't afford them they went to the best gas milage and longest " free of repair" cars...those were Toyota and Honda. What do the farmers use..ATV's if possible..They had it made when the electric cars came out..but then tripled the prices on them so they never sold very well. The cars are to small to be anything better then an commuter car at most. When the average wages per year are between $25,000 and top most $50,000..people can't afford an investment of more then about $8,000. People are going to used cars right now. Even then don't drive them much. They said the other say it takes an income of $70,000 dollars for an family of four to live in the Portland Metro area..few people make that kind of income without both male and female holding down jobs. You can't afford $25,000 cars ..unless your like my neighbor and drive home an expensive car as part of the job benefits of being an  salesman..in his retirement years..There's been an trend for about 10 years over here..it's call being on the move. Kind of gypsy type life..it's one of survival of bad economic times. A lack of help is not going to stop them, illegals coming over the border just push them out into the poverty line even further. The Govt. helps hispanics..they like them as house servants... We ...they don't help much.. the white Europeans .We get to fend for ourselves most the time. We were the ones buying the cars, made those car companies in the past...so this is all reflection of the way we are being treated as to the car industry going belly up...it was us or them..they chose themselves over their customers needs. Gasoline prices haven't  helped the situation either. High car insurance rates.

Corutesy of a Not The Nine O'Clock News team, one of their clips about trucking from the early 80s showing the once ubiquitous names of Leyland and Bedford trucks.  Mel Smith, who sadly recently passed away, is riding next to the passenger door, whiltst the driver is making his very early foray into television.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9lmCpIzhFo

The trouble lies at the seat of successive Governments that have relied to much on the service and financial industry to keep the UK afloat.

Its a straight forward case of economics that every Government has failed to grasp you must export more than you import, spend less that what you earn and borrow only what you can pay back without mortgaging the country up to the hilt for future years for the young ones to pay off.

It could well be that the UK has already reached the point of no return with debts larger than that of Greece.

I am sorry forum members to be pessimistic but who in Europe is the strongest, Germany of course they looked after their engineering industry base, whilst the UK relied to much on the financial industry with an unregulated management structure, full of greed, take a long look at the situation this has brought the country into its a disgrace.

Successive Governments have been all to willing to borrow money to appease the electorate to remain in power now it is pay back time.

Should Nigel Farage be fortunate enough to kick this crazy lot up the backside I do not envy the task before him.