bzn20 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 2 hours ago, Vince1159 said: Thank god for that they should have died with Rover,weren't they taken over by an Indian firm...No Chinese,thanks bzn... The company was called China Brilliance, catchy name. Hoo flung Dung 1.3i available in 3 and 5 door with 4 wheels and repair kit and tippex for touching up the stripes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 2 minutes ago, Séan Pádraig said: You forgot Rolls Royce, but if you go down that avenue then Land Rovers and Jaguars are built by TATA and Bentleys are built by VW... As for MINI's (not Mini's) they are marmite but as far as being a joke they are a 3 million selling very popular joke which parent BMW are happy to have. As far as i'm concerned that's the only reason BM bought them,the name and profit....They are a joke,they take up three times more space than the original Austin design.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Fiat got it absolutely right when they brought back the 500. Yes, it's a bit bigger, but it really looks the part. They're even savvy enough to paint them in 1950's colours. Now, if someone were to do that to the original Mini, they's sell gazillions of them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 13 minutes ago, Shar2 said: No that's the MG6 I see the humour in Sunbury-on-Thames hasn't improved since I left home in 1970 ! BTW Couldn't believe the new buildings and Hotels 'round the Cross 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 9 minutes ago, roymattblack said: Fiat got it absolutely right when they brought back the 500. Yes, it's a bit bigger, but it really looks the part. They're even savvy enough to paint them in 1950's colours. Now, if someone were to do that to the original Mini, they's sell gazillions of them. You beat me to it,hell even the Beetle looks like the original (sort of)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 4 minutes ago, roymattblack said: Fiat got it absolutely right when they brought back the 500. Yes, it's a bit bigger, but it really looks the part. They're even savvy enough to paint them in 1950's colours. Now, if someone were to do that to the original Mini, they's sell gazillions of them. They have, done a good job on it, Arbath version too. But don't mention the 500L , ooops ! Now that is FIAT's take on BMW's Countryman mess. It was a Fiat 600 Multipla in the 60s. Kids playing cards in one during the Italian Job traffic jam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Shame about the job losses, but the car is no great loss. I think I have seen 3 'MGs' since 'assembly' started. The fact that only 25 lost their jobs tells you something about the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Séan Pádraig Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 I can't be doing these same old circular arguments again.... Back on topic: The MG brand was not strong enough to survive IMO. It would be like trying to resurrect the Triumph car brand after all this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 2 minutes ago, Séan Pádraig said: The MG brand was not strong enough to survive IMO. It would be like trying to resurrect the Triumph car brand after all this time. Which is why the name should have been left in the archives,the only reason companies take over a name is because of the name (here's profit!)...I know a couple of people that have Stags,they take a lot of looking after but at the end of the day they'd rather have an original than a remake... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malpaso Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 29 minutes ago, Vince1159 said: You beat me to it,hell even the Beetle looks like the original (sort of)... Except they seem to have lost the plot on the latest iteration of the now-not-so "New" Beetle. Mind you the first "New" Beetle I saw was on honeymoon in California in....1998! The dealer had a (more likely one of many) movie Herbie displayed alongside. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 11 minutes ago, Séan Pádraig said: It would be like trying to resurrect the Triumph car brand after all this time. I remember was quite surprised when I learned that Triumph cars and Triumph motorcycles were not produced by the same manufacturer. Two wheeled Triumphs rule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malpaso Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Just now, Pin said: I remember was quite surprised when I learned that Triumph cars and Triumph motorcycles were not produced by the same manufacturer. Two wheeled Triumphs rule! Well they were the same company to start with... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 (edited) 6 minutes ago, malpaso said: Except they seem to have lost the plot on the latest iteration of the now-not-so "New" Beetle. Mind you the first "New" Beetle I saw was on honeymoon in California in....1998! The dealer had a (more likely one of many) movie Herbie displayed alongside. It's the same with all modern cars malpaso,mobile computers,if it looks retro they'll like it and forget the original... Edited September 23, 2016 by Vince1159 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 1 hour ago, roymattblack said: Fiat got it absolutely right when they brought back the 500. Yes, it's a bit bigger, but it really looks the part. They're even savvy enough to paint them in 1950's colours. Now, if someone were to do that to the original Mini, they's sell gazillions of them. Unfortunately you ain't never going to make a Mini the same size as the old one nowadays.You only have to stand by the old one to realize just how small it was.Modern main stream cars are that size due to the safety aspect, crumple zones etc, even the 500 looks big next to the original mini 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 3 minutes ago, colin said: Unfortunately you ain't never going to make a Mini the same size as the old one nowadays.You only have to stand by the old one to realize just how small it was.Modern main stream cars are that size due to the safety aspect, crumple zones etc, even the 500 looks big next to the original mini True,can you imagine a new 2CV,an all time classic...Let's face it modern cars are junk with a complete lack of imagination from designers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 (edited) Sorry - beg to differ there. The Fiat 500 was a lot smaller all round... Edited September 23, 2016 by roymattblack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 I was comparing the new 500 as you said about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Okey dokey... My point though, was that if someone made the old Mini in the same way Fiat did the old 500, it would be a winner. The BMW horror is a joke. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spad Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 5 hours ago, vontrips said: Brexitastic! Just need Nissan to go and then we won't be making anything in this country; apart from F1 and Indy cars (and the odd Bentley). So Honda and Toyota have packed up also?? Pleased to report that Norfolk's premier car maker is still going strong in Hethel....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 The BMW mini is designed for the German market, where I believe it's been a success. Nostalgia, Britishness, coupled with German engineering and quality is the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 39 minutes ago, Chimpion said: The BMW mini is designed for the German market, where I believe it's been a success. Nostalgia, Britishness, coupled with German engineering and quality is the idea. They're bound to be a success Chimpion the same as Mercs and Fiat/Alfa in Italy Citreon/Peugeot/Renault in France etc because they're built for the home market but why call it a mini,why spend millions on a name and then reinvent it as something the complete opposite to what it was (i'm very passionate when it come to British cars as you can probably tell)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Séan Pádraig Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 I cannot help but think many slag off the MINI not because it is larger than the original but because it smarts that it is now German... had Honda taken full control instead it was not be an issue.... but it is what it is and in the immortal words of Taylor Swift. . . Haters gonna hate. "The MINI is too big" is the rally call for the haters yet never have I heard the same logic used against the new Fiat 500 yet the size difference between the two versions yet the new Fiat dwarfs the original in equal measure to the Mini's... and Fiat has the 500L and now the 500X which are are large as the MINI Countryman... but then it's not German so I guess that's OK. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Going down the Fiat 500 route didn't they (fiat) just bring out a special one with the old 500s silhouette painted on the sides, it just made the new 500 look fat Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whofan Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 6 hours ago, vontrips said: Brexitastic! Just need Nissan to go and then we won't be making anything in this country; apart from F1 and Indy cars (and the odd Bentley). I think you'll find Minis are made in Cowley, albeit by BMW, and Jags and the "Range Rover family" are made in the UK. And Toyota might be a little miffed to see you forgot them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Séan Pádraig Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 Because it is rare to see an original 500 on the road iot is easy to forget just how small it was ... I mean to say when a Smart car looks like a Limo you know it was truly micro. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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