British Manufacturing History

How manufacturing shaped Britain. Why manufacturing spread across the country, how it grew, why it declined and what was left.

Speciality car makers and commercial vehicles

Luxury Cars and Commercial Vehicles avoided some of the issues faced by the volume car makers. Despite at times a rocky ride, four high end motor companies prospered – Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover – although they also fell into foreign ownership.

Of the others, Aston Martin, despite a number of changes in ownership is currently expanding. There is a clutch of excellent racing car makers.

In terms of commercial vehicles DAF trucks are assembled in Britain by Leyland now owned by the American PARCAR. Dennis, owned by the Canadian NFI Group, is producing electric buses.

The image is of a Jaguar ashtray c.1950 owned by my father who in the thirities drove one of the first SS Cars named Jaguar.