To continue the recent midlands theme…
ast week as a part of Three Counties MG [Staffordshire, Worcestshire and Shropshire in case you wondered] myself and a small group of us were lucky enough to be given a tour around the MG Motor UK Limited Longbridge plant.

I was actually surprised just how much of the place was left. It seems every time I’ve gone through Longbridge over the past couple of years there is another massive area flattened, so it was good to see that cars are being built there, and also that the space to build more is still there too.

My own history with the place is limited to a confused job interview about eight years ago, to work on the website. I arrived with about three other people to much confusion with no one expecting us, I only remember an exchange student who was only there for half a day running back and forth trying to sort things out. That and several cups of coffee in different waiting areas. I didn’t get the job, which was maybe for the best.

Visiting the plant we got a chance to see where and how our own cars were put together and take a look at the new MG TF’s being built there. The walking tour through the factory that we we’re taken on was very honest, open and entertaining, we got to walk along the production line, to be honest there was a very refreshing amount of common sense over health and safety about the whole thing, it was very refreshing. It was also nice to see and hear facts about the cars and the business rather than the chinese whispers [no pun inteneded, honest] that seem to float about online and in the press. The new cars do look more solidly built, certainly more so than my ten year old F, and the interiors, which are rarely refered to without the word dated, looked good too.

We also got a chance to see the upcoming MG TF 85th Anniversary model, if I only had £15,664 lying about the place (I know I haven’t, I’ve had the place upside down this week looking for a pair of swimming trunks for the Screamin’ Festival next week) It does look a fantastic car, photos don’t do the paintwork justice and even the graphics, which I was none too keen on, do look quite good in person. with less than a couple of hundred a hundred only fifty being made I can see myself spending many hours scouring the autotrader website in a few years. Anyway, heres hoping for a sunny summer, which can only help things along all round.

In the meantime, if anyone’s stuck for a Birthday present for me next month…

Many thanks to Ian for organising the day and Ian Pogson for the tour, I’m now reading Ians book ‘Carry on car making…’ which is availible from all good book stores, and here.

Normal music related posts and maybe even some comic book work, here shortly.

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