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Dec 22, 2016 13:10:14 GMT
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It's something I can't quite get see. Before Leyland bought them out, they produced the P series, right?  Were they directly competing with Jaguar? If not, were Jaguar a notch higher and who (what) was their main competition? And when British Leyland got their hands on them, I understand they wanted the SD1 to be the "executive" car, but then surely that's what the XJ6 was for, wasn't it? .jpg)  Design wise I appreciate it was very contemporary and it filled in that executive managerial car role. But I'd argue that perhaps even the Princess might have done that? And of course it still doesn't stop the fact that I'd argue, visuals aside, that the XJ6 was more "closely associated" with business and being executive than Rover?  Hell even the XJS would have competed for the "sporty" feel of the SD1 (not to mention the fact that the XJS has basically the same wheels later on as the SD1)  |
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her  |
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Dec 22, 2016 13:15:27 GMT
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ID imagine price would be a major factor, your middle management at a photocopy sales place could conceivably have a Rover, with all the toys, and still be driving his British marque, while the higher ups with a considerable gulf in wage could go for the Jag. Horses for courses.
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Dec 22, 2016 13:49:42 GMT
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ID imagine price would be a major factor, your middle management at a photocopy sales place could conceivably have a Rover, with all the toys, and still be driving his British marque, while the higher ups with a considerable gulf in wage could go for the Jag. Horses for courses. Ahh okay I get that. So Rover was Middle Middle class and Jag was more upper middle? |
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her |
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Dec 22, 2016 14:41:31 GMT
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You skipped out the last true Rover, the P6!
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Dec 22, 2016 14:52:02 GMT
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You skipped out the last true Rover, the P6! True but it's a sort of sporty / performance car and I don't think it really represents the "average" Rover buyer? |
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her |
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Dec 22, 2016 15:03:21 GMT
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Wasnt Rover the classier brand? Prime ministers had Rovers, book makers and spivs had Jaguars.
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GT4ME
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,729
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Dec 22, 2016 15:28:54 GMT
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Wasnt Rover the classier brand? Prime ministers had Rovers, book makers and spivs had Jaguars. Correct, I remember my Gran and grandad always held 'big' Rovers in the highest esteem. To them they were the next step down from a Rolls Royce or Bentley. |
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colnerov
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Posts: 2,834
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Dec 22, 2016 15:52:46 GMT
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Hi, Rover's market was based on 'gentlemen's club on wheels' so bank managers, company directors, in short poor mans Rolls Royce. Jaguar's slogan was "grace, pace and space" so smaller companies owners, wide boys, those who wanted a bit more performance. Rover owners weren't bothered about that, they just want the quality and comfort.
Colin
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mikec
Part of things
Posts: 118 
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Dec 22, 2016 16:59:36 GMT
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Hi, Rover's market was based on 'gentlemen's club on wheels' so bank managers, company directors, in short poor mans Rolls Royce. Jaguar's slogan was "grace, pace and space" so smaller companies owners, wide boys, those who wanted a bit more performance. Rover owners weren't bothered about that, they just want the quality and comfort. Colin Exactly this: Rover and Jaguar were not competitors for the same market. Jaguar was in a niche market all its own; Rover's nearest rival, albeit one step down, was the Humber. A Rover owner would never have considered a Jaguar - far too vulgar, old boy! And the Jaguar owner wasn't interested in the staid image of the Rover ... |
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1914 Saxon A; 1931 Austin 7; 1938 Talbot Ten; 1953 Lancia Appia; 1967 Singer Chamois
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Dec 22, 2016 17:17:30 GMT
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I remember my pals Dad getting an SD1 as his company car in 1981. He couldn't wait to use it to pick his son up from our school in it. We were 11 years old and it was the first car I had ever seen with electric windows! All round too. I think his dad was a bank manager but I can't be sure. I know it had a massive impression on me. I remember telling my Father who turned his nose up as he was a fireman and wouldn't drive such opulance. Onlyva few days later my Dad came home with HTH500N, a 1975 Audi 100S Coupe in maroon. God I loved that car!
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-(
10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily
03 Import Forester STi - Sold
98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-(
99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold
02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX
88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Dec 22, 2016 17:20:41 GMT
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Just reading what I wrote above, isn't it amazing, just how ingrained our memories are of cars through our childhood. Its surely the common denominator between all us RR'ers? Let's not talk about the day our next door neighbour took delivery of his brand new 1978 Capri 2.0 GL.....
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-(
10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily
03 Import Forester STi - Sold
98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-(
99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold
02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX
88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Dec 22, 2016 18:38:26 GMT
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Well blow me down! Learnt a few bits here. I like how I'm part of this murky, Machiavellian, white collar group xD I'll always see Rover in a different way, thanks guys. |
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her |
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Dec 22, 2016 20:41:42 GMT
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I'll never forget the impression my next door neighbour made on me when he came home (in '73 IIRC) with a brand new Datsun 180B SSS Coupe - SO many gadgets! Wouldn't mind having it now, despite my love of all things Triumph! But I suspect it died of terminal tinworm circa 1980!
Steve
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Dec 22, 2016 20:59:09 GMT
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Hard to think about it all went so downhill for rover in the space of 20 years.
From top of the class to longer here.
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P5's were also remarkably popular with funeral directors. Not a lot of people know that! |
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Last Edit: Dec 23, 2016 1:35:47 GMT by georgeb
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you set up multiple brands to compete with each other...even if you own 10 business that produce similar products aimed at the same market.
its done witih washing up powder, food products, tvs... everything pretty much.
VAG group are an example
you push your designers, the accountants and the work force and if it goes downhill with one company hopefully things improve for one of your others. they are constantly in competitin with each other even though the money flows back to the same suits at the top of the chain.
the customer gets a little tweak on styling, differnt logo on whichever brand digestives you buy, and the bankers keep it rolling in by extracting the max out of everything.
whats the difference between an audi A4 owner and a passat owner these days? probably comes down to hair colour or something lol
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Dec 23, 2016 16:38:49 GMT
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I remember reading somewhere along time ago ....... that when Jaguar got merged into BL, when they designed the xj6 model series range,they made the engine bay so that the Rover V8 wouldn't fit, as they didn't want to have to use Rover engines.
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colnerov
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,834
Member is Online
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Dec 23, 2016 19:11:18 GMT
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Hi, yes that's right but it also meant that the V12 wouldn't fit either and that's why the V12 had to carry on in the series 3 for the rest of its service life.
Colin
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Dec 23, 2016 19:34:07 GMT
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The Stag was also designed to NOT accomodate the Rover V8, that didn't work then! I came close to buying a MANUAL V12 XJ6 Coupe (allegedly one of only 12 built)The car was a write off, or the next best thing, so affordable for me, but the cost of the bits to repair it would have been outside my limited budget! I reluctantly refused! But the V12 did go in the pre series 3 XJ shell, I worked on several over the years. Underbonnet space WAS very tight though, I remember the book time to replace the alternator belt (the innermost of 4 belts) was 9.5 hours!
Steve
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Last Edit: Dec 23, 2016 19:45:36 GMT by carledo
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andyborris
Posted a lot
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Posts: 2,161
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Dec 23, 2016 19:54:17 GMT
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Don't forget that Triumph, Rover, Jaguar and BMC were all in competition with each other and the government thought it a good idea to force them into one conglomerate, "for economies of scale".
Good idea, but unfortunately none of the above had any engineering in common, the government wouldn't spend the money to enable this development to take place (all were underfunded before merger), no rationalization of the manufacturing base (fear of unions) and the personal involved struggled to forget old rivalries!
Perhaps if the government hadn't got involved, some of the brands would've gone, but the remainder could still be here and with the money the government spent trying to keep BL afloat, turned into world beaters.
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Last Edit: Dec 23, 2016 19:55:08 GMT by andyborris
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