Disappearing parts from longbridge when it closed

[johnnyb44]

Just a tongue in cheek post really but it make you wonder how many car parts mysteriously disappeared from Longbridge when its doors where closed for the final time.
There must of been "some " light fingered disgruntled workers there who walked out with something more than there butty box, or unaccounted stock sitting in a dealership or warehouse that got lost off the radar when chaos took hold of the companys last few weeks
I remember Ebay used to be full of unusual Rover memorabilia just after it ceased trading.
It makes you wonder where it all originated from.:-)

[mininuts]

Many years ago, (when Longbridge was fully operational), I was a member of a local Mini owners club.
One member had a small Mini restoration workshop, specialising in early Mk1 & Mk2 Minis. He also offered members 'new' parts for the current Minis at the time, this was the late 80s to the mid 90s.
I wanted a new set of tyres for my '91 Cooper 1.3i and mentioned this to the said chap. I'll do you a deal he said, "give me your old wheels and tyres and, for half the price of a new set of tyres, I'll supply you with new tyres AND wheels". He would then sell my old wheels at some Mini show or autojumble with no fear of any comebacks.
Yes, says I, it's a deal, not really thinking too much about it. Went to his workshop and he took me through to the back and up some stairs to what I can only describe as an Aladdin's cave of Mini spares Every part was there, doors, bonnets, boots in any colour you like, wheels, interiors, grilles, bumpers etc, etc, you get the idea. All these parts were brand new, he even talked about being able to acquire a complete engine/subframe assembly
It turned out he knew a guy who worked on the Mini line at Longbridge, "if it'll fit in the back of a 110 Landy then I can get" was his motto.

No wonder things went bad, I wonder how many more were at it

[johnnyb44]

A little off topic but my brother inlaw once told me a funny story about someone who was pilfering.
Every Friday at the end of the shift this gentleman would walk through the security gate pushing a wheelbarrow with a cover draped over the top, and every Friday the security guard would stop him to take a look at what he was concealing. Everytime he checked though, it was empty and after a few weeks he stopped his checks. A few months later the guy pushing the wheelbarrow ended up getting the sack for stealing.
Yes you've guessed it , he was stealing the wheelbarrows .

[steve1975]

Originally Posted by johnnyb44

A little off topic but my brother inlaw once told me a funny story about someone who was pilfering.
Every Friday at the end of the shift this gentleman would walk through the security gate pushing a wheelbarrow with a cover draped over the top, and every Friday the security guard would stop him to take a look at what he was concealing. Everytime he checked though, it was empty and after a few weeks he stopped his checks. A few months later the guy pushing the wheelbarrow ended up getting the sack for stealing.
Yes you've guessed it , he was stealing the wheelbarrows .

haha love that one.

[rovertone]

It was no different at Longbridge in the 60's & 70's either, in my early motoring days the best car to have was a Mini (especially) due to the easily available supply of cheap parts. I remember getting a Cooper cylinder head at the right price, the 'supplier' used to bring them out on a loop of rope round his neck and concealed under his coat.
An old friend of mine used to pick up cardboard for recycling, one day when he got his skip back to base it was full of Mini bumpers! Seemingly they should have gone into a rival firms skip to be collected by another driver for onward distribution. I often wondered whether a complete finished car ever 'disappeared'.
I guess in later years it was much tighter when 'logistics' expertise arrived, supply of materials turned around whereby parts were only ordered in quantities to meet production and arrived 'just in time' to the line thus any void would soon be spotted.
Happy days!

[Southside]

Mentioning no names but I know of atleast one known member of a few MG-R forums that openly admitted to me when I went to collect some "new" parts some years back from him that he and a mate were raiding van loads of stuff night after night when Longbridge closed.

[pernix]

Originally Posted by rovertone

. I often wondered whether a complete finished car ever 'disappeared'.

Now you mention it there was a case in the late 80"s early 90"s involving a range rover parts supplier/assembly in south west wales (Llanelli if I remember rightly) where they built 2 complete vehicles from stolen parts.

[bl52krz]

Just here say you understand, but I was told of a certain farm area in Henley in Arden was full of new 75zt cars. Think I was told it was one of the Directors places. I don't believe it of course.

[andy willi]

hi all i have the answer
all the parts were packed into containers and taken to upper heyford a storage area for rover and packed in to the very far end of the main runway i was there and did not know at the time what it was , some maybe still there but i dont know but i do know £299 could have bought a container but you could not look in to it at the time was just to cover the cost of getting rid of the contents ,


if i had only known i could be a very rich man now ,


andy

[david75]

This reminds me of the song by Jonny Cash:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2riRAGzNzvQ