Land Rover Heads the Wrong Way
£27m public cash for Land Rover to build an eco-car - Scotsman.com News
CAR maker Jaguar Land Rover was offered a taxpayer-funded £27 million boost yesterday to make an eco-friendly car as part of a government effort to shore up the beleaguered industry.
The money will be given once Jaguar, owned by the Indian firm Tata, gives the green light to producing the car, a compact, lightweight Land Rover LRX
I don't want Land Rover to produce a cuddly curvy green car, if they want to go green produce Series 1 again. There are fewer cars that are more recyclable, longer lasting and cheaper to produce. Maybe this time they could even make them go. But it might be a touch too hairshirted for the modern day but what would be wrong with a tarted up Series 11a? Now that is a car I would buy.
Comments
Why are we bailing these out ? They were failing before this "crisis" for the simple reason that they make expensive cars that few people wanted to buy. Contrast that with their German competitors who produce expensive cars people did want to buy.
They are no longer "iconic" and haven't been since 1980.
Posted by: English in Scotland | March 12, 2009 8:32 AM
I had a Series 2A Petrol, 1966, the absolute 'go anywhere' vehicle. Dpn't remember any synchromesh on 3rd and 4th, though, strictly double de-clutch.
Happy days..
Posted by: Tim Hedges | March 12, 2009 10:00 AM
As long as the electrical system could be fixed (aluminium body + steel chassis = constant electrical shorting), I'd get a Series I in a heartbeat: perspex windshield and all.
Of course, Uncle Nanny Sam wouldn't allow me to own one, because it lacks "safety" equipment like air bags, seatbelts and other such fripperies.
Posted by: Kim du Toit | March 12, 2009 2:26 PM
Land Rover is owned by Tata.
Tata is an Indian company.
India is about to start a manned space program - something neither the UK nor (thank God) the EU thinks it either needs or can afford.
So why the bloody hell are we paying bailouts to these people?
Posted by: Andrew Duffin | March 12, 2009 3:58 PM
@Tim - yes I had one of those, too. The long-stroke 2.3L petrol version.
12 mpg on a good day, as long as you didn't use low ratio.
But by God it was solid.
Posted by: Andrew Duffin | March 12, 2009 4:03 PM