​Herbert Austin founded the Austin Motor Company in the summer of 1905.  On 4th November that year he discovered the former White & Pike printing works at Longbridge, situated beside the Bristol Road, the River Rea and the joint Midland and Great Western Railway line from Longbridge to Halesowen.
 
The Austin Motor Company moved into the Longbridge premises, which had been unoccupied for some four years.  Herbert Austin moved his effects into one of the offices, which was to remain his personal office throughout the rest of his life.
 
Austin's office was located at the front of the factory, adjacent to the front door, overlooking the main factory entrance of the time (known for many years as 'K' Gate).  Through the office window Austin would have looked down the Bristol Road South towards the village of Rubery.  His office window is circled in red in the photograph below. ​Austin used his office until his death in May 1941.  Subsequently Leonard Lord (Lord Lambrey) and Bill Davis (Deputy Managing Director of BMC) both used the office, briefly. ​

​In the 1950's, when the Austin Motor Company was part of the British Motor Corporation and Longbridge held the head office, there was money for development.  Much of this investment can be seen in the form of the Conference Centre (previously know as the Exhibition Hall), Assembly A (Car Assembly Building 1), the Sales and Marketing building, the Product Development Centre (Designs block), South Engineering Block and International Headquarters building (also known as the Kremlin).
 
In order to build the South Engineering Block, the old Showroom had to be demolished.  Bill Davis, then a B.M.C. board member, asked Leonard Lord where he should work, as his office was to be relocated.  He was told to move into 'The Old Man's' Office, which he did for some months until his new office was built.
 
Bill was the last user of the office.  It was on his instruction, when the front of No.1 shop including the Old Man's Office had to be demolished in the late 1950's, that provision be made in the new South Engineering Block to relocate 'The Office'.  It remained until the spring of 2003, when it was incorporated into the Conference Centre, as part of the archive centre.
 
For a guided video tour of the office as it was located in the Longbridge Exhibition Hall (also known as the Conference Centre) click below.

​Sited to the right-hand-side of the Conference facility, it is possible to switch the lights on from the outside and peer through the windows as if you were walking by.  Access to the room remains through a door in the museum, which houses a small collection of cars associated with Longbridge.
 
Austin, MG and Rover cars are represented and include a 1935 Austin 16/6 still fitted with its Austin Hayes automatic transmission (at one time owned by the late Bob Wyatt the Austin Historian and writer, and kindly loaned to the museum by GKN Technology) and a 1959 Austin Se7en (one of the original Mini’s for those baffled by the date).

​Once in the office, the period atmosphere is protected in time, indeed as 1930’s photographs prove.  The office is comfortable, but not lavish.
 
Inside the room through the left-hand wall is a small door.  This used to lead to the most important room in the factory - the Chairman's throne room (toilet)!  Along side this door is a framed drawing of a railway locomotive and carriage, with the words above: 'Most everything worthwhile is born of some dreamers dream'.  It was Austin's dream to make motorcars and that belief continued in the cars built here at Longbridge for almost 100 years.

​The fireplace occupies the centre of this wall.  The mantelpiece has a dip towards the right-hand end.  This was probably caused by Austin leaning on it over many years whilst talking to visitors to his office.  In the centre of the mantelpiece is a picture of St. George slaying the dragon.  On the shelf above is an Onyx ashtray, a souvenir from the World's first purpose-built motor racing track at Brooklands. Austin's son in law, Colonel Arthur Waite, led the Austin Seven racing team against many other manufacturers' products, including MG (ironic because the last British built MGs were built at Longbridge!).
 
Also of interest on the mantelpiece are two shells, produced by the Austin Motor Company during World War 1.  Austin expanded his factory between 1914 and 1918 in order to help supply the military needs of the country during that conflict.  In 1913 about 2,000 employees were producing 1,500 commercial and pleasure vehicles a year.  In 1918 there were 20,000 employees and the factory had expanded.  The North Works had been built the other side of the railway and the West Works on the other side of the Bristol Road. 

​The South Works, which included the original White and Pike factory, was extended back to the Birmingham-Gloucester railway line.  Products leaving the factory during this period included vehicles, armoured cars, ambulances, trucks, generators, searchlights, fighter aircraft and munitions. The most voluminous product manufactured was the 18lb shell of which over 6,500,000 left for the Royal Ordinance factories to be filled with explosives before dispatch to the front.
 
As soon as the Armistice was signed all Government Contracts were cancelled.  This left Austin with 20,000 employees and little work.  The Austin 20 was put into production designed for the world market.  This fine car suffered the imposition of taxation in the home market based on the bore of the engine whilst ignoring the stroke.  This led to the introduction of long stroke engines unsuitable for the rest of the world and in 1921 Austin was forced to rush the Austin 12 into production.

​Behind the desk, above the famous half crown, is a plaque commemorating Austin exhibiting his cars at a motor show in Turin in 1911.  Just six years after opening his factory, Austin was exhibiting his cars across Europe. ​

​Along side the fireplace is a photograph of a white-haired gentleman and is signed by the subject 'From your friend, Henry Ford'.  Ford would visit his factory at Trafford Park, Manchester, and stay with the Austins at Lickey Grange, no doubt spending time comparing notes and exchanging ideas.  ​Below Henry Ford's photograph, there is a period air conditioning unit made by Carrier in the United States.  Most visitors to the office, when asked, suggest that it looks like a stereo or a radiogram.  With the looks of a fine piece of cabinet making, it is in fact pressed steel painted to great effect. ​

​Below the window opposite the door into the office, on a delightful cabinet, is a clay bust of the 'Old Man' in his latter years.  This is the artwork for the bronze bust that is also on display in the British Motor Museum. 

​On the Old Man's desk are three inkwells.  The one, presented to him by Rudge Whitworth, is made from the wheel nut for a wire wheel.  In the red-topped ink well of the other pair is an old fifty pence piece placed there on a visit by Sir Michael Edwardes, when he was the Chairman of British Leyland in the 1970s. 

Another bust of Austin is on top of a cabinet to the right of his desk.  This bronze bust shows Austin in his younger years.

​To the right of the door into the room is a bench where, it is believed, shop stewards sat on visits to the ‘Old Man’.  Above it is a beautiful barometer and thermometer on an intricately carved mounting.  This was presented to Austin by his senior staffs for Christmas in 1933.  They clearly thought much of him.
 
Within the room all the fixtures and fittings are original, from the light in the ceiling to the carpet on the floor.  Whilst in the Exhibition Hall at Longbridge going out through the doors returned visitors to the modern world, leaving behind the history encapsulated in the single room that was the office of Lord Austin, 1st Baron of Longbridge. 

​With the demise of MG Rover Group, the Office remained in the Exhibition Hall until MG Motor withdrew from most of the Longbridge site and it was removed to the British Motor Museum where, once reassembled, it was officially unveiled in March 2024.  It has been reassembled next to the recreated Lord Nuffield’s office.  Do go along to the museum to see them both. 

​The MGB GT was born out of a desire to create a more practical and comfortable variant of the MGB roadster, which had been launched in 1962. The roadster was a successful and popular car, but it had some limitations, such as a lack of luggage space, poor weather protection, and noisy ride. The idea was to add a fixed roof and a hatchback to the roadster, creating a 2 + 2 car that could accommodate two adults and two (smallish) children and their belongings, while still retaining the sporty character and performance of the MGB.
 
As early as January 1962 the Abingdon design team, under the direction of John Thornely, had been working on the MGB GT as EX277. The GT was firstly drawn up at Abingdon by Jim Stimson at the request of the MGB lead designer, Syd Enever. These drawings were shown to Longbridge who would have the final sign-off of the model and insisted that the rounded appearance of the roof lacked something.

Instructing that the design be sent to Pininfarina who had a contract to do design work for the company (hence the Farina Austin A40, Farina Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Wolseley 16/60, Riley 4/72, MG Magnette), Pininfarina incorporated the feature line (crease) around the roof and made a protype which was not that much different from the original Abingdon designs. However even Jim Stimson admitted that this improved the looks of the car no end, resulting in a sleek and elegant design that blended harmoniously with the existing MGB chassis and mechanicals. The new car looked like a miniature Aston Martin DB5, with a sloping roofline, a large rear window, and distinctive B-pillars.

The MGB GT made its debut at the London Motor Show in October 1965, and it was an instant success. The car received rave reviews from the press and the public, who praised its looks, practicality, handling, and performance. The MGB GT offered many advantages over the roadster, such as better visibility thanks to an enlarged (deeper) windscreen compared to the roadster, more headroom  - although some say, like the TR7 adverts "the MGB Roadster has 93 million miles of headroom" (roof down of course)!, more boot space and better insulation from noise and vibration. The car also had improved aerodynamics, which increased its top speed by about 5 mph. The MGB GT was also in some markets cheaper than the roadster to insure, as it was classified as a saloon rather than a sports car.
 
The MGB GT was powered by the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine as the roadster, producing 95 horsepower and 110 lb-ft of torque. The engine was mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, with an optional overdrive unit. The overdrive operates on both 3rd and 4th gear giving it a 3rd+ and 5th gear or 6 forward ratios overall. The car had independent front suspension, leaf-spring rear suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear. The car weighed about 2,200 lbs, and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 13 seconds. The car had a top speed of about 105 mph.
 
The MGB GT was produced until 1980, with some changes and improvements over the years. Some of the most notable ones were:

• In 1967, the car received a revised dashboard with rocker switches instead of toggle switches.
• The MK2 had a recessed grille imposed on Abingdon by Longbridge. The MK3 had the MK1 grille surround with an 'eggbox' grille in black which Abingdon designed to replace the recessed grille. The MK4 had rubber bumpers - see images below for comparison.
• The internal door handles were changed with the MK2 incorporating the Morris Marina internal door handles being used on many of the BL cars of the day and replacing the lever handles used on the MK1, which were also used in the MK1 Austin 1100 and UK-built Minis from MK2 on to the end of production.
• In 1971, the car received a new engine with larger valves and improved cylinder head, increasing the power output to 98 horsepower.
• In 1972, the car received a new gearbox with synchromesh on all gears instead of just three.
• In 1974, the car received rubber bumpers instead of chrome ones, to comply with US safety regulations. All MGB GTs use 165-14 tyres. The roadsters sent out with radial shoes were 155-14. The increased ground clearance on the rubber bumper models (roadster & GT) was achieved by raising the suspension which was a Californian legislative requirement to achieve a minimum bumper height..
• In 1975, the car received an electric cooling fan instead of a belt-driven one.

By Anthony Osborne

​We all owe Gar a huge thank you for organising, herding, marshalling and leading us through some of the most fantastic scenery in the British Isles. It is to be driven again, in the other direction, in 2025. Are you going to join us?

By Anthony Osborne

Having checked out of the Spayside Hotel, already full of a generous Scottish breakfast, we were loading up the cars when we noticed we had an addition to the convoy. Eric Dalton had joined us again, having last met us at the museum in Glasgow. It was great to see him again, and his Rover 200 VdP in the car park.
In convoy we set off for our trip over the Cairngorms to Falkirk via Balmoral and the Royal Lochnager Distillery outlet there.
Due to roadworks closing one of the roads we were to drive down there was a slight diversion that added some 21 miles to the route! We arrived at a car park opposite Crathie Church, the church that the Royal Family use when at the Castle. The attraction for the brief visit to the car park was the facilities that were provided, which almost all of us visited for a comfort break (is that too much information?). A short drive and we were at the distillery outlet. We were amazed at the number of whiskeys that were available there, and the cost of some of the rarer ones (I would have had to take out a mortgage to buy many of them!).  ​

​Once again the scenery was fantastic, even if it was spoiled by the ski lifts that crossed the area (we hope that they have good snow in the winter to attract visitors to the area).

By Anthony Osborne

​Not far from the lifeboat was an oil industry service catamaran and Ian and I had an interesting conversation with an enthusiastic young crew member, a maintenance engineer, who appeared to be making himself rich serving on it.

​Gus then advised that when he checked in he was told of a Whiskey Tasting that was taking place at 6:00pm. The Osbornes signed up for that as well which meant that we had less than 15 minutes to get our cases up to our room and present ourselves in the Conservatory. The tasting was most interesting with four different local whiskeys presented to us. We were amazed how the flavours changed with just a drop of water from a pipette added. Sometimes this improved the flavour whilst in others the taste was not so good. Remarkably, an improvement tasted by some was not appreciated by others. By the time we had emptied our samples of whiskey it was time for dinner and the rest of the party were ordering from the menu in the dining room. Another well-presented meal was enjoyed expanding waistlines further. The beer was good again as well.

By Anthony Osborne.

Having been disappointed with the evening meal at the Arch Inn I was pleased to find that breakfast was up to the standards that we had been enjoying. I didn’t spot any croissants!
We set off for the loch Broom Filling Station where copious litres of E5 petrol were taken on board the convoy, replenishing the tanks after the previous day’s run.
We had a brief stop at Loch Kirkaig to admire the view and stretch the legs. An Aston Martin coming the other way stopped and I had a chat with the occupants comparing notes as they were driving the NC500 in the anti-clockwise direction. ​

​After some bracing fresh air, we were off again through some more fantastic scenery, both at sea level and in the hills and mountains, on substantial roads and on single track lanes between stone walls. The driving was certainly fun again although it did require a lot of concentration at times.

​Whilst we were enjoying cake Henry managed to get a new driver, although he struggled to reach the pedals with any of his four feet so gave the car back to Gus.

Anyway, after refreshment alongside the magnificent bridge we hit the road again with just a further 125 miles to go!
As we headed up to Durness, which was about as far North as we could go on the West Coast, before turning East the roads varied from single carriageway with street lighting to narrow single track with passing places. The scenery remained fantastic.  ​

​At Durness we took a left turn down a lane to the Balnakeil Craft Village where we had a look around in damp, dull and windy conditions. The Meet and Eat Café served excellent coffee and cakes which many of us enjoyed, taking over much of the café in the process. We also visited a craft shop and the Coco Mountain outlet there as well. Refreshed we returned to the road on our journey across the North of Scotland in an Easterly direction. For most of us the next stop was the Sea View Hotel at John O’Groats.

​However, for the last four days Betty had been towing Henry’s trailer because Gus was concerned about a knocking noise which was believed to be coming from the front UJ on the prop shaft. Gus had put an appeal out on the Group Facebook area for assistance and Vincent from Turso responded offering garage accommodation and he even obtained an UJ for the job. The plan was for Henry and his trailer to be left with Vincent overnight with Gar bringing Gus on to the hotel. The following morning Gar would take Gus back to sort Henry out. Thus Gus and Gar ventured into Thurso whilst the rest of us headed on to the Seaview Hotel in the rain.

​On our left, to the North, suddenly looming out of the gloom was a large spherical building with many other buildings around it. Of course, this was the former Dounreay Nuclear Power Station. The plant was opened in 1955 and three reactors – the Dounreay fast reactor, prototype fast reactor and the Dounreay materials test reactor – were built over the next 20 years. It was fully shut down in 1994, but a massive and complex clean-up operation remains ongoing.

​We all safely arrived at the Seaview Hotel in torrential rain, most of us being soaked as we took our cases into the hotel to check in, Gar and Gus catching up with us a little later. Some of the team took a walk down to the Visitor Centre, in the dark, to see the John O’Groats sign post there. On their return we all congregated at a large table that had been reserved for us in the restaurant, a similar sized group of cyclists occupying another large table. The beer and food were good as well as the excellent company.
After somewhere in the region of 185 miles during the day it is probably fair to say that a good night’s sleep was had by all!

To be continued ...

By Anthony Osborne.

Having left Skye over the bridge to the mainland our first call, to satisfy the wishes of Fat Controller, Gar, was to Eilean Donan Castle on its own island in Loch Duich.  ​

Passing places were visited often to allow traffic coming in the other direction to pass. Near the top of the pass we encountered a series of hairpin bends and then the road levelled out with a car parking area at the highest point of the road, the Bealach Na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) view point.  ​

It was a little cool outside the cars but some brave souls braved it in their ‘T’ Shirts! It was a magnificent view point but lacked any amenities, just a level area with a Triangulation Point at one edge.  ​

To be continued ...