The Longbridge Tunnels: LOST PROTOTYPES And The GREATEST BRITISH LEYLAND BARNFIND!
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- čas přidán 13. 02. 2024
- In this video we explore some of the most incredible and mysterious British Leyland and BMC prototypes ever made but with a twist, these cars were stored in the Longbridge tunnels and after a disaster in the late 70s these cars were destroyed.
We also explore the Longbridge tunnel Minis and the greatest barnfind this country and maybe even the world has ever seen.
PLEASE NOTE: This site is an active construction site with the tunnels in a dangerous state. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO “EXPLORE” OR INFILTRATE THE COMPLEX IT IS NOT SAFE.
The thumbnail photo is not of the tunnels as there are no suitable images that exist.
I have credited where possible these works are transformative.
Austin Memories is the best source for all Austin/Longbridge related information I have used some of these images in this video: www.austinmemories.com
ARonline is a great source for information; www.aronline.co.uk/
Credit to: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/... for the Mini photo.
All images of the tunnels belong to the BMIHT it goes without saying this is the best place to visit if you enjoy these videos and history: britishmotormuseum.co.uk/
Follow me on Instagram for more cool stuff: / tomisdrivingcars - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Great video. However, I am pretty sure that not one Hillman Avenger was made at Longbridge.
Yeah…. Only just noticed myself, an annoying mistake but it’s up now! Nothing I can do, so let’s just appreciate the sight of all those Hillman Avengers.
@tomdrives Well, I had two of them, and I absolutely love them.
They used to buy all manner of other maker's cars and strip them down to see if there was any engineering ideas they could "borrow". My dad used to do the same at Solihull.
@@DM-it2ch Routes group were generally a cut above.
@@DM-it2ch Ford used to do the same with Minis in the early sixties and came to the conclusion that it would be impossible to produce the Mini and not lose £15:00 on every unit sold. Many years later it was revealed that BMC DID lose £15 on each car. They just didn't realise it........
I worked as fork lift truck driver at longbridge in mini and metro building 1985 -87
The tunnel entrance was a long slope down into the tunnel outside the tyre delivery bay .
On night shift , I was told to take pallets down into the tunnels for storage.
I can tell you now
It was poorly lite ,
Dark tunnels went off in other directions everywhere .
There was noises from the factory above echoing in the distance.
It was a very creepy place , the ride up the slope on a very slow forklift , still makes the hairs on my neck stand to this day !!
Great to see pictures of the old site ,
Sad it’s all gone
I started work at longbridge, in the mid 1970s, in cab 2. Working on the Allegro, as a tester, not as good as it sounds, we used to tune the engines, on the cake stand, before they were driven on to the rolling road, for final testing. When they bought out the twin carb 1750 allegro, they needed someone to set up the carbs, I got the job, the cars had to be tested around the factory perimeter roads, we used to see how fast they would go along this straight stretch of road, one nightshift, when roads were quite,i was going for the record, left the braking a bit late & skidded into a grit bin, writting the car off, never did find out what happened to it.
I remember being taken down the tunnels. by a long term employee, to see the mini, but still remember seeing loads of wooden body panel moulds. from many old Austin cars from the past.
Many memorable moments, & stories to tell, during the Red Robbo V management days.
Would love to hear more, do tell!
Saw that mini at Gaydon last year,one of the museum helpers was complaining that a heap of scrap like that shouldn't be in here,I thought it one of the best exhibits there because of its story
Was that the lost mini with the caved in roof with practically no millage on it . Sold for a few bob too
Officially the last mini to leave Longbridge
Such a shame that some dragged it out without much care and then even worse someone tried to repair it.. it does just look like a mess now and not as interesting as it once was..
@geek9642 if I never removed it it was going to be dragged out and scrapped...it was never going to be repaired...the roof was pushed up to give it a bit of dignity...all well documented
My neighbour in the late 70/early 80s worked in the Longbridge design office. He told me all about the tunnels and the Mini and that amongst a lot of other stuff there were some undamaged Austin-Healey 3000 bodyshells still down there. For future reference, that type of Mini was known as a "Twelve Seventy-Five GT", not "One-Two-Seven-Five".
I saw the mini at gaydon 7 years ago, there was a lot of vlogs going around at the time. I had goose pimples when I saw it! A shrine to a British motoring era!
I was one of the firefighters that extiguished the fire in the tunnel. V twin mini !!
I can’t believe the guy who rang the fire brigade was disciplined lol! Crazy days
I'm told that during the making of the film 'the Italian job' the company was about as unhelpful and uncooperative as could be, and were mean with supplying vehicles to use, any other company would've given their eye teeth for that kind of product placement, there really was terrible management and lack of vision within BMC, it's hardly surprising they're history.
It wasn't unique to BL either. In the early 2000's I was reprimanded for recommending a subordinate be promoted internally to fill a vacancy. I was reprimanded BY the manager who followed my recommendation and gave them the job (a job they did so well they still have it now).
Gave it back unsigned.
British management practices. These 'knew best' and had all the excuses whilst their company was going out of business.
Yes, report a potential fire to save the planet and get told off for using your initiative. I think I would have pointed out that if it wasn't for individuals who do the sensible thjng, the management may well be out of a job. Though they may be too thick to understand that.
Strange that the guy who phoned the Fire Brigade did so. The works Fire Station was probably closer than his phone (no mobiles in those days). My understanding was that the works fire brigade were informed and decided that it was beyond their capabilities. They dialled 999 and the fire was attended by the Birmingham Fire Brigade.
Reprimanded for using a phone to report a fire. 🤦♂️. Such a company has a huge fault built in to the system and will eventually go under. They can blame strikes all they want but obviously the fault was much bigger!
It was Austin,a phone call was considered extravagant,That's what the carrier pigeons were for😂
Must of been an insurance claim! How dare you phone the onsite fire brigade when you could have run round the corner
If he objected, if it went against union rules could have been an all-out strike
The management-union strife and bad behaviour- (on Both sides) stoked by the press, and the politicisation by the main parties.
By the time BL was formed, the cars were a byproduct, the real produce was headlines and political capital.
I worked as a draughtsman in the design office at Longbridge between 1968 and 1973 and I heard a six cylinder mini had been built but Lord Stokes cancelled it as he said "they were not making wrist watches". I never saw it, but it seemed to be a well known fact around the works at that time.
I can't go into too much detail but I had to laugh at the presumption that the longbridge plant was successfully disguised! The place I worked in was heavily "disguised as a small "Hamlet" complete with a brick built water tower which they put a fake spire on and painted gothic windows so it looked like a church, to street lights and road furniture, signs and such, long workshops were disguised as small terraces and retail shops etc etc etc, I'm sure you get the picture!! BUT in the foyer of the main office area under a glass case was a totally to scale perfect replica of the entire works, which was captured from a German HQ in one of our raids! Also worth noting that there is still massive tunnels under the white cliffs of Dover with huge doors that open to the sea and our war planes use to fly in and out of there. There are lots of places in the U.K that lie underground untouched for decades like the entire villages under reservoirs, tunnels linking convents to monasteries, an entire high street of individual shops underground in Scotland with a railway line now running down the "street".
Like wow 😮
If the future of the British motor industry was in the hands of people who saw fit to reprimand a man who called in a fire before asking if it was ok to use the phone then it’s little wonder we just assemble German, Japanese and Chinese cars here now.
Great video Tom. Thanks for the opportunity to reminisce.
Keith Pearce 👍
From "Down Under" please tell me that was a myth about the reprimand !!!!!!!
Sadly no, the phones were scarce & some department managers
were very protective of them. @fentonpeter1582
@@kpbg01696 That is incredible ! Was that typical of management in the 80s in the UK ?
Sounds like a scene out of "Dads Army or Are you being served"....
Cheers
Saw this mini last year at the museum, very nice to hear the full story after spending time actually looking at all it's scars and to see where it was actually found was great. Brilliant video!
I’ve always been told that the 1275GT was damaged on the production line and was therefore not able to be sold so workers used it as a runabout around Longbridge. It was finally put in the tunnels after a shipping container fell on it.
I used to deliver steel to Longbridge back in the seventys and eightys it was very easy to get lost driving round the plant . They used to use un registered mini pickups as works runabout.
That Mini was in better shape than many of the vehicles that were shipped to dealers from Longbridge..
My stepdad whos now in his mid 80s worked at Longbridge all his working life. Some of the tales he tells about those tunnels and what went on are fascinating. Hes convinced you could have built a new car with the amount of parts down there.
Sounds like an interesting guy to speak to with all those memories
The hours you must spend Tom definitely pays dividend,I never even knew about the tunnels,cheers fella 👍😉💪
Thanks Alan, it was worth it, ended up going to bed at midnight to finish this one!
@@tomdrives it definitely shows,very impressive fella 👍😉💪
Very very interesting thanks greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thanks Ian, glad you liked it
I worked there in late 70s , Clarkson has a lot too answer too, management also, workers were treated like crap the company created strikes coz they cudnt sell the cars so had too many, the press ruined Longbridge
clarkson?
As a child in the 60's I had a ladybird book of the car (still have it somewhere). commercial vehicles then in the 70's went into the library to read Moter. Autocar, and Whatcar mags. Thank you for your interest in the cars that I grew up with. I look forward to any videos you upload
Keep the great work !
My dad used to visit the Longbridge site as a service engineer for monitoring equipment, they wouldn’t let him in and he had to park off site because he had a Ford 🤷🏻♂️, you don’t need to look far to see why out motor industry went under 🤨.
My dad worked at Land Rover in Solihull for many years.
Back in about 1980 he stumbled across what was basically a shed, with 3 complete, brand new, Mark 1 Land Rover SWB inside- all with less than 10 miles on the clock.
He never found out how they got there or what they were for, but assumed they'd simply been forgotten.
The black and white photo at 6:16 showing the fire engine, the building on the right was part of south experimental, that particular corner of the building, ( with the AC units above the window) was the instrumentation office. i worked in there for many years and went in to the tunnel a few times. a very sad and worrying time when the fire happened. The door opening you can just see on the right was a vehicle wash area. The white potacabins on the left were vehicle evaluation and also later Instrumentation. between the portacabins and the Allegro was a walk way that once up a few steps took you to the stairwell / lift area that took you in to the main design office and large library . within this lobby area, on the right in latter years was the vehicle fleet control office. to the left of the white poracabins ( not in view) was the NVH department, Vehicle test and importantly the Alec Issigonis workshop where a small team produced the 9X vehicles the last one being a White Metro. some great engineering well a head of its time...Happy days
An employee uses a phone 'not in his department' to call the fire brigade to report a serious fire - gets reprimanded by management. I think that sums up BL pretty well. Very interesting video though, thanks!
IIRC the Chief Engineer, Frank Shaw, had sons. The Bullnose Rover was the last to be hand-crafted in prototype, before being measured after Board approval in the Jig-making Department - and that was nearly a disaster, because they separated body and chassis, lifting them by crane across the production line, where Murphy struck, the sling on the chassis broke, dropping it from height, twisting the chassis. Frank sent an apprentice to his office to fetch a particular sledgehammer, put the chassis up on blocks, took careful aim and swung. Steel has a memory, and with a twang, it went back.
Lovely video with lots of great info.
Just to let you know though : the "Mini ONE TWO SEVEN FIVE GT" that you keep mentioning should properly be referred to as as the "Mini Twelve Seventy-Five GT" (1275 referring to the engine size that was used in it.) but otherwise a really good video, well done.
Well done Tom. Just a brilliant video
😭 brings a mixture of sadness and 😡 anger all at the same time.
One of those story’s isn’t it?
I share your feelings. Such a shame that this iconic institution wasn't saved somehow.
Tony Blair grrrrrrrrrr
@@chucky2316I can't stand Blair but it's not his fault that British Leyland was so crap in every respect.
What we actually have left is Rover Car Company (corporately renamed in 1979 as Land Rover Ltd) merged with Jaguar. The two most deserving companies out of the entire conglomerate.
A friend of mine worked for a company that did all the industrial cleaning at the Longbridge plant, in from the mid 80s to the closure. He found blueprints of the tunnels while cleaning out one of the old offices for development. He showed me and a group of friends these blueprints. Surprisingly the tunnels reached as far as London and Manchester, for the secret transport of military hardware. Sadly he passed a long time ago now and the whereabouts of the blueprints he had has been lost.
Now we know why hs2 got cancelled
Absolutely fascinating place and history, thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it
It’s amazing to me that what was a great industry couldn’t adapt and change to new trends and ideas
But just be stuck in their legendary past and then be completely over run by their better competitors
Great video
Your videos are amazing 👏 memories of the 80s 😂😊😊
i drive past the site all the while , id love to go into the tunnels , we've been to the other nearby shadow factory in kinver , Drakelow tunnels . well worth a visit people
Very interesting video. Always had a interest in the Austin / Rover group. Worked part time in a Rover parts dept when I was 16 . If I remember the Rover 600 was in the showroom then , we sold loads of retro fit new Rover Grille's for 200/400/800 series models that looked similar to the 600. I Ended up moving MG models around the country 2003/04 from Longbridge Groveley lane. for various customers including a famous BTCC racing team . Broke my heart when Austin/MG/Rover died . Keep up the good work with the video's
Thank you and thanks for the story I appreciate it!
Mate these videos are brilliant you must spend an absolute age researching all this stuff awesome work 👍
Thanks! I do yes, I write about two essays a week worth of research but it’s worth it
Great work Tom 👍, did you manage to fix the alternator on your 75?
@@goblin457 not yet! Haven’t had much time. I’m getting another ordered tomorrow for it. I’ll be doing a good amount of work to it in the next few days
@@tomdrives fingers crossed mate 🤞
Great stuff, thanks for the video! I never previously knew about the Longbridge tunnels, so I learned a lot here. Next time I visit the BMM, I'll be sure to appreciate that 1275GT wreck just a little more.
Glad you enjoyed it Aaron
Hi Tom I must congratulate you on the huge amount of work and research that is involved with these productions I am hugely interested in cars and urbex so this was a real treat. Well Done.
Very interesting video thanks for sharing.
Your passion and work is so important, well done & keep up the great work!👏👏👏👏
Good work mate
Love your stuff Tom, Ive seen this car at Gaydon and wanted to know more about the tunnels. Keep up the good work chap!
Thanks, will do!
Brilliant video
Great video, and very interesting history of an Iconic car maker. Thanks Bob
Thanks Bob, appreciate you being here
Really interesting video thank you
Fabulous research Tom.. Well done on all these videos.. (Phil)
Thanks Phil, appreciate it
Hi Tom another great video, very interesting content , regards mark
Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed it
It seems that nothing is too bizarre or unbelievable to have actually happened at Austin/Morris! Its surprising that they staggered on as long as they did!
As a boy in the mid 50's, I used to play golf at Blackwell golf course (not far from Longbridge) there were several sheds with small racing cars (formula 2?) stored inside. Reputed to be Austin built for a team event. Wonder what happened to them.
Knowing how big companies work I very much doubt there was any insurance or therefore claim for the tunnel fire, The assets were most likely wrtten down to zero value on the books so wouldn't technically be worth insuring (safeguarding history wouldn't have been a concern at that point). Having looked at the 1275GT shell it looked more to me like it had fallen off a conveyor during build & been damaged. It happens from time to time & I'm guessing the car was squirreled away for some potentially dodgy reason. Or just hidden & forgotten. Having worked around big automotive factories for many years the folklore that builds up around certain topics is amazing...the reality often falls well short!
Remember doing night shift ind. cleaning-finished by 2am, found a torch & was down those tunnels at Trentham. Remember the mini. Shit job but got to see the tunnels & dips while Metro shells were treated & baked on the corridor ovens..Cannot believe not there any more
Brilliant.
Longbridge was BETRAYED, Never seen such an awful sight in your life, but this happens when we let foreigners run down our once proud nations history. Keep up the good work young man, I too scavenged parts for my father's cars in scrapyards....
Foreigners? Myabe, but the years of mismanagement, industrial unrest, poor build quality due to management cost cutting, harsh critics like Clarkson n Co, and melting head gaskets spelt doom for Longbridge. BMW smelt trouble very quickly on and weren’t going to be dragged down, and have their own models dragged down either. Sad, but true.
Irish here a have feeling that the german car industry had lot to do with demise of british car industry so sad my dad always bought British cars he said there were most reliable
Indeed but tony Blair and his Labour govt also had a hand like everything that man touched
Fantatsic that someone got the poor little 1275GT out. ❤
I actually got to walk round the tunnels under the cabs with a member of security. We had to set up some lights for contractors
For insurance claim purposes, I imagine there were countless priceless prototypes stored down there!
Great to see the old Mini at Gaydon. I survivor of a different era it deserves to survive.
Great video tom ..thanks for the shout out at the end...will tell you the story one day how it was removed and the backlash after it was removed
Steve! The man himself! You’re a legend, thanks for being here.
Hiya.Do you know Dave Hollings by any chance?
@GlennPowell-ls3lg from where..or do you mean dave hollis
@@Steve-j-morgan Sorry I meant Dave Hollis yes.I was part of a mini owners club and he used to organise four events each year.Bingley Hall,Himley , Aston Hall and The Vineyards.Did meet him several times but he did face at the time alot of critics for allowing the new as was BMW mini owners to the events.
@GlennPowell-ls3lg yes I met him at bingley hall in 2012...the mini got a lot of attention
A facinating subject. If you find out more do another video please.
Already got another one out, look at my channel for more.
Another great video. I wonder if any of the engineers who worked on the prototypes are still around to fill in some of the details. Fascinating stuff.
Thanks Neal, I tried to find as many people as I could during my research but sadly not much information. My hope is the video does the rounds so we can sort a follow up!
@@tomdrivesyes, it’s it’s great Tom that you are bringing the history to life with all this, and it’s be great to hear the stories of folk who used to work there, while they are still with us.
I think the Solihull factory was camouflaged, too. I seem to remember reading that it still shows.
Your pronunciation of ‘mini 1275 gt’ is messing with my autism… please say ‘twelve seventy five GT’ 🥰
I think being reprimanded for using the phone to raise the alarm for the fire sums up British Leylands problems
We were all over those tunnels and the factory when it closed. There was a lot more down there than what’s mentioned here.
Such as?
@@tomdrives a lot more cars than just the famed orange mini. There used to be a large selection of photos on 28DL in the RU and DF areas of the forum. All now either deleted or archived in areas not available to the general viewing public.
@@hislatestflame7861 Why are they not available, doesnt make any sense?
@@isleofthanet photographs were removed by the explorers who took the photos.
It's a shame the new owner straightened the roof of the Mini as that's allegedly the reason it ended up in the tunnel. Weren't there rumours he was intending to build it into a roadworthy car? Not sure how that would have worked as that shell had no useable parts or even an identity.
3.55 funny looking Longbridge cars.... The grounds team had an immaculate old Nuffield tractor in the 90s- wonder what happened to that.
Whoopsy there,
Nuffield tractors were a BMC product too.
Laziness, apathy, and bad management finished what could still be a viable company.
Great poster behind you! Do you have much memorabilia?
I have a ton…. An unhealthy amount.
@@tomdrives that’s great! Would love to see more sometime :)
been to cab1 and 2 but would have loved to see the tunnels
I wish I could’ve gone sadly all gone now. I may ask the site owners if they’ll let me in to see what’s left
@@tomdrivesyes that’s be great, before it’s all gone forever. Gone to us, anyway…
Do you know if the tunnels are all still there, or parts of them.
I remember reading about the mini and it being auctioned off tho I think the roof should have stayed damaged just as she sat in the tunnel
A follow up about the mini now would be interesting 🤔
I’d love to go see it again, I’ll ask those guys at the museum
I have seen it at Gaydon, but don't have any pictures. They aren't repairing it & had it on display exactly as they received it
Have they been filled in now?
Que pena de no poder visitar ese sitio y poder ser dueño de ese icono coche.😢
A pic of the Mini 1275 GT in the British Motor Museum would have been a good inclusion.
BTW, I've always known this version of the Mini as a 12 75 GT, not a 1 2 7 5 GT.
I’m not too familiar with minis hence referring to it incorrectly.
Regarding the photos, there are none I can use that won’t get copyright striked and I live 2 and a half hours away
Worked as an asbestos contractor in the late 80’s and 90’s…..in the tunnels at Longbridge….. went on forever
The amount of kit left lying about….. 🙄
A Rover built at Longbridge by Longbridge workers can NEVER be a real Rover .
You are a total legend Tom. Please English Heritage, The Victorian and Albert etc contact him........ he's in his twenties..........a young national (and international) asset.......... seriously........ find another!?!!
All my many Bitish cars have been great from herald Avenger. I’m Ambassador ( what a great car) Wolseley 110 auto montage country man, many mines and metros and course minis . Beast of all the mighty Maestro. Most underrated vehicle of all time. May be looking trough rose tinted specs. All good cars usually beater than the competition. I have uther makes , but the don’t come close
Well better get back to the wakye navies and remince on times passed
I had a Maestro, it was a good car but it wasn’t taken care of by its previous owners
I was going to bid on the new shape bmw mini shell with rover marked glass in. Someone won it on eBay for around £650.
Twelve Seventy Five GT.
Was about to say they same comment I actually put a 1275 GT engine in my first mini an old 1964 AUSTIN 1071 cc long time ago 1973 in Glasgow ended up selling it to OBAN police rally club will be long gone now
Please do a video on the concept cars
Which ones?
@@tomdrivesMG Ex-E
@@goldenjaguar5579 already done, check out the British Car Stories playlist.
Basic Mini cars were sent to Coopers in Surbiton, it was there they became "The Iconic Mini Cooper S".
I was always amazed that Mini Cooper was sold as the rather basic Morris and Austin brands instead of the sporty Riley and MG brands. If there had been a 'Riley Cooper S' it may have saved the Riley nameplate and the performance associated MG brand would have connected the Cooper S with MG sportscars.
This just sums up what a total mess BL was. The cars were badly built and badly designed.
And badly run too, they were haemorrhaging money terminally by the end. So sad to see the workers leave, given one weeks holiday pay and told to go home.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone call them 'one two seven five GT', they were always 'twelve sevety-five GT' 🤓
Interesting video though👍
Could you do a video telling us why it was called "Longbridge"
Reminds me of the Bob Dylan song; Subterranean Homesick Blues🚙
Bernie and Lupal had a shop in there yrs back
No one ever seems to comment on how/why the roof of the mini was restored after leaving the tunnel
I believe it was just bent back into its rough shape it’s not a new roof
I pushed the roof into shape with 2 filing cabinets a scaffold plank and a bottle jack ...just to give it its dignity back
@@Steve-j-morgan mystery solved!
Sounds like some Real skullduggery went on in that Place , mind you British Leyland nothing new there , But an interesting Vid ..
This was really interesting and you must of put in alot of work in to this but made a great job of it trouble with Longbridge in the 80s because of money cost cutting and bad wages so no body cared when building them so the cars was bad quality so people didn't want any cars and in the 90s was the same but worse built being rover so went bankrupt and bmw buying the rights to mini cheap and look how many have been built now
It's """Twelve seventy Five"" GT
Lancaster bombers were assembled at Longbridge during WW2.
My first car was A mini 1275 GT in the same horrible yellow as the one in the picture not the orange one in the tunnel.
it looks like someone has tried to repair the 1275GT, the roof has been pushed back to normalish shape. What a shame
Such a crime, these vehicles should have been preserved, especially on the shut down of the factory. If nothing else a factory museum. With its war history documented, for us all to appreciate. After all it was the publics money being left to rot and burn. Bloody criminal typical bloody Leyland, "Don't use the phone to call the fire brigade".🙄
What are "clay books"?
I said Clay Bucks… they are clay models
I am no enthusiast of BL , but I do know that the Mini 1275GT was NEVER referred to as the 'one two seven five' : it was advertised , and always called the 'twelve seventy-five GT' .
I worked in parts for Austin rover was called the 1275 Mini gt