Bill Sohl/Andy Mace and Triumph Friends
ROVER - SELL OFF
As a ex - Standard Triumph/ Rover Triumph employee - for the record and
contrary to what you have heard there were not thousands- just three of us
- Jonmac , Paul and I - the latter two they needed to support the expenses
of the former who they could just afford to feed. Wasn't there a phase in
history when our American friends and allies had a problem with a chap by
the name of Mc Carthy? No offence John...I supposed its my turn to buy the
beers AGAIN.
John Towers, head of the Phoenix Consortium who have bought Rover, was the
the Chief Executive of Rover Group, when BMW foolishly "gazumped" Honda in
the sale of the Group by British Aerospace. At that point Towers had
started to turn the business corner and show regular/genuine profits. He
had also built up a worthwhile and fruitful technical collaboration and
exchange with Honda, which both sides highly valued.
Quote John Towers verbatim when asked a question at the Longbridge Press
conference this week, about the Heritage marques: " Triumph...Triumph we
wanted - that was a clear objective of ours ...it wasn't a deal breaker,
but I think it might have been from BMW's point of view. BMW were very keen
to retain title to the new Mini and also to the name Triumph and in fact
Riley...and basically we've got everything else .So..we have Rover, we
have Wolseley, we have MG, we have lots of brands that we can take
advantage of and we have some good platforms that are flexible in that
respect."
There's still a lot of water to go under the bridge, particularly with
reference to Heritage and the Gaydon museum. It is said by an informed
source that " BMW don't want to sell the museum to another motor
manufacturer" -!?!!???. With Fred Coultas, Heritage's Chief Executive
having taken early retirement and Anders Clausager taking up a prestigious
Chief Archivist's post elsewhere in the
motor industry, on the first of June, it has been left to Peter Mitchell
as Chairman of the Trust and the museum's original "land lord" to steer the
ship in the coming weeks and months. One name that has been mentioned more
than once is the British Science Museum
You know that expression " A week is a long time in politics.?" Well the
motor industry invented politics and the timings are little different.
Hope the foregoing - about the marques, in particular - helps a little.
Talking to Herr Hubner, Head of BMW Mobile Tradition,and Herr Gunther, its
Marketing Manager - at this year's Techno Classica Show in Essen, he left
me in no doubt that BMW are making healthy profits from supporting their
oldtimer, youngtimer and classic car market. Hubner at the time stated that
they saw similar opportunities, for BMW, with some of the Heritage marques.
Not odd, therefore, that they have retained an interest in Triumph, but odd
that they wanted to retain, according to John Towers, an interest in Riley
marque. The marque was always a bone of contention between Riley enthusiast
/ deposed BMW Chief Executive Bernd Pietschreider and other BMW board
members, before his departure. There has been speculation over recent
years about the revival of Austin Healey and the motoring press has carried
stories, along with specifications and colour visuals of BMW proposals.
Presumably this is one of the marques that has come into John Tower's new
orbit( it was not mentioned at the conference) and with Tower so keen
originally to acquire the Triumph marque ...was there an across the table,
a glib, off the cuff, trade off - BMW releasing Austin Healey for their
retention of Triumph. Hold onto yours hats! Me thinks that the Triumph
roller coaster could be on the move again - it will be interesting to see
what form it takes. Would value your comments and opinions.
Best wishes to all friends of Triumph.
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