Inside Longbridge after MG Rover Collapse (Pic Heavy)

[Gibby]

During last Sundays Top Gear Episode on British Leyland Cars, they showed what is left of Longbridge. This got me interested as to how much was left of the site and I came across a Forum Specalising in UK Urban Exploration. They have a tone of threads from people that had got into Longbridge after the 2005 MG Rover and taken some pics. I found the quite interesting so i here are the Links and some of my Fav pics.

All Pics Thanks to 28 DAYS LATER






This Mini was found in the underground tunnels!











An MG Rally Car

They also came across this Catherham 7 in the Rally Shed






Links:
Thread 1: Rover MG Longbridge - 29/04/07 ARCHIVED
Thread 2: Rover MG, Longbridge Day 2, Roof & Tunnel - ARCHIVED
Thread 3: More Longbridge Photos 25/02/2007 ARCHIVED
Thread 4: Longbridge, main tunnel network ARCHIVED
Thread 5: Rover MG, Longbridge, 18/02/07 - ARCHIVED
Thread 6: MG Rover South Works Powertrain - ARCHIVED
Thread 7: Longbridge, front office and forgotten toolroom ARCHIVED
Thread 8: Longbridge -26/11/06 ARCHIVED
Thread 9: Longbridge - 09/12/06 - ARCHIVED
Thread 10: Longbridge Flight Shed (Rally) - 19\11\06 - ARCHIVED
Thread 11: Longbridge Flight Shed - 26/11/06 - ARCHIVED
Thread 12: Longbridge Overnight - 24/11 & 25/11 - ARCHIVED
Thread 13: Rover Longbridge, Boiler Room, Tunnels, More Stuff !! - 19/11/06 - ARCHIVED
Thread 14: Rover factory, Longbridge - 17/11/06 - ARCHIVED
Thread 15: Rover - Something different - 16-11-06 ARCHIVED
EDIT: Okay this Link did not work, i will Add some more threads when i get time

[AiR]

That's unbelivably cool. I do think the way they moved the cars around seems a bit awkward (or british), using those monorails...

I love how the equipment and the cars are still around.

[BlaRo]

Wow. It's just so surreal, it's as if everybody just got up and left halfway through a workday. What are they going to do with the painted shells? And what's to stop someone from, say, driving off with that Caterham?

Oh, and somebody please steal this grille and ship it to me, it'd look pretty cool on my wall. I'll pay for shipping via Paypal or something.


edit...wtf?!

[Ottobon]

looks like genuine fun, i'd really love to do that, but i have a feeling that if i went around exploring vacant buildings in Detroit the least of my worries would be security guards

[teeb]

I remember seeing something like this in...Top Gear Mag?

Especially the prototype replacement for the Rover 45, which is the odd black car.

Looking at these sadden me. Especially the photos of the production line - I always liked the Rover 75. In a fair world, the company would still be going strong, or at the very least a bit more than a vague memory of the past.

Although having said that if someone's going back I'll take one of the K-series powered Caterhams please.

[tigger]

What the fuck? It really does look like they just up and left in the middle of the day. Kind of spooky, but that would be the last thing on my mind if I stumbled onto that Caterham, or that MG rally car shell. I'd be thinking about how to get them out of there .

[thedguy]

I remember seeing something like this in...Top Gear Mag?

Especially the prototype replacement for the Rover 45, which is the odd black car.

Looking at these sadden me. Especially the photos of the production line - I always liked the Rover 75. In a fair world, the company would still be going strong, or at the very least a bit more than a vague memory of the past.

Although having said that if someone's going back I'll take one of the K-series powered Caterhams please.

Based on looks of the cars (inside and out) the last 5 or 6 years of 'em were far better than anything the big 3 have been pumping out. Perhaps they should have made another go at the US market before going under.

Is there anyone on this forum that has had the benefit of checking out the newer Rovers (like the 75) and as well as some of the American crap that was out at the time and is now? I'm curious as to whats better.

[CrazyRussian540]

Who do those technically belong to?

And some of them even have the keys in the ignition.

[Viper007Bond]

Who do those technically belong to?

And some of them even have the keys in the ignition.

I assume they sold all their assets to some invest group to cover their bankruptcy. The cars and machinery will probably be sold off for cash.

[Magnet]

Wow, I would have so loved going through and having a bit of an explore session in there. I love exploring old derelict buildings and ruins.

I still plan on visiting Chernobyl one of these days.

[Uwe]

Old but still funny.

[Cobol74]

Bad Management + Stroppy Unions + Incompetent Government + Nasty BMW + Smart but self serving (why should they not be?) Chinese = Bankruptcy.

[Donington]

You could set a horror film there

[LeMans GTR]

Great place to play paintball.

[teeb]

Based on looks of the cars (inside and out) the last 5 or 6 years of 'em were far better than anything the big 3 have been pumping out. Perhaps they should have made another go at the US market before going under.

Is there anyone on this forum that has had the benefit of checking out the newer Rovers (like the 75) and as well as some of the American crap that was out at the time and is now? I'm curious as to whats better.

I've not driven a 75, although I'd like to. I can tell you, though, that it was WhatCar's Car of the Year in 1999, and beat the BMW 3-series in a side by side test in the same issue.

It was either the E36 or the E46 3series, don't remember which and don't have the mag in this country.

Basically, the 75 was a pretty damn good car, as was it's MG equivelant. Helps that the majority of its development was BMW-funded and run.

And now that Rover has gone under you can pick up 75s dirt cheap, even the V8 versions. And I plan to, once I scrape together some cash.

I assume they sold all their assets to some invest group to cover their bankruptcy. The cars and machinery will probably be sold off for cash.

There already was a megasale of all the assets, including interesting things like the 75 estate 219mph record setter, a Rover 25 powered by a Fiat diesel and 2 rally cars. I guess what is lying around the factory is just unwanted and forgotten about, for now.

Wow, I would have so loved going through and having a bit of an explore session in there. I love exploring old derelict buildings and ruins.

I still plan on visiting Chernobyl one of these days.

Yep, me too - there's something about Chernobyl (or more specifically, about the abandoned city of Pripyat) that is fascinating to me.

[Peter3hg]

I saw something in a paper earlier this year. Most of Longbridge is still like these photos. Nothing has changed in 2 years. Worksman's tools are still lying around and even half drunken cups of tea. They did literally down tools in the middle of a working day and leave.
They also found a prototype for a Focus rivaling car which looked pretty good.

[American TG Man]

It really is amazing to see the factory of such a company in such a poor position. Also, it's a bit saddening as well, as there are plenty of reminders there of what could have been, had MG-Rover not gone under. Maybe they could have turned their fortunes around if those prototypes turned out to be decent cars. But we'll never know now. (unless someone decides to buy the rights to the MG-Rover name and restart production. I sure hope that happens...)

[Walsh_e]

They also found a prototype for a Focus rivaling car which looked pretty good.

Oh no it didn't, according to top gear magazine the person they had designing it he drew a number of sketches for a possible car, the one they decided to use was a sketch he left on his desk which he was meaning to throw away, a good example of how badly the company was being run. Apparently in some parts of the building the electricity is still on, you could always try sneaking in there and building yourself a car

[Peter3hg]

Apparently in some parts of the building the electricity is still on, you could always try sneaking in there and building yourself a car

Yeah, apparently the 'leccy is still on in the painting room because the paint needs continuously stirring to stop it drying in the tank.

[Ottobon]

Yeah, apparently the 'leccy is still on in the painting room because the paint needs continuously stirring to stop it drying in the tank.

I'm surprised the security cars don't just happen to be different colors everyday