Car-making is hard.
Profitable car-making is a whole lot harder, and for proof you only need take a look at the failed British car companies we’re looking at here.
Some were born close to the dawn of the car, when bicycle-makers saw money in the new-fangled horseless carriage. But it wasn’t easy. Car-making at the start of the 20th century was like internet projects at the end of it - plenty tried, but only the fittest survived.
Here's a look at the best and most interesting of the ones who didn't make it:
Allard
Sydney Allard built almost 2000 cars between 1946-57, many of them fast, American V8-engined sports cars, although there were plenty of saloons too.
But despite an array of models, Allard’s bosses failed to assess the direction in which the automotive world was headed and thus the final model from the company - the two seater Palm Beach - was said to have been a year behind its competitors for technology and driving dynamics.
Allard collapsed in 1957.
PHOTO: Allard M1 (1948)
Alvis
A maker of high-quality sports cars in its heyday. Duller saloons followed, but the TC to TF series of coupés and roadsters were a handsome swansong.
Bought by Rover in 1965, car production ended two years later, Alvis becoming a military vehicles maker. It was bought by BAE Systems in 2004.
Austin
During much of its 83-year life, Austin was a serial maker of dependable and sometimes boring family cars. But it also produced two landmark designs. The 1922 Austin Seven was an affordable car that put much of the UK on wheels, while the 1959 Austin Mini triggered a small car design revolution.
The Mini was also available in larger sizes as the 1100 and the 1800, both advanced Alec Issigonis creations. All would be massive sellers. But it was 1973’s 1100 replacement that doomed Austin. Designed as a car for Europe, the Allegro wasn’t that and didn’t sell that well in the UK either.
By this point Austin was embedded within British Leyland’s Austin-Morris volume car division, which the company was desperate to revive. That almost came with 1980’s highly successful Metro, but the awkwardly formed Maestro and Montego follow-ups blew much of the resulting goodwill. The Austin names was dropped in 1988.
PHOTO: 1930s Austin Seven
Austin-Healey
A joint venture between Donald Healey and Austin saw the beautiful 1953 Austin-Healey 100 and the later frogeye Sprite successfully built and sold by BMC. But the frogeye became an MG Midget and the big Healey was eventually outlawed by US legislation, the brand name wastefully retired in 1971.
BMW considered a revival in the late 1990s using a Z3 base, but the company's exit from Rover ended that intriguing prospect.
PHOTO: Austin Healey 3000
