6 replies to this topic

[minifirstcar]

I was wondering if there is any difference between the two? My friend reckons Austin are better but can't explain why, can you shed some light on the subject?

[some1158]

It is the same company - Minis were badged as Austin or Morris in the 60s, then just as Mini (but with Austin or Morris or Austin Morris on the logbook) in the 70s. In the 80s the company was Austin Rover then rebranded as Rover from 1989. 

 

Some say that the earlier (pre-Rover era) cars are more rustproof but that may just be because the rusty ones from that era have disappeared.

[6joshh6]

I think the pecking order was Rover, Austin and then Morris, although rover coopers had nicer interiors than the earlier cars, there isn't much difference between them. 

[mab01uk]

The British Motor Corporation ()BMC) was created in 1952 when the Nuffield Group (Morris and associated companies) merged with Austin. It was supposed to give the UK a world-class car manufacturing group to fight the best the world could throw at us – but instead, it was divided, and lost market share throughout it short life. Died in 1968, when Leyland Motors took it over to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC)......later became BL, Austin Rover, MG Rover, etc......'Mini' became a standalone brand in 1969 with the introduction of the Mk3 Mini and was officially no longer branded an Austin or Morris. Rover was a manufacturer of larger luxury cars and were taken over by Leyland before the BMC merger and had nothing to do with the design of the original Mini.

http://www.aronline....bmc-is-created/

http://www.aronline....turbulent-time/

Edited by mab01uk, 22 August 2013 - 07:30 PM.

[tractor]

^^^^^^^^ that's a pretty good explaination, I've never really fully understood the history till now cheers

[Ethel]

The Dvla had a habit of calling them all Austins on the V5 regardless of what they were badged.

[zinzan]

The Dvla had a habit of calling them all Austins on the V5 regardless of what they were badged.

 

I had a heck of a time when I shipped my Mini over trying to get it registered.  Austin hadn't sold cars in Canada since 1978 and the brand doesn't generally appear in most listings any longer.  Trying to explain that my Rover Mini was the same as an Austin Mini but was not a MINI pretty much needed a Powerpoint presentation, tracking cards, and a cheat card for the 5 different clerks I dealt with.