Car Industry in Crisis

**JDNSW** · 2nd June 2020, 07:48 PM

Badge engineering goes back a lot further than the examples quoted. Directly related to this forum, both Minerva and Tempus produced badge engineered Landrovers in the fifties, as did a number of other companies such as Santana more recently.

The oldest one I can recollect seeing in the metal (actually only part of it) was a "Peerless" from the early 1020s - which bore a striking resemblance to Henry's products, but there were others as well, some going back to the nineteenth century.

But more recently than these examples, not quite the same badge engineering, but very similar, was where a company 'A' took over or merged with company 'B', and continued to sell both makes 'A' and 'B'. This became very popular from the 1920s on in the shakeout of the industry following WW1, especially in Britain (e.g. Rolls Royce/Bentley and the Rootes Group) and again from the 1950s with BMC, where the same car was produced and sold by the same company with different badges and slightly different metal and trim.

**p38arover** · 2nd June 2020, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Saitch

Yea. The Torana hatchback had a Toyota 4 cylinder ~~'Starfire'~~"Misfire" donk.

Fixed it for you. My wife had a Toyota Corona with the Holden Misfire engine. We had to turn off the aircon to climb Mt Ousley out of Wollongong.

**p38arover** · 2nd June 2020, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by JDNSW

and the Rootes Group) and again from the 1950s with BMC, where the same car was produced and sold by the same company with different badges and slightly different metal and trim.

My 1971 Hillman Hunter Royal 660 had interior trim from the Humber Sceptre - right down the Sceptre badge on the doors and bonnet. The wooden dash was the same.

The dash on mine:

These were on the inner door trims:

b8bcd3138d6c50c66856311db3ce177b.jpg

The bonnet badge was similar.

**V8Ian** · 2nd June 2020, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Saitch

Yea. The Torana hatchback had a Toyota 4 cylinder 'Starfire' donk.

The Starfire was two thirds of the Red 173, they were so badly balanced that GM-H had to engineer tougher con-rods. These 'rods are sought after, as bulletproof, by the blokes building hot red sixes.

**JDNSW** · 2nd June 2020, 08:10 PM

If I remember rightly, Rootes, originally a car sales and later distribution company, became the Rootes Group by buying controlling interests in Humber, Hillman and Commer in the late 1920s, so this is hardly surprising.

**V8Ian** · 2nd June 2020, 08:22 PM

In Australia we got Humber Vogue, in its home country they were Singer Vogue. Don't get Jerry started on that.

The Australian engineered Austin Freeway was a hybrid Austin Cambridge/ Wolseley 24/80.
Morris Major, another Aussie special, was based on the Wolseley/ Riley platform and was mooted as a Morris Minor replacement, in the Ol' Dart.

**V8Ian** · 2nd June 2020, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by JDNSW

If I remember rightly, Rootes, originally a car sales and later distribution company, became the Rootes Group by buying controlling interests in Humber, Hillman and Commer in the late 1920s, so this is hardly surprising.

Also Sunbeam Talbot, Karrier and Tilling Stephens.

DiscoMick · 2nd June 2020, 08:48 PM

I read the world's best-selling SUV is - wait for it - the Nissan X-Trail.
I don't have the figures, but if that's true it says a lot.
Nissan and Renault are basically the same.
Anyway, the important point is that China now makes the most automobiles. Even Tesla has just opened a factory there.
So, there's the future.

**RANDLOVER** · 2nd June 2020, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by Tote

My favourite, the Nissan Ute

Regards,
tote

And it's opposite number the Ford Patrol or Maverick as it was called.

**p38arover** · 2nd June 2020, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Also Sunbeam Talbot,

When I was in my teens, I had a Sunbeam Talbot 90 IIA - the sedan version of what Bunty drives in Father Brown

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