The LOST BRITISH CAR EMPIRE! – The Rise And Fall Of The Rootes Group

In this video we explore one of the most incredible collapses of a major car company the Rootes Group which was once Britain’s second largest car manufacturer. I give you a history of how this empire began and how it ended including the Hillman Minx, Hillman Avenger, Hillman Imp, Audax Cars, Singer Vogue, Singer Gazelle, Humber Hawk, Humber Sceptre and more!

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Hillman Humber singer Talbert Sunbeam carrier and Comm these are names that were once a common site on our roads but have now vanished The Roots group was once a car Empire to rival the Giants of liland and BMC an Empire so vast it holy controlled its own dealer and

Distribution Network going on to become the second largest British car manufacturer but by 1971 this Empire had collapsed in this video we are going to explore one of the most spectacular collapses in the history of of the automobile The Lost Empire of the roots group from its humble beginnings as a

Small bicycle repair business to its height as a manufacturing Giant in 1960 and finally it’s downfall nearly a decade later in 1971 this is the rise and fall of the roots group hello everybody and welcome to this video If you’re not subscribed please make sure to do so it really does

Help me out and you get to see more of this more history videos and more cool projects like project 2600r my Rover sd1 and my Ford Cortina project this video is on an incredible Lost Empire The Roots group and drop a comment below and

Drop a like on the video as well do you have any Roots group memories of owning cars like Hillman hbers or singers and do you have any history or any insights that you’d like to share things that I’ve missed or cars that I might not have highlighted that you’d like looking

Into further but without further delay let’s get in to the rise and fall of the roots Group roots’s Humble beginning was in 1895 when William root senior opened a cycle repair business with 75 founds that he and his wife had saved their sons William Billy roots and Reginald

Claude Roots known as Reggie would later join the business but first these brothers would go their separate ways during which they would learn the skills which would go on to complement each other’s experience in the future to turn a bicycle repair shop into a giant of Industry Billy took the Practical

Approach he went on to leave school at 15 and with his father’s help began an apprenticeship with singer making a penny an hour Reggie continued his education going on to join the civil service working at the admiralty William senior showed great interest in a technology making its way into the

Public Consciousness and in 1899 William senior sold his first car William senior with the help of Billy would go on to expand the business further creating a car sales arm of the original root cycle business the business quickly expanded in 1914 the war to end all wars began

Even during wartime the progress of the roots group was unimpeded with Billy serving in the Royal volunteer Reserve at Clement Talbert in London where Rolls-Royce Aero engines were repaired under contract for the government this became a significant moment for Billy observing this business to later create

His own in 1917 in Maidstone creating a new business venture Roots limited Reggie would then join his brother at the business The Roots brothers were together at last forming a legendary partnership with one brother termed the power unit and the other the steering and braking system in 1920 the brothers

Purchased the motorc car division of their father’s business Roots limited would later expand further in the 1920s with Reggie’s help the company then started their own wholesale motor vehicle and distribution arm for other major manufacturers going on to become Austin Motor Company’s largest distributor within 6 years the company

Had made £1.5 million which is around 114 million today the business then went on a spree of expansions and Acquisitions to build the foundations for their own car business acquiring throp and maelly renowned coach builders for damler Humber and Rolls Royce by 1927 the stage was set the brothers had

Acquired other Distributors as well to create an unrivaled distribution Network they had Len engineering works as well and a famous coach Builder these were the pieces of the puzzle that needed to be assembled to create a car Empire like no others and the two brothers had done

It during that same year with A1 million loan the brothers acquired Humber Hilman and comma with all three companies in need of modern Machining tools to increase production and drive efficiency this wasn’t a problem for the Now resourc Rich Roots company this was a considerable achievement for the

Brothers both in their 30s were worth millions and had a distribution Empire with the foundations to build a car manufacturing giant after considerable investment by their parent company Hilman would launch the Hilman wizard in April of 1931 a six-cylinder passenger car with two models the 65 and 75

Relating to their ball size the wizard unfortunately wasn’t the success the brothers had hoped but there was a four-door Saloon being developed that would change their fortunes launched later that year the Hillman minks was a small family car that became a near immediate success thanks to its

Reliability and of course its price The Mink would go on to become somewhat of an institution for 40 years the minks was a popular family car sold all over the world aest Testament to Billy’s close involvement in the project it would go on to be produced in various

Generations until 1970 in 1935 the group would welcome into the F Sunbeam Talbot and carrier commercial vehicles all marks in need of serious investment during the 30s Roots had become a Powerhouse and by 1937 employed 10,000 people making all manner of cars from limousines like the Sunbeam Talbert 3

Liter to the humble Hillman minks Roots group at this time had one of the largest export businesses in Britain in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II the brothers found themselves once again at the mercy of global conditions but this time they had considerable resource at

Their disposal The Roots group had a significant contribution to the war effort producing a staggering one in seven of all bombers six out of 10 armored cars and 50,000 Arrow engines for the British Armed Forces by the end of the war the company and its Founders will recognize with an impressive number

Of decor ations for their contributions such as the George medal and the member of the order of the British Empire postwar The Roots group shifted gears back to peacetime production in its nearly bankrupted Home Country customers were scarce so cars were produced mainly for America and other export markets

Concentrating all of its car production at the newly acquired riton plant the company also established subsidiaries abroad in Australia and Iran the company would go into the late 1940s with an incredible lineup such as the Humber originally launched in 1945 being succeeded by the brand new Mark III

Humber Hawk a Sleek four-door family Saloon launched in 1948 a new Hillman minks was also launched that year including an estate Saloon and a soft top but retaining its predecessor’s 11 185cc side draft engine later that year the Sunbeam Talbert 80 was also launched a four-door Sports Saloon around this

Time William Roots was presented with a car from the remnants of a defeat Germany the VW Beetle which was shipped to the UK after the war as Britain was instrumental in the plan to rebuild the war Tor Germany which of course involved car production a commission led by the

Now Sir William traveled to Germany to assess the Wolfsburg plant but it was deemed unsuitable but not just by The Roots group Ford also declined as well as other leading manufacturers the car this commission saw was not the classic Beetle we know of today it was commonly thought that Sir William declined a

Production ready beetle in one of the biggest blunders and missed opportunities of the British car industry but this is not the case the car they saw in 1948 was an early prototype slow and unrefined with a short expected life the car was being pitched as a readyfor production car but

The commission sent famously by both Ford and Roots identified it wasn’t and declined by the mid 1950s Roots had unveiled their first cars of the new aox range of midsize saloons the new sunbean Rapier with a stylish monoco body powered by a 1,390 cc overhead valve

Engine fed by twin carbs in 1956 the passenger car Empire would expand even further when Root’s group welcomed singer into the fold launching the singer gazelle one this was it the start of a golden age during the mid to late 1950s the company would launch some incredible cars humble would launch the

Series 1 Humber Hawk a completely new construction this would be shared with the Humber super snipe series 1 as well Hillman would produce the odox minks which in Latin aox means Bal and this was a boldly styled car this will build on the success of the previous mink

Series a new car was then introduced by Hillman in 1954 as well a small three do estate car the Husky another aox car over at Sunbeam the Rapier would be updated to the series 2 incorporating a stunning convertible model as well as the standard twodo Saloon in the mid to

Late 1950s the market positioning of the brands in The Roots group looked like this Humber and single were the luxury brands with Hillman and Sunbeam falling underneath at the mid-range a lack of a lower end was palatable in the 50s but as the new decade approached things

Would change this meant the lowest cost car in their range was the Hilman minks at a price of £ 773 and 17 Shillings after tax this compared with other small family cars like the a30 and later A35 which cost around £475 was considerably more expensive in 1956 the problems with the roots range

Were exposed even further with the outbreak of the Suz crisis and the resulting fuel rations while Britain’s second largest car manufacturer was starting to experienced a decline standard Triumph were flourishing with their Frugal standard eight and the main competitor of the roots group BMC were also doing well thanks to their diverse

Range of cars such as the Austin a30 in the late 1950s Roots now had a problem a range of products that only catered to the mid to high-end Market therefore it was decided within the group to merge with standard Triumph to bolster the top and bottom end with the Triumph sports

Cars coming in at the top end and the small family cars of the standard range such as the standard Eight coming in at the low end for better or worse this deal would eventually collapse with no lower end more affordable Mark the company was shut out of the ever growing

Economy car market which was exploding at the time thanks to the popularity of the Mini at the start of the new decade of the 1960s Roots would then make a decision on which its entire Empire would rest a small car had been launched by BMC one year earlier this car taking

The World by storm this car was the mini a small economy car getting the nation moving and Roots desperately needed to acquire their own piece of the action as demonstrated early with the failed acquisition of standard Triumph without the ability to purchase a small car for their range they would need to develop

One themselves under project Apex the Hilman imp the result was a small rear engine car with an overhead cam allo engine developed by Coventry climax sadly though the government got involved the original plan was to produce the hman Imp in their home in the West Midlands with an expansion to the Ron

Plant but this Factory expansion was blocked by the government demanding The Roots group build a factory in economically challenged areas leading to a plant being built near Glasgow over 300 miles away from the heartland of the roots group in 1961 during a time when the company’s resources were stretched

Between a new 20 million pound plant being built and the costly development of a new model a strike would take place that crippled The Roots group steel pressings plant costing the company 3 months of production due to the lack of body shell Supply this also cost the company lost production of over 50,000

Cars at a crucial time when the company needed the money to develop the Imp and build the new Factory the company was now on a knife edge after their 2 million pound loss of that year thanks to the strike action according to Publications at the time this strike

Action was caused by job security worries which is a bit ironic considering they’d now started the beginning of the end for the roots group more and more economy cars flooded the markets such as Fords Anglia taking away the imp’s market share before it even hit the road the Imp was running behind

Schedule in development resulting and cost overruns due to pressure from the government to get the lindwood plant going the Imp would be launched with compromises in May of 1963 during that month his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh would open the plant officially but there were smoke and

Mirors at play the Imp driven by the Duke was one of only a dozen made and the plant wasn’t finished with the uncompleted areas being hidden away the Imp then went into production later that year but due to the rush development the car was harder to produce and the impact

This had was staggering quality issues and Personnel issues played the imp’s early production but this wasn’t the only problem it faced the Machining for the engines could only take place at Coventry due to the lack of adequate facilities in lywood this meant all engine blocks had to be sent from

Glasgow to Coventry to be machined and then sent back again the result of this was catastrophic and resulted in the Imp being less competitive in the marketplace due to the increased cost of production the Imp on its launch would be sold for £58 which was £60 more than the mini at

The time today the Imp would cost around £13,000 by the end of 1963 the company was still running at a loss but some of their other models were still competitive the venerable minks was still a success competing with the Ford CA and voxal Victor the humpa and sing

Of Vogue were also strong sellers that year by 1964 Roots group was still making a loss when the company was approached by Chrysler who wanted to get a foothold in the European market a deal was struck between the two with krysler purchasing 30% of the shares of Root’s group Chrysler’s influence would

Increase month on month with more and more shares being acquired until it had a considerable stake with considerable control Sir William Roots would then retire in May of 1964 placing his brother Reggie as the chairman Sir William would then pass away in December that year the next year another

Catastrophe would befall The Roots group in 1965 with BM City’s purchase of pressed steel which produced body shells and panel work for all of Britain’s major car manufacturers this meant BMC essentially became the Puppet Master for the British car industry with Direct Control of a body shell supply for all

Major manufacturers including of course the roots group it is speculated that BMC requested pressed steel to prioritize the production of Austin Morris bodyshells to strangle other manufacturers Supply but this is unconfirmed the lindwood Press steel oper operation would later be sold back to Roots this was the beginning of the

Decline krysler and the British government announced in 1966 that the roots group was to be taken over and renamed Chrysler Europe formed in 1967 with Reginald Roots passing the role of chairman to Sir Williams son in the late 1960s it wasn’t all bad news enter the long awaited Arrow cars the Hillman

Hunter Hillman minks and the Humber sepor Mark III the future of the group was looking to be on the upturn after American turnover but sadly Humber and singer were dropped by 1970 leaving Hilman and Sunbeam Talbert the only remaining marks in 1970 another icon of British motoring was introduced the

Hillman Avenger the first car to be developed after the kler Takeover in 1967 succeeding the Hillman minks the Avenger was supposed to be the cartina Killer and went on to have considerable success also being sold in the US as the Plymouth Cricket in 197 to an Avenger

Like no other was produced an Avenger that most had forgotten the Hillman Aventure tiger the naming scheme was used to evoke memories of the V8 powered Sunbeam Tiger a version of the Alpine Roadster the Mark 1 tiger was equipped with a bonnet bulge and a distinctive color scheme sundan yellow with spoilers

Side Stripes as standard and of course the Avenger tiger branding on the rear quarters all avenger Tigers were assembled by the krysler competition center with only around 200 of the Mark 1 being produced this forgotten performance icon beat the Ford Escort Mexico to 60 MPH at 8.9 seconds compared

To the Mexico’s 10.2 seconds going on to a top speed of 108 mph 9 mph more than the Mexico this new Roots group now klyy Europe would be presented with another challenge the 1973 oil crisis the worst decision they could have made at this time was then made the small economy car

In American terms the Plymouth cricket was discontinued which meant the car would not be part of the small engine Revolution that took place as the demand for more fuel efficient cars skyrocketed a decision that deprived the cash strapped Chrysler Europe further all of these poor decisions would come to ahead

When in 1975 the company was near bankruptcy the company was saved by1 1225 million pound bailout by the UK government the government also provided a55 million Grant to fund the development of a new small car this new car was the Talbot Sunbeam launched in 1976 to succeed the Imp and the Avenger

But the damage was done so the poor little Sunbeam was not the ray of light kryler Europe had hoped being snuffed out by past mistakes the once proud Empire then lost its second largest British manufacturing title to Reliant the end came in 1978 when Chrysler’s new president sold the European operations

To persio for1 pound something that would be almost echoed by BMW W in 2000 with MG Rover persio shut down lywood after only 18 years of production and The Last hman Avengers would then be rebadged as Talbot Avengers after Hilman and Sunbeam were discontinued by perso

Talbot would go on to be the sole survivor of roots group Talbot would live on producing cars like the salara tagora Sunbeam and samb in the late 80s due to the declining sales of the Talbert branded cars Puro was questioning whether its operation should be sustained since it presented Direct

Competition with its own models tolbert’s Final Act was with the Tolbert Arizona which was dropped to create the PUO 309 on the shop floors of Tolbert surviving plants in the UK the badge would fade one car at a time until all models were replaced by persos with the

Final remnant of the once massive Roots group gone an Empire to rival British Leland finally faded away in 1995 The Roots group is a British success story founded by two brothers with help from their father in the early 20th century which went on to become the second largest car manufacturer in the

UK and one of Britain’s biggest exporters on the other hand from 1963 is also a story of an industry in Decline poor decisions like the rushing of the Imp to the logistical issues presented by the Lynnwood factories location to its takeover to form Chrysler Europe The Roots group is just another example of

An Empire destroyed by mismanagement and poor decisions and the decline of a once proud British car in industry