The Strange and Convoluted History of MG Rover

Our story goes back to November 1981, when BL PLC incorporates a new subsidiary, Austin Rover Ltd. Five months later (April 1982) Austin Rover is renamed BL Cars Ltd, but by some oversight or delay the existing BL Cars Ltd is not renamed until December, when it becomes Austin Rover Group Ltd. ARG Holdings Ltd had been incorporated in October. In 1986 BL PLC became The Rover Group PLC, since Leyland trucks had been sold to DAF. When the British government sold the group to British Aerospace (now BAe Systems) in 1989 it became Rover Group Holdings Ltd, and Austin Rover Group became Rover Group Ltd. Four months later it was again Austin Rover Group Ltd, and it was now BL Cars that was the Rover Group Ltd. Then in October 1995 Austin Rover Group Ltd. exchanged names with The Rover Company Ltd, less than a year earlier ARG Holdings Ltd. The new Austin Rover Group was then dissolved in October 1999 (see below).

Confused yet? Wait, there's more! In late 1994 BMW AG had purchased Rover Group Holdings Ltd from British Aerospace. The main operating company was now Rover Group Ltd. Austin Morris Ltd had been dissolved in 1991, but a number of the famous old companies grouped together in British Leyland still survived, at least on paper. In November 1994 (about the time of the acquisition) many of the these companies exchanged names with other group companies lacking the history and cachet of the originals. Later that month Austin-Morris Group Facilities Ltd (founded in 1960) became the new Morris Garages, Ltd.

In April 1996 all of these original companies were then dissolved, leaving only new companies with the old names. Strangely absent from these changes has been Standard-Triumph Motor Company Ltd. No documents have been lodged with Companies House since 1990, and the company seems to have been lost somewhere in the shuffle.

Now for the final chapter. In May 2000 The Phoenix Group acquires Rover Group Ltd from BMW (UK) Holdings Ltd (the former Rover Group Holdings) for a symbolic £10. Rover Group retains the Longbridge plant, Austin Motor Company, Wolseley Motors, The Rover Company, Rover Cars and Morris Garages (MG). BMW keeps Riley Motors, Triumph Motor Company and the new Mini, and the rest of the manufacturing facilities, including the Longbridge engine plant. Land Rover had already been sold to Ford. Got it?