Solihull Archives - Just British

The Range Rover Story – Solihull Interactive Exhibit

April 4, 2017 Staff Comments Off

Land Rover has opened a new visitor attraction at its thriving Solihull manufacturing plant. ‘The Range Rover Story’ is an interactive exhibit created to celebrate 50 years of the world’s most revered luxury SUV. Range Rover has been manufactured at Solihull since 1970, but its history with the site goes back to 1967 when the first secret prototype was conceived, codenamed Velar. The new exhibit will take visitors on a time-travelling voyage from its inception in the mid-1960s, through to the introduction of the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque. The exhibition culminates in an exciting unveil of the new Range Rover Velar, celebrating British design and engineering integrity.

2017 Land Rover National Rally, Leadville, CO

March 1, 2017 Staff Comments Off

Mark your calendars every one, in July 2017 the Solihull Society will be returning to Leadville, CO for the annual Land Rover National Rally. We are still busy working on final details for evening venues and the final trail list, but as those that attending the 2005 and 2009 events can attest, Leadville is made for Land Rovers, both old and new. Situated at 10,000’ above sea level, Leadville is the quintessential 1880s mining town. Come see where Horace Tabor made his fortune, walk in the steps of Doc Holliday and the Unsinkable Molly Brown, tour old mines, reconnect with friends, and let’s not forget, run some amazing trails in the Best 4x4xFar. Trails in the area include Iron Mike Mine, Mosquito Pass, Holy Cross, Chinaman Gulch, and Wheeler Lake to name just a few. Monday 24 July – Afternoon, […]

Jaguar Land Rover to axe 260 agency workers

Jaguar Land Rover to Shed 260 Agency Workers

October 19, 2016 Staff Comments Off

Jaguar Land Rover is set to shed more than 250 agency workers at its Solihull plant as part of plans to transfer production of the Jaguar XE saloon to Castle Bromwich. The Coventry car maker has confirmed the staff are set to see their temporary contracts come to an end. In all more 267 agency staff are set to leave the Lode Lane factory over the coming weeks. One employee revealed workers “had no idea” they would be laid off and assumed they were being transferred to other parts of the luxury car manufacturer. It is understood 67 agency staff have left the Solihull plant with a further 200 from the Manpower agency set to go in the coming weeks. Note: All or parts of this story come via the Coventry Telegraph – please check out their full story.

Last of the Current Land Rover Defenders is Built in Solihull

Land Rover Defenders End Run at Solihull

January 29, 2016 Staff 2

Land Rover celebrated 68 years of history today as the last of the current Defenders was produced at its famous Solihull production facility. To mark the occasion Land Rover invited more than 700 current and former Solihull employees involved in the production of Series Land Rover and Defender vehicles to see and drive some of the most important vehicles from its history, including the first pre-production ‘Huey’ Series I as well as the last vehicle off the production line, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top. At the same time, Land Rover announced a new Heritage Restoration Programme, which will be based on the site of the existing Solihull production line. A team of experts, including some long serving Defender employees, will oversee the restoration of a number of Series Land Rovers sourced from across the globe. The first vehicles will […]

Jaguar Land Rover Manufacturing Lead in Britain

Jaguar Land Rover Lead Britain in Manufacturing

January 22, 2016 Staff Comments Off

Jaguar Land Rover has become the largest automotive manufacturer in Britain. The news follows today’s announcement from the SMMT that UK car manufacturing has had its best year in a decade producing 1,587,677 vehicles in 2015. Jaguar Land Rover produced more than 500,000 cars and commercial vehicles at its three vehicle manufacturing plants in Solihull, Birmingham and Liverpool. Under Tata Ownership, the company has seen a dramatic transformation in its business since 2009 when total annual production stood at 158,000 units. Since that time, Jaguar Land Rover has become the fastest growing UK automotive manufacturer with annual output rising by almost 70% thanks to more than £11bn of R&D investment to create an expanded and enhanced range from the two iconic British marques. In 2015 alone, Jaguar and Land Rover brought 11 new and refreshed cars to market, including the […]