History: The story of Rover

Daily Mail13 April 2012

THESE are the key dates in the rise and fall of Rover:

1904: Rover, founded in Coventry as a bicycle business, produces its first car.

1924: MG set up by Cecil Kimber in Oxford, producing sports cars and saloons.

1959: Mini launched.

1964: Sales of Mini Austin 1100 peak at 380,000.

1968: British Leyland Motor Corporation takes over BMC and Rover.

1975: Government effectively nationalises British Leyland.

1980: Austin Metro launched.

1986: Sir Graham Day appointed by Margaret Thatcher to take over BL. Renames it Rover Group.

1988: British Aerospace takes over Rover. Given a £44.4m 'sweetner' package to speed the £150m deal.

March 1993: The EC says the package was illegal and orders the Government to recover the cash plus interest.

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May 1993: BAe gives Government £57.6m, taking the price it paid for the business to more than £200m.

1994: Rover sold to BMW

1995: Rover 200 becomes the firm's highest-selling model with 700,000 sales.

1995: MG is reborn as the MG-F sports car.

Spring 2000: BMW breaks up Rover Group.

May 2000: John Towers pays a nominal £10 for MG Rover with his Phoenix consortium.

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November 2003: Longbridge suspends production of 25, 45 and 75 models as sales slump.

March 2004: Commons committee accuses Phoenix of 'financial sleight of hand'.

August 2004: News emerges that MG Rover could be bought by the Chinese.

November 2004: BMW calls Rover bosses 'the unacceptable face of capitalism'.

April 2005: Government goes to China to try to secure a deal with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.

April 7, 2005: Production suspended at Longbridge.

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