We FOUND The Lost Cars Of the Longbridge Tunnels! PROTOTYPES And The GREATEST BRITISH BARNFIND!

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In this video we REVEAL THE IDENTITIES OF some of the most incredible and mysterious British Leyland and BMC prototypes ever made but with a twist, these cars were stored in the Longbridge tunnels and after a disaster in the late 70s these cars were destroyed.
With the help of the workers at the time from Austin, BMC and British Leyland we uncover these incredible lost cars
We also explore the Longbridge tunnel Minis and the greatest barnfind this country and maybe even the world has ever seen.
PLEASE NOTE: This site is an active construction site with the tunnels in a dangerous state. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO “EXPLORE” OR INFILTRATE THE COMPLEX IT IS NOT SAFE.
The thumbnail photo is not of the tunnels as there are no suitable images that exist.
I have credited where possible these works are transformative.
Credits:
AROnline - ADO74, ADO88, Bentley Java, ADO30
BMIHT - Development footage
Austin Memories - Historic Longbridge
Further reading:
ADO74: www.aronline.co.uk/concepts-a...
ADO88: www.aronline.co.uk/concepts-a...
Bentley Java: www.aronline.co.uk/concepts-a...
Austin Memories is the best source for all Austin/Longbridge related information I have used some of these images in this video: www.austinmemories.com
Credit to: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/... for the Mini photo.
All images of the tunnels belong to the BMIHT it goes without saying this is the best place to visit if you enjoy these videos and history: britishmotormuseum.co.uk/
Follow me on Instagram for more cool stuff: / tomisdrivingcars

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15 май 2024

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Комментарии : 105

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Correction: The understanding is that the Longbridge Plant Fire Service attended the fire first but were unable to bring the fire under control & then they called the West Midlands Fire Service 40 minutes later.

@michaeltreadwell777 Месяц назад

WOW, that was fascinating ! I owned a 1970 Austin 3Litre - VOT 868H, when I was 21. I loved them from the day they were launched, and vowed to own one . In reality, I was too young to really appreciate it, but it was a beautiful 'Carriage' and I loved every second of owning it. The Princess version looked lovely, but I'm wondering how much more luxurious it could have been from the Austin version. That was full of Burr Walnut, leather, really thick carpets and West of England headlining - it was a Luxury car in its own right. Anyway, thanks for stirring some lovely memories for me from 48 years ago ! Thanks - take care 🙂

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks Michael! Appreciate the story of your 3 litre as well! I hope to own one eventually

@NickyB62 Месяц назад

As always another brilliantly researched & well put together video. The fact the guy who raised the alarm was disciplined for using another department's phone shows the poor standard of management at Longbridge at the time. It goes a long way into explaining why relations between the factory floor workers & management were so poor & troubled. Their must be more companies fail due to a few bad managers than any other reason. Ive seen it happen. Staff get demoralised, hence quality drops. Good workers leave to go & work for the competition. Then bang all of a sudden a company that used to be top notch goes to the wall

@kibrok Месяц назад

Well done Tom, that was a great video. Thanks for all your hard work putting this together 👍

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks! Couldn’t have done it without the help from the people who worked there.

@aliendon73 Месяц назад

I remember the fire vividly, I used to live in Bombers Field opposite the Leyland plant. The smoke was intense! Bombers Field was part of Tinmeadow Crescent, to which was part of where the air field was. There was also a MK1 Wolseley Mini in the tunnel, I was lucky enough to go inside the tunnels when I worked there in 1990

@manofthehour6856 22 дня назад

I just subscribed, Tom. Normally I don't follow many youtubers, but your information is properly researched and always fascinating. Cheers!

@alancobbin Месяц назад

So glad I found ya channel as I’m learning new things on every upload,thanks for another superb video ,cheers Tom 👍💪😉

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks Alan, glad you enjoyed it

@chrisboll1515 Месяц назад

An Austin apprentice friend , who was at Bromsgrove College with me, showed me around some of the tunnels on a saturday morning . There was no security or identification checks. That was around 1966.

@ianstewartorr8455 Месяц назад

Another very interesting video Tom thanks greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Glad you enjoyed it

@stuartfletcher5755 Месяц назад

Fascinating stuff Tom. Keep ‘em coming!

@G58 Месяц назад

What a waste. Whenever I hear specific dates in the late 1970s, I try to remember where I was and what I was doing at the time. As the years roll by, the memories get fewer. Thank you for sharing this interesting story. Subscribed. Peace 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@doctordapp Месяц назад

Nice! Let's see if this video is as good as the others! Well done!

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks, I’m just happy we finished it off really! Finally light at the end of the tunnel for the cars

@doctordapp Месяц назад

@@tomdrives really a nice informative video, again! Your voice is also quite pleasant to listen to! Can't wait to see what you will come up with next. Greetings from the Netherlands.

@Koulis_ Месяц назад

It would be cool if somebody could refabricate one of those 3 litre Princesses to have for posterity. Great work on this channel, I love reading up on ARO online and this is as invaluable as that website. 👍🏼

@andysllt155 Месяц назад

Great video Tom cheers I loved it

@timboharty7325 Месяц назад

Great channel , deserves way more subscribers

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks, appreciate it :)

@jongmans38 Месяц назад

Well done.

@richardrobinson9084 Месяц назад

thanks tom that was mint as always

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks Richard, glad you enjoyed

@garymorris801 Месяц назад

Mate really great video loved it

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Thanks Gary

@salvagedb2470 Месяц назад

Great vids as always , bet those Tunnels have some stuff in Them , I remember the TV news reporting on the BL strikes back then , think there was a bit where Workers were sleeping in make -shift Bedrooms on the Production line ! ..Luv yer Vids T//D .

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I’ve read that as well re the line sleeping on the job one night, ended up being caught by management.

@jonathanpalmer1084 Месяц назад

Enjoying your films, are you able to do one covering the ERA mini turbo and Lamm cabrios?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I will one day, I did cover the ERA in brief in my Mini Madness video

@johngettins794 Месяц назад

A couple years ago in nz, someone had made replica Austin 3L in 70s or 80s and was up for sale after being in family storage facility.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

A replica of the lost VDP?

@6643bear Месяц назад

Hi Tom, another great informative video, keep up the great work. Regards , Austin’ maxi hl Austin princess 2l his, princess 2.2 HL Wolseley 1500 , mgzs180 owner

@adamweston4152 Месяц назад

@ 10:17 those wheels are the same type as were used on innocenti mini's from Italy, I recognised them instantly as I spent alot of time in Italy during the late 70s and the early 80s and those innocenti's were very popular then.

@landrover8327 Месяц назад

Theres some pictures of the tunnels from some "urban explorers" taken years ago that showed the state of them and what remains there were down there. I think the entrances to them were filled in but the tunnels exist and given how many ways into them there were i bet one day someone will find their way back in them

@a11csc Месяц назад

as the vdp rr engined car did well i think the bentley would have been a game changer

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Ah what could have been! I agree

@chrisblay Месяц назад

Does anyone know how the fire of 28th October 1978 started? Bit late to find out now. Probably deliberate to hide some activity in the tunnels from being discovered.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I don’t think anyone knows, well someone might.

@marcushull12 Месяц назад

Those poor "workers" losing their sleeping quarters.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

It’s important to remember it was only a few of the workers that did things like that

@_Ben4810 Месяц назад

It does make wonder why over the years the tunnel entrances were not simply steel gated, locked & keys kept with the plant manager...?

@marcushull12 Месяц назад

@@tomdrives it`s only a few people who run the country too and look how that`s working out 😂

@mrg-ghx8052 Месяц назад

the onsite firecrew had to submit paperwork to onsite managemamt, who had to check with local authorities and obtain a permit from the union before they could start work

@michaeloreilly657 Месяц назад

Do you know if other manufacturers generally kept their prototypes in storage? Rootes? Ford? Vauxhall? Did Longbridge keep them just because they had the tunnels?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Lots of them do, Mercedes is a good example.

@paulm3033 Месяц назад

I liked the look of the Princess then ,Andi still do now .

@thesunreport Месяц назад

7:16 - Shirley that's going to become the Fiat Punto at some point.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I see some Uno in there

@thesunreport Месяц назад

@@tomdrives lol..sorry yeah the Uno is what I was thinking.

@philtowle4683 Месяц назад

It's very Lancia Y10

@JR90. Месяц назад

Would it be plausible that some of these tunnels have still not been filled in, as there was so many of them?

@helenlloyd6564 Месяц назад

Some nice designs should have made it into production. So sad we haven't got a British mass car producer. We used to be innovative and world leader in engineering design. Where did we go wrong.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

We do have JLR but owned by TATA

@helenlloyd6564 Месяц назад

@@tomdrives As you said TATA owned. Profits if any going to India. But there is a new production facility, not sure either Poland or Hungary?

@martinbridges835 Месяц назад

Tom sorry to bother you do you know how many pre face lift 45 lwb were made cheers martin. I've got chance to buy one .

@charlier7548 Месяц назад

What a tragedy, although not unexpected with the debacle at BMC/Leyland/BL Austin-Rover and its 'work'force. So much could and should have been achieved, so much more was peed down the drains though.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

It’s important to remember though it wasn’t all of them.

@joaosabino2909 Месяц назад

Does your Cortina 3 have a V6 engine? Perhaps 2,3L? V4 2L?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

1600 Pinto

@craigyllyn Месяц назад

Isn’t the P5 in the Liverpool overhead railway tunnel?

@philtowle4683 Месяц назад

Care to elaborate?

@craigyllyn Месяц назад

@@philtowle4683 tried twice giving the info but neither post has appeared so assume it’s been deleted.

@craigyllyn Месяц назад

Kyle May seems to show it in his URBEX of Dingle Tunnel end to end in Liverpool

@RachelEvans680 Месяц назад

Such a damn shame about these gems 😢

@InfiniteLoop 27 дней назад

Great vid, but clickbait title, the cars were not found.

@tomdrives 27 дней назад

The cars were found. We found their identities.

@normanmcleod7169 Месяц назад

Sad that the tunnels were filled in. We will need them when we are at war soon.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

War?

@normanmcleod7169 Месяц назад

@@tomdrives Take your head out of the sand Tom! It looks more and more likely that we will be at war with Russia soon ... maybe as soon as late autumn

@edgarbeat2851 Месяц назад

@tomdrives 🎶 What is it good for? 🎶

@deanstevenson6527 Месяц назад

🥝✔️

@Suprahampton Месяц назад

Didn't you do this video a while ago?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I did but this is the final one in the series, confirming everything with a proper timeline with new cars etc confirmed to be there when the fire happened with new stories from the people on that day as well.

@jamesdeath3477 Месяц назад

"Demystifying one of the most mysterious mysteries"....😀 wait, what?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I’m glad you noticed, I do not know why on earth I said that, thought it would be funny to keep it in. It’s quite hard to say “Demystifying one of the most mysterious mysteries of British motoring history” 😂

@dantheman7370 Месяц назад

British industry disappeared the same as the tunnels

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Dismantled by people from above?

@wrusty3767 Месяц назад

"One of the most mysterious mysteries..." Really?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

It is quite mysterious this mystery

@DiscoCol08 Месяц назад

"We FOUND The Lost Cars Of the Longbridge Tunnels!" where?

@tomdrives Месяц назад

I’d watch the full video, it’s about finding their identities.

@adamweston4152 Месяц назад

Stop nitpicking, you have to be a pretty sad person to be complaining about it, is your Mrs not giving you any?.

@carfan7727 Месяц назад

Austin made some greate cars I was a big Austin fan shame you chose to show the crap ones

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Shame I only showed the ones that were relevant?

@cjones175 Месяц назад

Correction. The title is clickbait. NO cars were FOUND. Your videos are good enough that you shouldn't need to use false and misleading clickbait titles.

@tomdrives Месяц назад

No, you cannot on RU-vid have literal titles as much as I’d love to, you can’t. In addition you are the person who drew the conclusion that I’d be down there time team style, it’s not misleading at all, we did find them we found their identities.

@gafrers Месяц назад

No offense but this feels like a rehash of a video you already did. Same quality just a bit repetitive 👍

@tomdrives Месяц назад

Ah it’s more of a capping it off kind of exercise, finishing off the series as I said in the video, the ADO88, 74 and other prototypes were not confirmed to be in the tunnels Only the ADO30 and VDP 3L were so this video is about finally ticking it off with confirmation of what was there and with a new story or two thrown in.

@gafrers Месяц назад

@@tomdrives Thank You for clarifying

@adamweston4152 Месяц назад

@@gafrers Give Tom the credit he deserves as he's been very thorough creating this series of videos, I really don't see an issue myself.

@gafrers Месяц назад

@@adamweston4152 Never said he doesn't put time, effort and passion in these videos. Hence the " Same quality" part

@tomdrives Месяц назад

@@gafrersjust a misunderstanding it’s no worries, glad to have you here as always