94-925: The Morris Major and Austin Lancer are passenger car models that were produced by BMC Australia between 1958 and 1964. The Morris Major and Austin Lancer were introduced in March 1958, designated DO1101 and developed from the contemporary Wolseley 1500 and Riley One-Point-Five models then on sale in the United Kingdom. The Major and Lancer, along with the Wolseley 1500 were produced at BMC Australia's Victoria Park plant at Zetland in Sydney, Australia and were unique to that country, containing up to 98% local content. Australian produced Wolseley 1500s were also given
188-509: A Queensland Slaver. By a Medical Student" was written in a tone of wonder, expressing "only the mildest criticism"; six months later, Morrison "revised his original assessment", describing details of the schooner's blackbirding operation, and sharply denouncing the slave trade in Queensland. His articles, letters to the editor, and newspaper's editorials, led to expanded government intervention. In 1891, Syme bought out Ebenezer's heirs and
282-476: A Scottish-born businessman, and James McEwan, an ironmonger and founder of McEwans & Co, for £2,000 at auction. The first edition under the new owners came out on 17 June 1856. From its foundation the paper was self-consciously liberal in its politics: "aiming at a wide extension of the rights of free citizenship and a full development of representative institutions", and supporting "the removal of all restrictions upon freedom of commerce, freedom of religion and—to
376-560: A badly needed technical upgrade of the newspaper's antiquated production machinery, and defeated a takeover attempt by the Fairfax family , publishers of the Sydney Morning Herald . This new lease on life allowed The Age to recover commercially, and in 1957 it received a great boost when The Argus , after twenty years of financial losses, ceased publication. Oswald Syme retired in 1964 and his grandson Ranald Macdonald
470-678: A grille badge simply saying "Montego", while the rear badges just said "Montego" and the engine size/trim level. A revamped Metro was launched in May 1990 and got the new K-series engine. It then became the Rover Metro. Despite sales of both the Maestro and Montego being in decline by 1990, these ranges continued in production until 1994 and never wore a Rover badge on their bonnets in Britain. They were, however, sometimes referred to as "Rovers" in
564-420: A hooded nacelle now located conventionally and common to both models. Series II's engine retained its single SU HS2 carburettor with oil bath air filter / SU electric fuel pump and received a modified oil sump to afford greater ground clearance. Early Series I rear axle units had acquired an unfortunate reputation for major failure in service - for Series II the axle and differential were duly modified, however,
658-549: A marque in its own right, under the Austin Morris division of British Leyland that had been virtually nationalised in 1975. It was upgraded at the end of 1981 to become the Austin Ambassador (and gaining a hatchback) but by that time there was little that could be done to disguise the age of the design, and it was too late to make much of an impact on sales. By the end of the 1970s, the future of Austin and
752-493: A merger between the two companies to become Australia's largest media company. Nine shareholders will own 51.1 per cent of the combined entity, and Fairfax shareholders will own 48.9 per cent. The Age was published from its office in Collins Street until 1969, when the newspaper moved to 250 Spencer Street . In July 2003, the $ 220 million five-storey Age Print Centre was opened at Tullamarine. The Centre produced
846-590: A monthly readership of 5.4 million. As of September 2024 , this had fallen to 4.55 million. The Age journalists have won many Walkley Awards , Australia's most prestigious journalism prize, including: In March 2024, David Swan, technology editor of SMH and The Age , won the 2023 Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist of the Year at the IT Journalism Awards. He also won Best Technology Journalist and Best Telecommunications Journalist, and
940-517: A monthly readership of 5.4 million. As of September 2024 , this had fallen to 4.55 million. The Age was founded by three Melbourne businessmen: brothers John and Henry Cooke (who had arrived from New Zealand in the 1840s) and Walter Powell. The first edition appeared on 17 October 1854. The venture was not initially a success, and in June 1856 the Cookes sold the paper to Ebenezer Syme ,
1034-539: A nacelle placed in the orthodox position before the driver, whereas Morris instruments were framed in a central position. Electric windscreen wipers are integral with the 12 volt Lucas DC system. Large, heavy duty drum brakes were common specification - by Lockheed for the Wolseley, Morris and Austin and Girling for the Riley. This formula resulted in a popular small-to-medium family car with lively performance, robust build and road manners that were markedly above average for
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#17327880751131128-468: A new marque, Austin-Healey , and a range of sports cars. With the threat to fuel supplies resulting from the 1956 Suez Crisis , Lord asked Alec Issigonis , who had been with Morris from 1936 to 1952, to design a small car; the result was the revolutionary Mini , launched in 1959. The Austin version was initially called the Austin Seven, but Morris' Mini Minor name caught the public imagination and
1222-464: A prisoner from Guantanamo Bay , stating that Mr Hicks was no hero and "probably downright deluded and dangerous" but the case for releasing him was just, given he was being held without charge or trial. In 2009, The Age suspended its columnist Michael Backman after one of his columns condemned Israeli tourists as greedy and badly behaved, prompting criticism that he was antisemitic . A Press Council complaint against The Age for its handling of
1316-554: A slightly larger body with 1489 cc engine – was on the market in Japan. Nissan produced 20,855 Austins between 1953 and 1959. During the Second World War Austin continued building cars but also made trucks and aircraft, including Short Stirling and Avro Lancaster bombers. The post-war car range was announced in 1944, and production started in 1945. The immediate post-war range was mainly similar to that of
1410-634: A steady demand. Starting in 1895, he built three cars in his free time. They were among Britain's first cars. The third car, a four-wheeler, was completed in 1899. By 1901 his fellow directors could not see future profit in motor vehicles and so with their blessing and the backing of the Vickers brothers Austin started a separate car manufacturing business still using the name Wolseley. In 1905 he fell out with Thomas and Albert Vickers over engine design. Leaving his creation, Wolseley , which he had made Britain's largest motor vehicle manufacturer, Austin obtained
1504-428: A windscreen washer. The retail price was also lowered from the previous Series II listing (to £940/0/0 - or, approximately $ 25,952.44 AUD when adjusted for inflation in 2015), making this already highly competitive Major an outstanding value package in the somewhat volatile auto market of 1962. Marketed under the tagline "Truly Australian", the perky "Morris Elite" held an impressive share of total BMC Australia sales at
1598-412: Is delivered both in print and digital formats. The newspaper shares some articles with its sister newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald . The Age is considered a newspaper of record for Australia, and has variously been known for its investigative reporting, with its journalists having won dozens of Walkley Awards , Australia's most prestigious journalism prize. As of March 2020 , The Age had
1692-691: The 1100 of 1963, (although the Morris-badged version was launched 13 months earlier than the Austin, in August 1962), the 1800 of 1964 and the Maxi of 1969. This meant that BMC had spent 10 years developing a new range of front-drive, transverse-engined models, while most competitors had only just started to make such changes. The big exception to this was the Austin 3-litre . Launched in 1968, it
1786-883: The Dixi ); by the Japanese manufacturer Datsun ; as the Bantam in the United States; and as the Rosengart in France. In England the Austin was the most produced car in 1930. The American Austin Car Company struggled to sell tiny Austin cars in the US market. It operated as a largely independent subsidiary from 1929 to 1934 was revived after bankruptcy under the name " American Bantam " from 1937 to 1941. They became best known as
1880-643: The Reserve Bank , led to Australia's first ever prosecutions of companies and businessman for foreign bribery. The Age's reporting of the Unaoil international bribery scandal led to investigations by anti-corruption agencies in the UK, US, across Europe and Australia and several businessmen pleading guilty for paying bribes in nine countries over 17 years. In February 2007, The Age's editorial section argued that Australian citizen David Hicks should be released as
1974-617: The Riley . DO1101 was a lightweight, close coupled saloon incorporating the front torsion bar /rear leaf spring suspension, floor pan and accurate rack and pinion steering from the Morris Minor. All models in this series were powered by the famous B series power unit ( I4 ,) of 1489 cc, mated to an MG Magnette type 4-speed manual transmission with floor mounted selector. Front seats were of traditional bucket type. Austin Lancer instruments (oil/fuel/temp/speed/odo) were housed in
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#17327880751132068-769: The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a , but also produced a number of its own designs. None of these progressed past the prototype stage. They included: The Age The Age is a daily tabloid newspaper in Melbourne , Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment , The Age primarily serves Victoria , but copies also sell in Tasmania , the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and southern New South Wales . It
2162-482: The Seven , Austin weathered the worst of the depression and remained profitable through the 1930s, producing a wider range of cars which was steadily updated by the introduction of all-steel bodies, Girling brakes, and synchromesh gearboxes. However, all the engines retained the same side-valve configuration. Deputy chairman Ernest Payton became chairman in 1941 on the death of Lord Austin. In 1938 Leonard Lord joined
2256-731: The Stewart Royal Commission . The paper's extensive reporting on malpractice in Australia's banking sector led to a Royal Commission being announced by the Turnbull government into the financial services industry, and with The Age's journalist Adele Ferguson awarded the Gold Walkley . A series of stories in The Age between 2009 and 2015 about alleged corruption involving subsidiaries of Australia's central bank,
2350-497: The "default position of most journalists at The Age was on the political Left". In 1966, the Syme family shareholders joined with Fairfax to create a 50/50 voting partnership which guaranteed editorial independence and forestalled takeover moves from newspaper proprietors in Australia and overseas. This lasted for 17 years, until Fairfax bought controlling interest in 1972. Perkin's editorship coincided with Gough Whitlam 's reforms of
2444-568: The 1661 cc Twelve in 1922 and, later the same year, the Seven , an inexpensive, simple small car and one of the earliest to be directed at a mass market. One of the reasons for a market demand for a cars like the Austin 7 was the British tax code . In 1930 every personal car was taxed by its engine size, which in American dollars was $ 2.55 per cubic inch of piston displacement. As an example,
2538-684: The Arrow 2, a two seater version of the Arrow, alongside announcing an electric commercial Austin van to be released approximately 18-24 months after the launch of the Arrow 1 and 2. By May 2023, a production line had been set up in Rajkot, India . The Austin Arrow subsequently entered production in October 2023. Austin started his business in an abandoned print works at Longbridge , Birmingham. Due to its strategic advantages over Morris 's Cowley plant, Longbridge became British Leyland 's main factory in
2632-538: The Austin badge was phased out and Austin Rover became the Rover Group from the following year. The Austin cars continued to be manufactured, although they ceased to be Austins. They became "marque-less" in their home market with bonnet badges the same shape as the Rover longship badge but without "Rover" written on them. Instead any badging just showed the model of the car: a Montego of this era, for instance, would have
2726-508: The Austin trademark. The agreement called for Nissan to make all Austin parts locally within three years, a goal Nissan met. Nissan produced and marketed Austins for seven years. The agreement also gave Nissan rights to use Austin patents, which Nissan used in developing its own engines for its Datsun line of cars. In 1953, British-built Austins were assembled and sold, but by 1955, the Austin A50 – completely assembled by Nissan and featuring
2820-491: The Australian cars became quite distinctive from their siblings. Outwardly, the cars were now longer by 9 inches (229 mm), including an extended wheelbase, tailfins and new front sheet metal. Series II's styling seems to have been more inspired by American ideas and, to many eyes, this gave the cars a more handsome appearance. Several updates to the original design were introduced, many of these changes intended to make
2914-595: The DO1101 model code. The Morris Major/Austin Lancer/Wolseley 1500/Riley One-Point-Five all shared the same core design which had originally been developed as a possible replacement for the ever-popular Morris Minor by BMC's in-house design team at Longbridge, England. That plan was abandoned due to the Minor's unwavering appeal with the buying public and a Wolseley version was instead unveiled in 1957, followed by
Morris Major - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-572: The French motto Dieu et mon droit ( lit. ' God and my right ' ). According to The Age ' s art director, Bill Farr: "No one knows why they picked the royal crest. But I guess we were a colony at the time, and to be seen to be linked with the Empire would be a positive thing." The original 1854 masthead included the Colony of Victoria crest. In 1856, that crest was removed and in 1861,
3102-793: The Labor Party, and The Age became a key supporter of the Whitlam government, which came to power in 1972 . Contrary to subsequent mythology, however, The Age was not an uncritical supporter of Whitlam, and played a leading role in exposing the Loans Affair , one of the scandals which contributed to the demise of the Whitlam government. It was one of many papers to call for Whitlam's resignation on 15 October 1975. Its editorial that day, "Go now, go decently", began, "We will say it straight, and clear, and at once. The Whitlam government has run its course." It would be Perkin's last editorial; he died
3196-454: The MEA edition, for metropolitan areas and a final late metropolitan edition. In March 2013, The Age moved from its traditional broadsheet format to the smaller tabloid (or compact ) format, along with its Fairfax stablemate The Sydney Morning Herald . In December 2016, editor-in-chief Mark Forbes was stood down from his position pending the result of a sexual harassment investigation and
3290-697: The McEwans and became sole proprietor. He built up The Age into Victoria's leading newspaper. In circulation, it soon overtook its rivals The Herald and The Argus , and by 1890 it was selling 100,000 copies a day, making it one of the world's most successful newspapers. Under Syme's control The Age exercised enormous political power in Victoria. It supported liberal politicians such as Graham Berry , George Higinbotham and George Turner , and other leading liberals such as Alfred Deakin and Charles Pearson furthered their careers as The Age journalists. Syme
3384-509: The Morris version outsold its Austin twin, so the Austin's name was changed to Mini to follow suit. In 1970, British Leyland dropped the separate Austin and Morris branding of the Mini, and it was subsequently simply "Mini", under the Austin Morris division of BLMC. The principle of a transverse engine with gearbox in the sump and driving the front wheels was applied to larger cars, beginning with
3478-645: The Nanjing International Exhibition in May 2006, Nanjing announced it might use the Austin name on some of the revived MG Rover models, at least in the Chinese market. Nanjing Automobile Group itself later merged with SAIC Motor . In 2012, a new "Austin Motor Company" was registered by former Longbridge worker Steve Morgan. Morgan had no rights to the brand itself and stated that he had no intention to trade, but rather registered
3572-605: The Series II models, supplanting the Austin Lancer range completely due to the recent rationalisation of BMC Australia's dealer network: there were now "BMC Centres" only rather than separate outlets for each BMC marque. It was ultimately seen as unnecessary to distribute two versions of the same vehicle, though a "Series III Lancer" had been considered right up to the Elite's introduction. A 'new' Lancer equipped similarly to
3666-457: The Spanish government and a long list of Britain's highest nobility. Sources Note: in 1912 Wolseley sold 3,000 cars. In February 1914 Austin-manufactured bodies in tourer, limousine, landaulette and coupé styles could be provided with engines of 15, 20, 30 and 60 hp. Ambulances and commercial vehicles were also provided. Austin became a public listed company in 1914 when the capital
3760-528: The Syme family (who nevertheless accepted Fairfax's generous offer for their shares), but he argued that The Age was a natural partner for Fairfax's flagship property, The Sydney Morning Herald . He believed the greater resources of the Fairfax group would enable The Age to remain competitive. By the mid-1960s a new competitor had appeared in Rupert Murdoch 's national daily The Australian , which
3854-470: The backing of steel magnate Frank Kayser for his own enterprise. Kayser provided funds through mortgages and loans, debentures and guarantees to the Midland Bank thereby allowing Austin to keep virtually total ownership of his own business through his personal savings. Further assistance came from Dunlop patent holder Harvey du Cros . However, Austin's great rival, William Morris , was able to enter
Morris Major - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-448: The cars more suitable for the tough Australian driving conditions, and to bolster its competitiveness with top selling rivals such as Holden and Volkswagen . The suspension was strengthened and extra reinforcement of the chassis was added. DO1115 interiors adopted a more supportive new front bench seat, cranked gear selector, dished twin spoke steering wheel, ventilation system (heater optional), and two round instrument clusters housed in
4042-556: The cars was Mr Harvey Du Cros junior . Two things were noticeable about Austin's new design. He had parted from the Vickers brothers because he had refused to use the then more conventional vertical engine in Wolseley cars. His new car had a vertical engine and, in all but minor detail, was identical to the English-built Clément-Gladiators assembled in the same factory. A further injection of capital
4136-490: The company board and became chairman in 1946 on the death of Ernest Payton. In 1932, Datsun built cars infringing Austin patents. From 1934, Datsun began to build Sevens under licence and this operation became the greatest success of Austin's overseas licensing of its Seven. It marked the beginning of Datsun's international success. In 1952, Austin entered into another agreement with Datsun for assembly of 2,000 imported Austins from "knock-down kits", to be sold in Japan under
4230-505: The complaints against Backman was dismissed. In 2014 The Age put a photograph of an innocent man, Abu Bakar Alam, on the front page, mistakenly identifying him as the perpetrator of the 2014 Endeavour Hills stabbings . As part of the settlement the newspaper donated $ 20,000 towards building a mosque in nearby Doveton . As of 2012 , three editions of The Age are printed nightly: the NAA edition, for interstate and country Victorian readers,
4324-529: The day-to-day editorial work. In 1882 The Age published an eight-part series written by journalist and future physician George E. Morrison , who had sailed, undercover, for the New Hebrides , while posing as crew of the brigantine slave ship , Lavinia , as it made cargo of Kanakas . By October the series was also being published in The Age ' s weekly companion magazine, the Leader . "A Cruise in
4418-571: The disabled and the environment, as well as opposition to White Australia and the death penalty. It also became more supportive of the Australian Labor Party after years of having usually supported the Coalition . The Liberal Premier of Victoria , Henry Bolte , subsequently called The Age "that pinko rag" in a view conservatives have maintained ever since. Former editor Michael Gawenda in his book American Notebook wrote that
4512-539: The early 1960s. The Morris Major and Austin Lancer Series II models, designated DO1115, were released in July 1959. The Series I Morris Major / Austin Lancer had sold reasonably well and was profitable to build due to greatly offset tooling costs and extensive use of shared components. However, BMC Australia quickly invested in the thoroughly re-engineered and subsequently better received Series II. Thenceforth,
4606-618: The early 1970s. Following the Austin marque's discontinuance in 1987, Rover and MG continued to use the plant. The collapse of MG Rover meant it was not used from 2005 until MG production resumed from 2008 until 2016. The plant is currently leased by SAIC as a research and development facility for its MG Motor Subsidiary. For a list see : Austin Commercial Vehicles During the First World War Austin built aircraft under licence, including
4700-631: The end of the decade. April 1984 saw the introduction of the Maestro-derived Montego saloon, successor to the Morris Ital . The new car received praise for its interior space and comfort as well as its handling, but early build-quality problems took time to overcome. The spacious estate version, launched six months later, was one of the most popular load carriers in Britain for several years after its launch. In 1986, Austin Rover's holding company BL plc became Rover Group plc and
4794-423: The experience had proven rather costly in terms of brand image. The Series II received highly favourable reviews from the motoring press of the time, with its sweeping array of detail improvements, its enhanced handling characteristics and attractive pricing (£997/10s - inflation adjusted to 2015: $ 29,127.00 AUD) earning much praise. The Morris Major Elite, designated YDO1, was introduced in March 1962. It replaced
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#17327880751134888-409: The first company to submit the Bantam Reconnaissance Car working prototype, saving time by using Austin nose and fender parts of what would evolve into the extremely successful and iconic WWII Willys MB "Jeep". The design was unfortunately handed over to Willys and Ford for production with a revised nose and fender design, while Bantam would largely just build trailers during the war. With the help of
4982-579: The forthcoming Elite was detailed in a motoring article by Trevor Davis writing in The Age as late as February 20, 1962, but this was probably only a short 'run-out' series. The Elite was powered by the enlarged 1622 cc engine with greater performance, this version employing a Zenith VN type carburettor with a dry element air filter and Goss mechanical fuel pump. Telescopic rear shock absorbers, stronger fine spline axle shafts, seat belt mounting points and uprated front suspension rubbers featured among other technical revisions. A visually striking facelift
5076-462: The front page as a matter of course, but they became, especially under the editorship of Graham Perkin and his successors, a vital part of its identity, with picture credits for staff photographers, and their images, often uncropped, run across several columns. A photographer of the rival Herald Sun Jay Town distinguishes the 'house style'; "There's a big difference between the set-up, cheesy, tight and bright Herald Sun -type [photograph] and then
5170-512: The headquarters moved to the former's 717 Bourke Street . In 2004, editor Michael Gawenda was succeeded as editor by British journalist Andrew Jaspan , who was in turn replaced by Paul Ramadge in 2008. The Age has been known for its tradition of investigative reporting . In 1984, the newspaper reported what became known as "The Age Tapes" affair, which revealed recordings made by police of alleged corrupt dealings between organised crime figures, politicians and public officials and which sparked
5264-399: The industry proper (he first repaired cars) a little later funding his operation entirely from his own resources. In November 1905 Herbert Austin acquired a disused printing works which was less than ten years old. It was located seven miles south-west of Birmingham in the small village of Longbridge (then still within Worcestershire ). The following month The Austin Motor Company Limited
5358-631: The late 1930s but did include the 16 hp, significant for having the company's first overhead valve engine. Austin J40 pedal cars were manufactured during this era. From late 1950 to mid-1952 products, brochures and advertisements displayed in flowing script Austin of England as if in response to Morris' Nuffield Organization . It fell out of use with the financial merger with Morris in BMC. In 1952, The Austin Motor Company Limited merged ownership, but not identity, with long-term rival Morris Motors Limited , becoming The British Motor Corporation Limited , with Leonard Lord in charge. William Morris
5452-493: The name as an effort to preserve the memory of the company. The company was dissolved in 2014. In 2015, the "Austin Motor Company", alongside the 1930's "Flying A" logo was registered by British Engineer John Stubbs, owner of specialist suspension company Black Art Designs. By 2021, a prototype electric vehicle named the Austin Arrow had been revealed and was seeking investors, with a supposed release date around late 2022. The revived Austin Motor Company subsequently revealed
5546-420: The newspaper was a significant step in the career of notable Australian news photographers and photojournalists, many of whom started as cadets. They include: In 1972, John Fairfax Holdings bought a majority of David Syme's shares, and in 1983 bought out all the remaining shares. On 26 July 2018, Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media , the parent company of The Age , announced they agreed on terms for
5640-551: The next day. After Perkin's death, The Age returned to a more moderate liberal position. While it criticised Whitlam's dismissal later that year, it supported Malcolm Fraser 's Liberal government in its early years. However, after 1980 it became increasingly critical and was a leading supporter of Bob Hawke 's reforming government after 1983. But from the 1970s, the political influence of The Age , as with other broadsheet newspapers, derived less from what it said in its editorial columns (which relatively few people read) than from
5734-463: The nice, broadsheet picture–well, back when the Age was a fantastic broadsheet that could really showcase their photographers' work." This distinction was to start to break down in 1983 with the pooling of photographers across all Fairfax publications, and the paper's change in format from broadsheet to 'compact' in 2007, preceding move to online publication and subscription; 2014 saw Fairfax Media shedding 75 per cent of its photographers. In its heyday
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#17327880751135828-399: The nickname "Flying pig" as well as the doubtful build quality and indifferent reliability. It was still a strong seller in Britain, although not as successful as its predecessor. The wedge-shaped 18/22 series was launched as an Austin, a Morris and a more upmarket Wolseley in 1975. But within six months, it was rechristened the Princess and wore none of the previous marque badges, becoming
5922-405: The opinions expressed by journalists, cartoonists, feature writers and guest columnists. The Age has always kept a stable of leading editorial cartoonists, notably Les Tanner , Bruce Petty , Ron Tandberg and Michael Leunig . In 1983, Fairfax bought out the remaining shares in David Syme & Co., which became a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Co. Macdonald was criticised by some members of
6016-419: The owner of an Austin 7 in England, which sold for approximately $ 455, would have to pay a yearly engine tax of $ 39. In comparison, the owner in England of a Ford Model-A would have to pay $ 120 per year in an engine tax. And this system of engine displacement tax was common in other European nations as well in the 1930s. At one point, the "Baby Austin" was built under licence by the fledgling BMW of Germany (as
6110-557: The paper was second-rate, outdated in both its outlook and appearance. Walker described a newspaper which had fallen asleep in the embrace of the Liberal Party; 'querulous', 'doddery' and 'turgid' are some of the epithets applied by other journalists. It is inevitably criticised not only for its increasing conservatism, but for its failure to keep pace with innovations in layout and editorial technique so dramatically demonstrated in papers like The Sun News-Pictorial and The Herald ." In 1942, David Syme's last surviving son, Oswald, took over
6204-431: The paper, and began to modernise the paper's appearance and standards of news coverage, removing classified advertisements from the front page and introducing photographs long after other papers had done so. In 1948, after realising the paper needed outside capital, Oswald persuaded the courts to overturn his father's will and floated David Syme and Co. as a public company, selling £400,000 worth of shares. This sale enabled
6298-454: The press and elsewhere. Their place in the Rover range was gradually filled by a new generation of Rover models. The rights to the Austin name passed to British Aerospace and then to BMW when each bought the Rover Group. The rights were subsequently sold to MG Rover , created when BMW sold the business. Following MG Rover's collapse and sale, Nanjing Automobile Group owned the Austin name and Austin's historic assembly plant in Longbridge. At
6392-447: The purchase of Jaguar and in December 1966 changed its name from BMC to BMH, British Motor Holdings Limited . In early 1968 under government pressure BMH merged with Leyland Motors Limited and Austin became a part of the large British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) combine. One of Austin's new models of this era was the 1973 Allegro , successor to the 1100/1300 ranges. It was criticised for its bulbous styling which earned it
6486-411: The recovery was the appointment in 1922 of a new finance director, Ernest Payton with the backing of the Midland Bank, and a new works director in charge of car production, Carl Engelbach, at the insistence of the creditors' committee. This triumvirate of Austin, Payton and Engelbach steered the company's fortunes through the interwar years. In a quest to expand market share, smaller cars were introduced,
6580-427: The rest of British Leyland (now known as BL) was looking bleak. The Austin Metro , launched in October 1980, was heralded as the saviour of Austin Motor Company and the whole BL combine. Twenty-one years after the launch of the Mini, it gave BL a much-needed modern supermini to compete with the recently launched likes of the Ford Fiesta , Vauxhall Nova , VW Polo and Renault 5 . It was an instant hit with buyers and
6674-456: The royal coat of arms was introduced. This was changed again in 1967, with the shield and decoration altered and the lion crowned. In 1971, a bold typeface was introduced and the crest shield rounded and less ornate. In 1997, the masthead was stacked and contained in a blue box (with the logo in white). In 2002, in conjunction with an overall revamp of the paper, the masthead was redesigned in its present form. As of March 2020 , The Age had
6768-413: The sale of any equity in the paper during his sons' lifetimes, an arrangement designed to protect family control, but which had the unintended consequence of starving the paper of investment capital for 40 years. Under the management of Sir Geoffrey Syme (1908–42), and his editors, Gottlieb Schuler and Harold Campbell, The Age was unable to modernise, and gradually lost market share to The Argus and
6862-459: The tabloid The Sun News-Pictorial , with only its classified advertisement sections keeping the paper profitable. By the 1940s, the paper's circulation was lower than it had been in 1900, and its political influence had also declined. Although it remained more liberal than the extremely conservative Argus , it lost much of its distinct political identity. The historian Sybil Nolan writes: "Accounts of The Age in these years generally suggest that
6956-726: The time, and warranty claims were the least for any of their models then to date. YDO1 production ceased by February 1964 when the model was replaced by the Morris 1100 Austin Motor Company The Austin Motor Company Limited was a British manufacturer of motor vehicles , founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin in Longbridge. In 1952 it was merged with Morris Motors Limited in the new holding company British Motor Corporation (BMC) Limited , keeping its separate identity. The marque Austin
7050-516: The time. The Major and Lancer, as distinct from the sportier and more luxurious Wolseley/Riley cars, shared a similar level of appointment, finish and engine tune with contemporary Morris and Austin models. Although comparatively modest, the Major/Lancer was quite a modern car with a generally high level of comfort, quality and value. The sporting potential of the Major/Lancer was recognised immediately and specially prepared cars were raced into
7144-510: The utmost extent that is compatible with public morality—upon freedom of personal action". Ebenezer Syme was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly shortly after buying The Age , and his brother David Syme soon came to dominate the paper, editorially and managerially. When Ebenezer died in 1860 David became editor-in-chief, a position he retained until his death in 1908, although a succession of editors did
7238-470: The war Herbert Austin decided on a one-model policy based on the 3620 cc 20 hp engine. Versions included cars, commercials and even a tractor, but sales volumes were never enough to fill the vast factory built during wartime. The company went into receivership in 1921 but rose again after financial restructuring. Though Herbert Austin remained chairman he was no longer managing director and from that time decisions were made by committee. Critical to
7332-593: Was privatised by selling it to British Aerospace (BAe) in 1988. Plans to replace the Metro with a radical new model, based on the ECV3 research vehicle and aiming for 100 mpg, led to the Austin AR6 of 1984–86, with several prototypes tested and production expected to start before the end of the decade. The desire to lose the Austin name and take Rover "upmarket" led to this project's demise in early 1987. In 1988,
7426-518: Was a rear-wheel drive large car, but it shared the central section of the 1800. It was a sales disaster, with fewer than 10,000 examples being made. BMC was the first British manufacturer to move into front-wheel drive so comprehensively. Ford did not launch its first front-drive model until 1976 (in Britain), Ford-Germany in 1962 with the Taunus 12M(P4), while Vauxhall's first front-drive model
7520-523: Was achieved with only minimal changes to sheet metal; this constituted bright window surrounds, a new full width radiator grille closely resembling that of the Mk VI Morris Oxford , and a "rocket" colour flash on the tailfins. Timely updates to basic equipment level included a fresh air heater/demister, duo-tone paint in various new plain and pastel colours, brighter interiors with redesigned seating (all foam front bench / reshaped rear seat) and
7614-457: Was appointed managing director at the age of 26 and two years later he appointed Graham Perkin as editor; to ensure that the 36-year-old Perkin was free of board influence, Macdonald took on the role of editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1970. Together they radically changed the paper's format and shifted its editorial line from rather conservative liberalism to a new "left liberalism" characterised by attention to issues such as race, gender,
7708-405: Was first chairman but soon retired. Lord, who had stormed out of Morris declaring he would "take Cowley apart brick by brick", ensured Austin was the dominant partner and its (more recently designed OHV) engines were adopted for most of the cars. Various models followed the Morris policy and became badge-engineered versions of each other. In 1952 Austin made a deal with Donald Healey leading to
7802-573: Was first published on 15 July 1964. In 1999 David Syme & Co. became The Age Company Ltd, finally ending the Syme connection. The Age was published from offices in Collins Street until 1969, when it moved to 250 Spencer Street (hence the nickname "The Spencer Street Soviet" favoured by some critics). In 2003, The Age opened a new printing centre at Tullamarine . The headquarters moved again in 2009 to Collins Street opposite Southern Cross station . Since acquisition by Nine Entertainment,
7896-569: Was highly commended in the Best Technology Issues category. With The Age , SMH also won Best Consumer Technology Coverage and were highly commended in the Best News Coverage category. The below is a list of The Age's current journalists. Though Hugh Bull was appointed the newspaper's first full-time photographer as early as 1927, it was comparatively late in the history of The Age that photographs were used on
7990-411: Was incorporated. In the last week of April 1906 a large body of motorists travelled to Longbridge "where snow lay full three inches deep on the ground and was still falling fast" to see the new Austin car, a conventional four-cylinder model with chain drive. It was available as a 15/20 hp complete at £500 (chassis, £425) and a 25/30 hp for £650 (chassis, £550). The sole concessionaire for sale of
8084-556: Was increased to £650,000. At that time in number of cars produced it probably ranked fifth after Wolseley (still largest), Humber , Sunbeam and Rover . The Austin Motor Co. grew enormously during the First World War fulfilling government contracts for aircraft, shells, heavy guns and generating sets and 1,600 three-ton trucks most of which were sent to Russia. The workforce expanded from around 2,500 to 22,000. After
8178-454: Was launched in 1979 and Chrysler UK's first such car was launched in 1975. Front-wheel drive was popular elsewhere in Europe, however, with Renault , Citroen and Simca all using the system at the same time or before BMC. East Germany's Trabant used the system from 1958. In September 1965 BMC completed the purchase of its major supplier, Pressed Steel . Twelve months later it completed
8272-485: Was located at 655 Collins Street. After acquisition by Nine, The Age moved to 717 Bourke Street to be co-located with its new owners. The Age ' s masthead has received a number of updates since 1854. The most recent update to the design was made in 2002. The current masthead features a stylised version of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom and "The Age" in Electra bold type. The coat of arms features
8366-483: Was needed in 1906 and William Harvey Du Cros (1846–1918) joined the board of directors. After that Harvey Du Cros junior of the Swift Cycle Co and Austin each held approximately half of the ordinary capital. Herbert Austin remained chairman and managing director. Austin's cars, like Wolseley's, were luxury vehicles. The published customer list included Russian Grand Dukes, Princesses, Bishops, high officials of
8460-512: Was one of the most popular British cars of the 1980s. It was intended as a replacement for the Mini but the Mini went on to outlast it. It was facelifted in October 1984 and gained a 5-door version. In 1982, most of the car division of the by now somewhat shrunken British Leyland (BL) company was rebranded as the Austin Rover Group , with Austin acting as the "budget" and mainstream brand to Rover's more luxurious models. The MG badge
8554-533: Was originally a free trader , but converted to protectionism through his belief that Victoria needed to develop its manufacturing industries behind tariff barriers. During the 1890s The Age was a leading supporter of Australian federation and of the White Australia policy . After David Syme's death, the paper remained in the hands of his three sons, and his eldest son Herbert became general manager until his death in 1939. David Syme's will prevented
8648-552: Was replaced by Alex Lavelle, who served for four years as chief editor. In September 2020, it was announced that The Age ' s former Washington correspondent Gay Alcorn would be appointed editor, the first woman to hold the position in the paper's history. Alcorn left the position in December 2022 and was succeeded by Patrick Elligett in January 2023. The Age ' s purpose-built former headquarters, named Media House,
8742-507: Was revived for sporty versions of the Austin models, of which the MG Metro 1300 was the first. The Morris and Triumph brands were axed in 1984. Austin revitalised its entry into the small family-car market in March 1983 with the launch of its all-new Maestro , a spacious five-door hatchback that replaced the elderly Allegro and Maxi and was popular in the early years of its production life, although sales had started to dip dramatically by
8836-406: Was used until 1987 by BMC's successors British Leyland and Rover Group . The trademark is currently owned by the Chinese firm SAIC Motor , after being transferred from bankrupt subsidiary Nanjing Automotive which had acquired it with MG Rover Group in July 2005. While running the original Wolseley business, which had a highly cyclical sales pattern, Herbert Austin searched for products with
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