Grumpy Northener wrote:Organisers of our national rally for the Jowett Car Club (Tewkesbury) over the last May bank holiday arranged a group tour of the Morgan factory which was a little way down the road in Malvern - Great guided tour and very interesting - some of the time warp methods that they are still using in everyday production are a sight to behold
Who remembers the late: Sir John Harvey-Jones of a BBC program called The Troubleshooter?
Unfortunately for Sir John, the best remembered Troubleshooter show is the one where classic sports car maker Morgan Motor Company turned down his advice - and went on to prosper.
On visiting the Morgan Motor Company in Worcestershire, he was aghast to see that the sports car maker was still making its vehicles by hand, and even continuing to use a large proportion of wood in their construction.
Sir John's advice was simple - modernise, greatly increase production and ramp up your prices. Morgan completely refused on all counts.
Car maker, Morgan, turned down Sir John's advice. The car maker happily admits that that particular show, "caused quite a stir." "Sir John's conclusions were significantly at odds with the views held by the Morgan family, who said so," says the company. "Even today, many conversations start with reference to the program, which has entered British folklore."
Despite turning down Sir John's advice, Morgan admits that his visit did have a very positive impact. Hundreds of orders came in. "Ironically, it is one of the principal reasons behind the extensive waiting list." With Morgan continuing to make just nine cars a week, the waiting lists for its various models can be up to a year. Always down to earth, Sir John said he was very pleased to have been proven wrong in Morgan's case. Describing himself as "a very old businessman", he insisted he had already made every mistake in the book.