Rescued Rarity

James Scott (known to all his mates as Scotty) rescued this gorgeous Mk2 ZR160 when it was destined for the Longbridge scrap heap during a clearout of one of the factory buildings, but there was a little more to it than simply being in the right place at the right time.

- Simon Goldsworthy

I believe that you found this rather special ZR languishing in the Longbridge factory. Do you work there, or was it just on a visit?

I work there for SMTC UK which is the UK Technical Centre for SAIC, one of the best-kept secrets in the motor industry – we are 41st in the Global Fortune 500 and built 6.3 million cars last year. At SMTC UK we provide SAIC with automotive design and engineering solutions for the new range of MG cars and continue to employ graduates and apprentices here in the UK passing on skills to British and European engineers of the future, but if you ask, (present company excepted!) hardly anyone knows about us.

How did you end up working for SAIC?

That is a long story, but I will try to keep it brief. I was an Austin apprentice at Longbridge, but after completing  my apprenticeship I moved to Canley at Press Cars. After four years there I moved on to engine development at Ashold Farm, which was the SU Carburettors factory but in the Engineering Centre we were working on the original K-series throttle body injection – I did the fuel mapping on that, back in 1989.

Then the company decided they needed to complement their new academic recruits with some core engineering skills. This instigated a scheme that took the best of the technicians, put them through a rigorous selection process and promoted the successful candidates to Development Engineers. That was unheard of at the time, to get engineering jobs without going to university or coming through the technical apprentice route, but it was a way of getting practical technical experience alongside young academics recruited straight from university.