I can see why he might be upset but today it without foundation a mute point in fact.

Britain (UK) was an industrial country WAS being the operative word. I wouldn't say it was ever a powerhouse like Germany or the USA (if you want to take scale of size) which it lagged behind from the 1880's and that pecking order still exists even today. It did have a chance to clean up with electronics in the 1930's but failed to capitalize on the advances they had by utilizing a good core of engineering academia and an injections of highly skilled scientists; mostly Jewish fleeing post 1935 German extremism.

Vehicle manufacturing if we have missed the point has gone global and parts are manufactured on a global scale. The Chinese of course being today's biggest player. Even the UK's largest brake parts supplier AP of Leamington Spa & subsidiary Brembo are all made in China.

Your friend is or was obviously a product of the older Brit generation which lived under the almost universal impression that everything was a British idea and all parts for the British motor industry were made in the UK or the empire. (or what was left of it)! A similar attitude often exists with North Americans until very recently and some still hang onto the idea of buy 'merican which is often made in Mexico or elsewhere!

Having been in this industry for more than 50 years it has been inextricably on the the path to global production from the mid 80's of the last century.
The tensioner you mention has been made in Japan for a long time and in fact went into short supply after the recent Tsunami disaster and Fukushima melt down only proves the sometimes limitations of a global supply chain.
The trend will obviously intensify as China & India take traditional products from the old industrialized countries like LR & Jaguar as an example and put their own unique stamp upon the product that they have acquired. Basically buying hard assets with the money they have earned.
China's Geeley has not long ago bought Volvo and produced conservatively some new innovations for their domestic market which is buying Volvo's. I ask you to consider they will produce their own designs in the future for the growing Asian market which is in ascendency as opposed to an aging west industrialized set of countries who are rapidly becoming consumer based.

The driver's of the old Western economies have been baby boomers like me; but we are retiring and not buying cars, houses, consumer toys like we did 30 to 50 years ago. Besides many have dropped out of the labour market. Having reluctantly joined their off spring who can't get a job even after taking out an expensive loan for a non productive type of job training that doesn't produce real wealth unless you think working for McDonalds with a Masters in Media production will get you a job as a hamburger flipper.

Wasn't it a China man who said my you live in interesting times?

T/V

 

Sorry, 100% back to front. The KV6 engine is a Rover design through and through - they started with the K4, chopped one cylinder off, slapped two 3 cylinder blocks together and there you are. Later that engine was sold to IA for use in the Carnival but it was a Rover engine from the start.

The first ones were used in the 825 from 1995 and had a terrible reputation - it was substantially re-designed for the Rover 75 (launched in 1999) and the Freelander.

 

Austin/BMC had quite a long working relationship with Nissan and a number early Nissan cars were licence built Austins. Take a look at the 4 and 6 cylinder engines used in 1960s and 1970s Nissans/Datsuns and you will see engines that are very clearly inspired by the A, B and C series engines - right down to the SU carburettors. So, it should come as no surprise to the so-called expert that the cars he was working with (being part of British Leyland) should have inspired Nissan.