Rolls-royce, Derby August 1968 ‘BMC 1100s and 1300s seem to be the workers’ car of choice’

In 1968, Rolls-royce Limited was still one company, making both cars and aero engines – the two sides wouldn’t become separate businesses until 1971. The luxury car division moved from Derby to Crewe in 1946, to allow the former to focus on aeronautics.

This image shows the Derby complex’s A-site car park and Moor Lane building, with Victory Road in the foreground. The site is much the same today, but the employees’ vehicles won’t be. There are far too many to talk about in detail, but one marque that seems notably absent from this mass of motoring is Rolls-royce itself. Not even the executive parking row in front of the Moor Lane structure, which starts with a pale blue Jaguar S-type, can boast one.

Prominent patches

Instead, BMC 1100s and 1300s seem to be the Rolls-royce workers’ transport of choice, judging by how many there are in the car park. We wonder if the prominent oil patches in the empty slots could possibly be related? Of course, this was an era when few engines were that oil-tight, especially after some years of use.

Notable vehicles include two bright yellow Reliant Regals 3/25s parked close to each other for companionship in the car park, plus the white Borgward Isabella with red roof nearby. It, and the red VW Beetle two rows ahead, seem to be the only two foreign vehicles around. And then there’s that little red sports convertible close by. We think it’s an Ashley 750, a special using Austin Seven underpinnings, likely built by a Rolls-royce engineer in his spare time.