Buses and coaches are particularly welcome at the first major gathering of all Rootes vehicles in more than 20 years. The Rootes Archive Trust is holding its first Rootes Heritage Day at the British Motor Museum on Sunday 17 July.
“We would love to see as many buses and coaches as possible at what we are sure will be a very special event, which we are hoping will become annual,” said Rootes Archive Centre Chairman Andy Bye. “We felt it was time we took the initiative and tried to get all of the Rootes community together for one big event where we can celebrate the history of Rootes and beyond. We are also hoping many ex-employees will join us to celebrate their working lives in the motor industry.”
Originally family owned, Rootes took over Karrier, Dodge and Commer, all of which producd buses and coaches. Southdown was a major customer for Commer coaches, many of which had two-stroke engines.
Rootes also owned car marques Hillman, Humber and Singer. The firm was gradually absorbed by Chrysler in the 1970s.
The Rootes Archive Centre Trust is an Oxfordshire-based charity whose objectives are the preserving, protecting, and promoting of original material and artifacts of interest from the Rootes Group and its associated and successor companies.
