Letter from George Horn to Commercial Motor magazine, published in the issue of 31 January 1975.

See http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/31st-january-1975/44/british-leyland-for-us

Mr Horn lived with his wife Ruby in the house named Nightingales in Docking Road, and ran an agricultural feedstuffs business from The Granary next door. At a time when the British motor vehicle industry was in dire straits, he writes:

"We read so much today of our motor industry’s troubles and the virtues of foreign vehicles so it is not surprising that London Transport has decided to buy Swedish-built Scania buses instead of British Leyland and we hope they will not be disappointed. In 1972 we too were persuaded to purchase one of these vehicles and our experience to date has been as follows:

50,000 miles: Complete set of brake drums required at a cost of £200 plus.

98,000 miles: Cylinder block corroded and cylinder head cracked (faulty batch, admit manufacturers). Complete engine overhaul required at a cost of £1,000 plus (credit of £220 allowed by Scania for this job).

We also run British Leyland vehicles and might add that no such defects have occurred in them, but, had that been the case, we know from past experience that we should have been treated a great deal more sympathetically by BLMC.

We would therefore suggest that the British product might well be worth waiting for.

G. H. HORN, Director, L. Horn (Feedstuffs), King’s Lynn."