Letter: The car business: company history, Japanese honour, German priorities, British nostalgia

Sir: I write to give some cheer to those regretting the sale of the Rover group to BMW, and the subsequent loss of 'another great British institution' (letter, 1 February). One success story, may I suggest, of even greater achievement than Rover is that of the Triumph motorcycle firm. Some readers may be unaware of this firm's revival and still consider it as another great name from the past. However, I suggest you take a look at any motorcycling publication and read of the praise heaped upon this firm and its product range. In a very short period of time, Triumph has not only caught up with the Japanese superbike manufacturers, but is beating them at their own game.

As with many aspects of motorcycling, this success story appears to be ignored in the general press. We do not have that many success stories, or maybe we do, but as is our way we don't shout about them enough.

Yours sincerely,

A. DOUGLAS

Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

1 February