Jaguar Land Rover gets into motorbikes

An iconic, Midlands-based British automotive brand pauses production to reinvent its product range for modern tastes, a nation of petrolheads holds its breath … and the man with the plan is Gerry McGovern, all velvet suit and Austin Powers glasses, ready to share his vision with the waiting world.
No, this isn’t Land Rover, whose reinvention from farmer’s favourite to symbol of modern lifestyle luxury is largely credited to McGovern’s keen eye for branding and design. Nor is it Jaguar, in the midst of a radical (and controversial) reinvention along the same lines, again with McGovern at the helm. This is motorcycle legend Norton, another storied British manufacturer with a famous history looking to make the leap from heritage brand to modern premium player through a radical reinvention of its product range. Little wonder McGovern (pictured left with Norton design boss Simon Skinner) was intrigued enough to pick up the phone when Norton’s Indian owners TVS Motor rang to ask if he’d like to get involved.

There are parallels with his day job at Jaguar Land Rover, which is based nearby and also Indian owned. Norton’s chairman Dr Ralph Speth is another link in the chain, having been McGovern’s boss in his time running Jaguar Land Rover where he retains links with a position on the board of owners Tata. And the crossover between luxury automotive brands and motorcycling is nothing new, Ducati part of the wider VW luxury group and having previously created its own premium models in collaboration with Lamborghini and Bentley.
The relationship between Norton and Jaguar Land Rover is, for now, more as friendly neighbours with a shared goal of exporting British design and engineering to the world, powered by Indian investment. As part of that Norton has halted production of its existing range and will launch an all-new line-up of four bikes next month, teasing the new Manx and Atlas yesterday at an event hosted at its glitzy new manufacturing centre in Solihull, built as part of a £200m investment by TVS.

Which is where we grabbed a minute to chat with McGovern and ask how he intends to ‘do a Land Rover’ in the bike world. Though he doesn’t ride motorcycles himself, he appreciates the challenges of designing a machine where the engineering is very much on show and part of the aesthetic. But, he says, common themes like stance, proportion and creating a sense of motion even when standing still are the same whether you’re designing for four wheels or two, drawing parallels between the falling roofline of his signature Evoque and the sweep over the new Norton’s fuel tank and into its tail.
You can read more about Norton’s rebirth over on Autotrader’s bike pages but, whether you’re a rider or not, take heart that British style and engineering remain a sought-after commodity in the automotive world. And the centre of that seems to be somewhere near Birmingham!