Herbert Austin founded his eponymous car company in 1905, as the Austin Motor Company Limited, in Longbridge, England. He found early success building touring cars, but after World War I the company introduced the innovative and wildly successful Austin Seven. The Seven was Britain’s first real “people’s car,” bringing motorized transport to the masses in the same way the Ford Model T had done in America. Known for its affordability and reliability, the Seven was influential to other budding carmakers in Germany and Japan. By the 1930s, Austin had become one of Britain’s leading automobile manufacturers, and in 1952 it merged with Morris Motors to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). The Austin brand thrived within BMC with popular models like the iconic Mini, while a joint venture with Donald Healey produced the famous Austin-Healey sports cars. Eventually, various mergers led to the formation of British Leyland in 1968, incorporating Austin into an even larger conglomerate. British Leyland struggled through the 1970s and in 1982 its car division rebranded as the Austin Rover Group. It then continued into the 1980s but in 1986 reorganized again as the Rover Group and the Austin badge disappeared after 1988.