THE END OF INDEPENDENCE DAYS

Such has been the evolution of the world’s motor industry, well-known manufacturers that started off as independents have long since been swallowed up by larger firms, with takeovers and mergers seeing most marques becoming small cogs in a massive automotive machine. And when those big organisations then also become part of the same process, we’re left with a decreasing number of corporations with ever-expanding product portfolios.

The most recent example of this was the merger between PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, a deal that brought together such disparate marques as Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall/Opel, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth, Fiat, Maserati, Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge, all of which are part of what’s officially known as Stellantis. Fascinatingly though, each of those individual marques had previously been snapped up by automotive giants, with Vauxhall having been acquired by General Motors way back in 1925, while Alfa Romeo and Lancia had been part of the Fiat Group since 1969 and 1986 respectively.

So, let’s take a look at some of the best-known names that were taken over by bigger companies – and the now-classic models created during each marque’s final days of independence.

JAGUAR

Jaguar found itself part of the new British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968, paving the way for a challenging period throughout the following decade. However, it wasn’t the creation of British Leyland that marked the end of Jaguar as an independent manufacturer, as that process began three years earlier – at a time when, to the outside world, the Coventry-based marque appeared to be doing rather well.

The E-Type was