Marsa’s industrial connections have always been strong. Indeed, while many enterprises flourished into large-scale operations, the little town saw many factories and business come and go, one of which was the Car Assembly factory.

Opened in the ‘60s, the first brand of car it was tasked to assemble was the Triumph Herald, a popular purchase for many Maltese at the time. The factory eventually went on to build numerous other models, such as the Hillman Hunter/Minx (also highly appreciated in Malta), Alfa Romeo, Alfasud, MINI and the Morris Marina.

Over the years, the company also saw the assembly of local versions of the Commer Van, Rover P6 2000 and the Austin/Morris 1100/1300. A considerable portion of the cars assembled in Malta were exported to places like Tunisia, Jamaica, Israel and Greece and they would have a small badge with the word ‘Malta’ written on it and a Maltese cross beneath to indicate the car’s origin.

Despite enjoying a successful 20-year run and enjoying a 55% share of the local market, the company was forced to close its doors after custom duties on car components was increased, rendering the facility financially unfeasible within a matter of months.

The company may have closed but it left behind a massive technical heritage and also played a part in influencing local courting tendencies. After all, if one wanted to impress a girl, saving up and buying a car was a fool proof way of securing her affections. Going down Tal-Barrani or Ta’ Qali street at full speed was also said to do the trick.

 Do you know anyone who used to work there?

Classic Cars Malta / Facebook, Vince Grech / Facebook