BMW turns back to the future to recreate old advertisement with A442 mosaic wall
For decades it has been one of Shropshire's most instantly recognisable stretches of road.
And in 1987, when BMW wanted a striking backdrop for its state-of-the-art luxury cruiser, the famous mosaic wall on Telford's Eastern Primary was it's location of choice.
Now, some 33 years since the German car manufacturer catapulted the distinctive mural along the A442 near Wrockwardine Wood onto the pages of society magazine Vogue, a Shrewsbury garage has decided to recreate the classic advert, featuring BMW's latest top-line model.
The idea came from Georgie Dixon, marketing director of Rybrook BMW in Shrewsbury, after she saw an image of the original 1980s advert on Facebook.
Back in late 1987, the new BMW 750iL was the German manufacturer's flagship model, priced at £53,760 – the cost of a comfortable family home – and aimed squarely at the Mercedes S-Class, and the new Jaguar XJ40 range.
The futuristic-looking artwork was chosen as the perfect background for this new showpiece of modern technology, and the advert is still fondly remembered by many who live in the area today.
The 30-yard-long mural, depicting the rock strata of the area on which the Industrial Revolution was built, was created in 1979 by the Telford Development Corporation. By the end of the 20th century it had fallen into a state of disrepair, but was renovated at a cost of £150,000 in 2000.
Georgie, who lives in Telford, said: "I live in the area when I was growing up, we used to call it the 'Bob the Builder wall'.
"When I saw the original advert on Facebook I thought as we have got a 7-series here, why don't we recreate it?"
She says the new poster, which features the 745e electric hybrid version of the latest version of the 7-series, received a great reaction from people in the area, and has also won the seal of approval of BMW UK.
Gareth Thomas, franchise director at Rybrook Shrewsbury said: “Our marketing team thought what better way to celebrate how far BMW have come in the last 30 years than to recreate this iconic local advert with the most recent hybrid 7-series?
“We’re proud of the past, enthusiastic about the present and looking forward to the future.”
But Georgie said recreating the poster also showed one way in which life was more difficult now than it was in 1987.
"I think there was far less traffic then," she said.
