The Ryton plant is a former car manufacturing plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England. Developed by the Rootes Group as a shadow factory in 1939 to produce aircraft engines for World War II; post war it became the headquarters of the group. Taken over by Chrysler Europe in 1967 and then by PSA Group in 1978, it shut in December 2006, and was subsequently redeveloped by Trenport Investments Ltd, for industrial use in March 2007. The plant met its final demise in November 2007, when it was completely demolished. History Shadow factory Under plans developed by the Air Ministry in 1936, the Shadow factory plan headed up by Herbert Austin, aimed to increase production capacity in the British aircraft industry. The plan required the construction and development of nine new factories, and investment in the expansion or the capability of the United Kingdom's existing motor vehicle manufacturing plants, to enable them to more quickly turn to aircraft production. Situated between the A45 (on the North East) and the A423 (on the South West) in Warwickshire, the factory became operational from 1940. Post war After the war the site became the headquarters of the Rootes Group, but when the organisation entered financial difficulties in the 1960s, the company (in stages), and thus the plant, were taken over by American car manufacturing giant Chrysler, along with the French manufacturer Simca. The Rootes models were gradually phased out during the 1970s; with the production of the Hillman Hunter and Avenger models being moved to the Linwood plant in Scotland from 1976, when Ryton began manufacturing the Simca-based Chrysler Alpine in 1976, followed by the Horizon from 1981; both of these models had initially been produced in France only. Ryton from that point onward, effectively became a shadow plant to the Simca factory at Poissy in France, which broadly produced exactly the same models. Chrysler itself entered financial difficulties, and in 1978 sold the plant, along with the rest of its European operations for a symbolic US$1.00 to PSA Peugeot Citroën. Peugeot adopted the dormant Talbot brand for the former Chrysler and Simca models, but falling sales saw it decide to axe the Talbot brand on passenger cars in the mid 1980s. In spite of this decision, the future of the Ryton plant was secured by Peugeot deciding to produce its own models there. The Linwood plant, built less than 20 years earlier by the Rootes