Abstract This paper informs current practice about change management by looking back on how strategic change was managed in BL Cars in the late 1970s. One of the co‐authors found himself at the heart of a major transformation effort in the company and was uniquely placed to witness how this change was managed in this now‐defunct car manufacturer. This paper concludes that an appreciation of history may be beneficial both in terms of understanding strategic change and the practice of managing strategic change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.