He was seen as a old-school oil man, happier having a beer with rig workers than, like Lord Browne, drinking fine wine with prime ministers and presidents.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, it had a reputation for worker absenteeism, drinking and drug use, and overall shoddy quality (workers were alleged to have put empty Coke bottles in door panels, so the bottles would rattle and annoy customers).