https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Metro-Classic-Cars/29751/bn_59530660 7 Austin Metro Cars from £3,995. The revised Fiesta Mk2 came with new engines and the all-important five-speed gearbox that the Metro did not have. Although warranty claims were running at high levels, the sheen of the new car was only slightly dented. At this point, the ADO88 project was renamed LC8 (for Leyland Cars), in order to tie the car in with the upcoming LC10, but also to reflect the car’s changed focus. The parts bin nature of the ADO88 also facilitated a rapid development programme and Charles Griffin was soon reporting to management that the new car would hit the market at the end of 1977. And the fact that BL were still suffering from industrial dispute suggested that the leopard had perhaps still not changed its spots. The 9X would prove to be the last design from Alec Issigonis. It owed absolutely nothing to its predecessor, and it managed not only to be shorter than the Mini (9ft 8in, as opposed to 10ft and a quarter-inch), but also lighter. […], On 26 April 1977, British Leyland was still finding its way under government control, having been bailed out the previous year. The developme… Enter your username or email to reset your password. They were told that production would not resume until their colleagues began producing seats for the Metro in acceptable numbers. Austin metro, 1991, grey, 1300cc, petrol, automatic, 3, hatchback, 37629miles, 1.3 clubman 3dr auto, 2 previous owners, austin rove rmetro 1.3. By 1980, the template for the small car had been set and was exemplified by the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta: transverse engine, end-on gearbox, front-wheel drive, three-doors, 1.0-litre entry models and 1.3-litre premium models. All the press coverage about British Leyland had been doom and gloom: factories had closed, jobs had been lost, Michael Edwardes was doing all he could to convince the new incumbent  of Number Ten Downing Street not to close down the operation for good. Registered new on 11th August 1983 by Austin Main Dealers Hartwells of Banbury, the first keeper being a Mr P Shepherd. The ’83 version of the HLE was to have and MG-style rear aerodynamic spoiler and engine/gearbox modifications. There’s no denying that, when these two joined forces, industrial magic ensued. Many early cars have been robbed for Mini parts, so beware those that are not what they claim to be. It had brewed for weeks. Only 3 Owners and Just 30,000 Miles From New. Within weeks, and as a result of this gradual process of development, they were working upon a car that ran on a more realistic 88-90in wheelbase. Because the Engineers could not develop the new engine to produce significantly better numbers, A-OHC was dropped. Opinion : Peugeot 104 – the true Mini replacement? Here’s how The Times reported the story. What differentiated the Metro from its poorly-built predecessors, was that  assembly workers as well as management wanted the new car to succeed and so, along with ongoing development, build quality improved rapidly and, as a result, the reliability of the car improved too. Luckily the basic concept was good, but disastrous customer clinic results were backing-up Edwardes and Horrocks’ own feelings that the concept of the ADO88 was too utilitarian when compared with sophisticated rivals like the Volkswagen Polo and the new Ford Fiesta. The MG Metro 6R4 was Austin Rover’s entry into Group B, the controversial rallying category that gave us a series of spectacular cars before being banned at the end of 1986. On 26 July 1981, BL admitted it was developing a performance model of the Metro, but what form it would take was not revealed. There were lots of clever design features in the Metro, competitive interior space, good use of what space available, well-designed interior features, good quality textures and a quirky, but contemporary exterior. Loved the car, but it was the worst and unluckiest car I ever owned. One picket said: ‘Today’s trouble was always on the cards. The press had made great play about just how much taxpayers’ money ( £275 million) had gone into the development of this car and the overhaul of Longbridge, the factory the Metro was to be built-in. ... View all View all Austin cars for sale Featured Cars for Sale. BL management tasked  Harry Webster’s team to come up with a number of proposals in that area of the market for analysis. We have been selling batteries for Austin Metro online since 2003 and will have the correct battery for your Car in stock, available for next day delivery. Then you've come to the right place. AUSTIN METRO parts for the following METRO models and variants. And it had a Dr […], AROnline tells the tale of the Austin Metro dealer launch – an unforgettable event for anyone lucky enough to be there. It’s a question car historians often ask: if BMC had created the Mini in 1959, why had it taken so long to come up with a convincing replacement? Much in the way of company resources were thrown at replacing the Mini, but the saddest example of what might-have-been was undoubtedly the Austin 9X, as designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, arguably the only man who could create a ‘Super Mini’ having been responsible for the original. The Tickford name was owned by […], Unbelievably, this Metro was not offered as a ‘factory-backed’ conversion, even though it came with a blue chip pedigree. BL claimed the Metro was not eating into Allegro and Mini sales, but it was. In August 1982, BL gave its Mini and Metro workforce an extra two weeks paid holiday due to a serious fall in small car sales. Will my 2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK appreciate in value if I keep it in good condition? Cast your minds back, if you will, to 1980. Only 3 owners from new and just 30,000 miles. He correctly asserted that his Mini/ADO16 package was the way to go forward with small family cars, but felt that the idea needed expanding somewhat in terms of practicality from the Mini. The fact that the costs of getting it into production were estimated to be in the order of £130 million also did not endear the car to Barber. The package was designed for simplicity of assembly and low-cost, benefiting not only to the manufacturer, but also the customer (through low purchase price). It would prove to be Barber’s last significant decision – but a major one. Unfortunately, this was rapidly followed by the ‘tea break’ strike which halted Mini and Metro production after 2200 men walked out and stayed out for four weeks which cost some 24,000 vehicles in lost production, most of them Metros. As time progressed and with less and less cash being made available by the Government to Austin Rover, the cost option began to favour a revision of one of partner Honda’s small models, probably the Civic or City/Jazz – something that Honda was simply not keen on. First supermini, the Newly-installed design chief Roy Axe tweaked the styling of early Metro, widening the track, lowering the suspension slightly – ‘toughening’ the car’s stance. With thousands of seatless Metros on the plant roads and more joining them daily, the management brought in outside suppliers but, as related above, workers refused to unload them. Use our Austin Metro battery guide below to find a suggested battery for your Car and compare it to the battery fitted to your Metro. Engineering the new car took an interesting turn when Dr Alex Moulton, the former BMC suspension guru and working in retirement presented, the Rover Group’s management his own ‘hacked’ Metro with front-rear suspension interconnection. By 1989, Metro’s market share was down to 4.31 per cent  from the high of 7.34 per cent  in 1983. All was looking good as market share started to make signs of recovery after the decline of the 1970s. The Austin Allegro had only been on the market for 18 months and there was a great fear that, if the size of the car was not tightly controlled and allowed to grow, as had happened with the ADO74, it would seriously encroach on the Allegro. Unfortunately, BL would still have to fight a running battle with the British Leyland  Combined Shop Stewards’ Committee, the unofficial body that claimed to represent the BL workforce. Originally under the Austin marque, the first model was designed in just over six weeks. What this all meant was that British Leyland had produced probably the best and optimum package with the base materials to hand. Austin Metro Car Bonnet. Despite compact overall dimensions the Metro was surprisingly roomy inside, and althou Serious work on a replacement for the Metro centred on the radical new K-Series engine, which was under development, and a larger, more contemporary car was taking shape in the background (the Gerry McGovern-styled AR6). CarSite lists over 382,817 Used Cars online, updated daily, find the Cheapest Used Austin Metro local to you! Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? Not the best small car of its era, but certainly one of the most intriguing. Pulsar Silver with Flint Grey Upholstery. CLASSIC CARS AUSTIN METRO 1989 1275cc 'Sport' More details Auction eBay ending on 22 Feb £3,995. Car parts for AUSTIN METRO Choose your vehicle type. The Metro as it would become only emerged when the company yet again dusted off the idea of producing a ‘supermini’ in late 1974. It was cancelled soon after the completion of the only prototype; the first victim of the BMH-Leyland merger. The LC8 was considered by the  Product Planners to be different enough from the ADO88, that testing and development was practically restarted. At the time, they were optimistic about the chances of the Allegro and the Marina had also made a good start, so they would devise their business strategy around both cars succeeding. It was, though, too late in the development cycle to make any drastic changes the car. When they found the doors locked, they ripped one from its hinges and forced their way into the office of Mr Stanley Mullet, the Plant Director. The management had pressed unsuccessfully for output to keep pace with the big demand for the new car and claimed that a few seat assemblers were refusing to work properly so that the day shift was achieving only 80 per cent  of its target output compared with the night shift’s 98 per cent. 1988 Austin Metro 1.3 L Hatchback. This extremely attractive small hatchback (above) was not pursued by the company because it went against the go-it-alone ethos that was prevalent at the time, so was dropped in favour of the Harris Mann-penned version of the car. By the end of October 1980, BL was looking at turning the Longbridge plant entirely over to Mini and Metro production. This was more than a simple panic-induced pre-launch facelift. Looking for a classic Austin Metro? Working to the strictest set of goals, Issigonis managed to create a totally new car. It proved a substantial success for the company, racking up more than  two million sales during its 17-year production run. Thanks to this reasoned argument and the fact that Griffin would be tightly controlling the car’s development, John Barber revived his interest in the new Mini project and gave it the go-ahead. Small car development was still very much in its infancy, buyers were still only reluctantly downsizing, as a result of the Second Fuel Crisis of 1979. ‘Hi, I own an Austin Metro rally car with some interesting history and thought you might like to do a story on it.’ […], Regular readers of AROnline will be fully conversant about the relationship between BMC and Pininfarina. Private buyers began to see the Metro as a product from a bygone era and sales slid year on year. Much play was made of the 83mpg fuel consumption figure that the AA had achieved in steady-speed tests on the HLE – read the small print and this amazing figure was achieved at a steady 30mph, not really related to real-life driving. Billed as the 'British car to beat the world' when it was launched amid a barrage of flag-waving patriotism in October 1980, the Metro initially sold like hot cakes, and seemed like the light at the end of a very long tunnel. This success has been led by both the XK and, British Motor Holdings – the joining of BMC and Jaguar, The cars : Austin Metro (LC8) development story, Concepts and prototypes : Metro saloon (1978-1981), Modified Metros : Metro Monaco (nee Cooper), Concepts and prototypes : ADO88 supermini (1974-77), Concepts and prototypes : Leyland ADO74 (1972-74), Concepts and prototypes : MetroPlus (1980), Opinion : Sometimes Italian design isn’t the best…, The Converters : Wood & Pickett Laser Metro, Concepts and prototypes : ALCAN/Austin Rover Aluminium Metro (1982), Concepts and prototypes : ADO88/LC8 Metro engineering drawings, History : BMC, BL and Rover production figures, Concepts and prototypes : LC8 supermini (1977-80), Archive : 40 years ago – Mini needs money, Jaguar : UK sales up 50 per cent in November, Tested : Austin Maxi vs Renault 16 vs Volkswagen Passat. More definite and upmarket features were added, making it less of a Renault 4 rival and more of a supermini in line with the best of the continental rivals. This was certainly a clever little design and it made it as far as a full-size mock-up before being finally dropped in favour of the ADO74. Projects Ant and Ladybird were both more seriously investigated. Austin Metro Car Badge. This situation only lasted a short while, thanks to success of the car, and was conveniently forgotten by both parties. Within this template, the Metro fitted in perfectly – only its gearbox and suspension setting it apart. The gearbox was good and there was the same positive action that Mini drivers were used to. METRO Car Body Panels at low prices, available to order online with next day delivery. Sadly, its success alone was never going to be enough to stop BL falling further behind the other major players during the 1980s. There were some sales conquests as combined Mini/Metro sales were now in excess of the comparable data for 1979, but so much ground had been lost since ADO88 was conceived in 1974. Griffin was very strict on the space efficiency goals for the new car – it was a priority that he continuously reminded his Engineers of. Austin Metro Car ABS Part. More from the Archive One of a series of posters promoting the adaptability of the MG Metro 6R4 as both a family vehicle and a rally car. This organisation was still smarting over the dismissal of its former leader, Derek Robinson, and its defeat in August 1980 over the imposition of new working practices which included the acceptance of mobility of labour. A second trim and rectification line had just been started, necessitating the movement of some workers. Insurance tips and tricks by make and model - could you save? Metro Hatchback. Tracer fire… If you think the Tracer has a […]. Once the Morris Marina was established on the marketplace and the Austin Allegro was signed-off for production, Donald Stokes, John Barber and George Turnbull turned their combined attention to the matter of what car to introduce next. Despite being older than the Metro, sales of the Fiesta had proved resilient. The Metro was badged as an Austin, MG and Rover Metro during its almost two decade long run. 1988 Austin Metro 1.3L. Thankfully, the arrival of the new management and the very poor showing in customer clinics were the catalyst needed to get the required changes made. When it came to the small car, class standards events rapidly overtook the Metro. Congratulations to club members Edward Westby, Tom Morley, James Barnes, David Collins, Colin Corke and Jamie Field for their successes in the Concours and Show ‘n’ Shine. The driveline was also tuned in order to alleviate some of the snatchiness and clutch judder that the Metro was notorious for – it was only partially successful. The decision to go with the larger car was an easy one to make for Stokes, Barber and Turnbull, because they could see the way the market was going. Adverts ran on national television showing the Metro scaring off freighter-loads of foreign Superminis – and sending them away whence they came. Find the best deals for Used Cars. Sales started to slide; General Motors and Ford divided the company car cake between themselves in the small car market. He was vindicated in 1990 when the world’s press saw just how capable the R6 (Rover) Metro was on front/rear interconnected Hydragas. But as we exclusively reveal, it was canned rather late in the day due to financial cut backs. Parkers.co.uk – For The Smarter Car Buyer. People finally had a modern and efficient British car that they could buy – and not feel they needed to justify buying on grounds of patriotism. The cheapest model was £3,095, undercutting its main rival, the Ford Fiesta, by £65. One group of about 30 went to The ‘Kremlin’. Austin Metro: the Classic & Sports Car verdict With a huge range available from new and a high attrition rate, it can be a challenge to find specific Metro models in good condition. For a time it was pretty hot in there with exhaust pipes and other parts from the racks flying all over the place. It was now clear that the Government would not be giving the company unlimited cash reserves and so the existing engine was left to soldier on for a while longer. The build quality did improve year on year, as did the equipment level, but these changes kept the Metro at a merely competent level – and unavoidably it did fall behind class standards. To be fair to Spen King though, BL’s market share was falling so rapidly that everyone in the company must have felt compelled to rush the development of the car – and just get it into production – such was the sense of urgency. How to value your classic for insurance purposes, Classics insurance for 17,18,19 & 20 year olds, Insurance when your classic isn't roadworthy, It's FREE to list your car on Honest John Classics, Hiring rather than buying? This gave the Designers more freedom and resulted in a remarkably spacious and airy interior, for a car of such short length – something that was inherited from the Mini and demanded above all else by Griffin. At launch, demand for the Metro was insatiable and with weekly production now at 2500 and still working up, this was not enough. Home. Harris Mann, along with Roger Tucker and Gordon Sked, overseen by David Bache, were charged with giving the ADO88 an emergency restyle. By 17 December, this had increased to 1300 men and the dispute threatened to spread and develop into a full-blown confrontation with the Transport and General Workers Union. Main points of contention were that the almost-vertical tailgate made it look too much like a small van and the flat sides of the car sadly backed-up this impression. The Mk2 Metro referred to above appeared in October 1984, but production at Longbridge was once again halted for 16 days during the November 1984 pay dispute – that was  the final big showdown with the British Leyland Combined Shop Stewards’ Committee, which resulted in a decisive victory for Austin Rover Chairman Harold Musgrove. By mid December 1980, BL was planning to recruit 1000 extra workers to boost Metro production in preparation for its European launch. Austin/MG Metro (LC8) Launched amid a barrage of patriotic fervour, the Austin Metro was, for a couple of years at least, Britain’s most fashionable car. Unlike ADO74, the new car would not be as large as the competition such as the Renault 5 or upcoming Ford Fiesta, but would, by necessity, be bigger than the Mini – Griffin insisted on this set of parameters. Indeed, it could be argued that in terms of sales, the one small car that had definitely lost ground to the Metro was BL’s own Mini, which was now down some 100,000 units per year. The interior was upgraded and safety lessons from the ESV prototypes were incorporated. Austin Metro Car … The company Metro-Cammell insisted that BL could only use the Metro name, if it was pre-fixed with the “Mini” moniker. Between them, they would father the ADO88. It proved a substantial success for the company, racking up more than two million sales during its 17-year production run. In August 1985, Austin Rover announced it would be cutting back on production because of the vicious price-cutting war then going on. An absolutely fantastic history file supports this very rare and collectible Austin Metro Vanden Plas. The year of 1983 proved to be the Metro’s best year of all with 180,763 emerging from the Longbridge plant. A dearth of new cars had been the result of the lean years – nothing new had come from British Leyland since the Rover SD1 in 1976. We had a huge turnout of around 70 Metros which made a great day – thank you everyone for coming. The organisers of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, have decided to postpone the 2020 event. Barber considered that the ADO74 had grown too large and had moved too far away from the Mini to replace it. The ADO74 had reached the semi-engineered prototype stage of its development and  a commitment to production was required from management. Neither manufacturer felt the need to stick to the smaller size format of their predecessor cars, the 127 and 104Z, and slightly upped the size of the new cars, realising far more interior space. 2000 Accident Austin Metro. We have the most Used Austin Metro Cars for Sale, listed online. But this practically unofficial and almost single-handed effort by Issigonis would suffer no compromises: Issigonis insisted that the new car should have an entirely new chassis as well as engine. Open 7 days a week HERE WE HAVE TO OFFER POSSIBLY THE LOWEST MILEAGE AND CLEANEST EXAMPLE AUSTIN METRO 1.3 CITY X … What the Engineers were up against was a  thermally-efficient long-stroke, overhead valve engine which delivered impressive torque and, most importantly, class-leading fuel economy. These unseen revisions never amounted to anything major, just small adjustments to the car. His reasoned argument was that he wanted BLMC to  replace the Mini directly  and, because it was still selling in large numbers, the company had more urgent priorities. This resulted in a more stylised and aerodynamic car. Nissan Qashqai Station Wagon Tekna 1.3 DIG-T 140 5d only £16,000 31,000 miles. Another name for this model - Mini Shortie ("little shrimp").Mini Metro appeared in the end of 60th years on the wave of popularity of a small and nimble machines Mini, which have gained popularity, both in the UK … After the Government bail-out of BL and the departure of John Barber, his successor, Alex Park looked at the company’s works-in-progress and, after receiving assurances from Sir Don Ryder that the Government would foot the bill, he gave the new Mini programme the green light for production and ADO88 was born. A woman with a small dog stands by a line of Austin metro 6r4 cars at a classic car show in Longbridge near Birmingham. That’s why the ADO88 transformed into the LC8 – a restyled version penned by David Bache, creator of the Range Rover and the Rover SD1. Their colleagues had refused to unload seats from an outside contractor brought in as a result of the dispute involving Longbridge seat assemblers. The difference between this and the production version was marked and profound. The strike lasted two days and workers returned to a stockpile of 6000 seatless Metros. No further changes were made to the Metro after the 1984 facelift, apart from minor marketing-led ones. Looking for an Austin Metro battery? In the end, three projects were forwarded to management: After review by the BL Board, Project Dragonfly was the first and most easily eliminated. for BL's embattled dealers. ‘We are delighted with the way employees have buckled down in what could have been a difficult time. In line with the rest of the Austin Rover range (as it was called by now) a top-of-the-range Vanden Plas model was introduced, resplendent with strips of wood, thick Wilton carpeting and luxurious velour (or, optionally, leather) upholstery. What people should never forget though, is that the Metro was a very popular car and it is no exaggeration to say that this car above all others of the 1980s was responsible for Austin Rover staying in business, helping offset a wholesale collapse of market share in the face of the failure of the mid-market Maestro and Montego models. The weekly output of about 6000 Metros, Minis and Allegros was almost double the plant’s output in recent years. Because of some very smart thinking, it was also roomier than the Mini. AROnline © Keith Adams 2001-2021 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. After much persuasion, Harriman agreed with his idea and soon Issigonis gathered around him a small team of hand-picked Engineers – as he had done previously with the Mini – in order help him with his creation. Ken Clayton – the mastermind behind the event – […], Fancy a Metro in time for its 40th birthday in 2020? Road testers soon heaped praise on the car, rating it as good, if not better than the current state of the small car art, the Ford Fiesta. They were joined later by another 150 men. Why Edd China was right to quit Wheeler Dealers, Video: Scrappage scheme classic car graveyard uncovered. Jaguar’s UK sales in November have risen by 50 per cent compared to the same month last year with a total of 1463 models sold. A new decade had started, British Leyland was struggling with a range of elderly and, arguably, incompetent models, such as the Marina, Maxi and, most unforgivably, the Allegro. It would be true to say that the Metro was born in the last few days of BLMC’s existence as an independent company and came about as a result of the departure of Harry Webster. Little serious consideration had been given to developing the ADO16 with a view to creating a definitive ‘Super’ Mini. Unlike the Allegro, Metro’s Hydragas was interconnected side-to-side, not front-to-rear, which resulted in a compromised final product  which, although doing the job, didn’t show off the system’s advantages as well as front-rear interconnection would have done. year from 10.1980. Because BLMC were now rapidly heading towards a deep and irrecoverable financial crisis, the feeling among many executives was that, to survive as a going concern, it would be essential to field a competitor in the supermini market. Quite clearly BL had some loyal customers who were switching from Issigonis’s baby to the newer Metro, as BL’s UK market share steadfastly refused to exceed 20 per cent. It all came to a head on 21 November 1980 and the cause was Metro seat production. The dispute arose out of moves to increase production from the existing 1500 Metros a week to more than 2000. Just two further keeper since and just 21,923 miles from new, this example really has lead a cherished existence. Around the time of the formation of British Leyland, a low-cost overhaul of the A-Series incorporating an Overhead Camshaft cylinder head (dubbed, unoriginally A-OHC) was being planned to giving the smaller-engined cars in the group a badly-needed fillip. With the agreement of the BL Board of Directors and the Product Planning Department, Griffin once again looked at developing a replacement for the Mini. Although the Fiat Uno and Peugeot 205 were technically more advanced than the Metro, perhaps the real threat to the BL supermini came from the Ford Fiesta Mk2, which was launched in the late summer of 1983. The result of this further analysis of the ADO74 meant that financially-focused Barber would lobby hard to get the project stopped before costs got out of hand. What had been seen by potential customers at the Paris customer clinic as the prototype’s uncompromising shape led to every external panel being revised. Firstly, the second-generation VW Polo arrived in late 1981 and redefined how the small car should look with its small estate car looks and upright tailgate – something the Metro itself had helped to  initiate. 1989 E AUSTIN METRO 1.3 1.3 5D 62 BHP. It was one project, but had many faces: a wide variety of styling exercises were produced before the programme was cancelled in 1973, as British Leyland could not raise the £130m needed to produce it. Back in 2010, Autocar met with the Austin Metro’s designer and took a trip back to the early 80s – and even spotted a Metro with a boot… In 1980, the UK nation was in the grip of Metro mania. Not surprising really same engine and the Metro was a bigger car. Austin Metro Car Bars. The plant was soon at a standstill. Extensive market research in both the UK and Europe backed up this view that the supermini was the way to go. Later in the month, Harold Musgrove  defended the Longbridge workforce from condemnation. Now the package was all-but finalised, David Bache, fresh from the successes of his world-beating Rover SD1 was brought in to oversee the final styling and production engineering of ADO88: the Metro was now entering the later and drastically vital stages of development. Out went the Mini’s rubber cone springing medium and in came Hydragas, recently developed by Dr Alex Moulton for the Austin Allegro. Got rid of this and bought an MG version, RCU 52Y. Austin Metro Vanden Plas . Griffin was definitely old-school BMC and had worked alongside Alec Issigonis in the past – he was regarded as a popular man, being seen as neither Austin nor Morris in his outlook when at BMC and, because of this, he could dictate firmly how the development of the new car would take place. The Austin Allegro was basically an ADO16 expanded slightly and brought up to date (with disastrous consequences), but because of this growth, it left an unfilled chasm in the Austin range between it and the Mini. There was no way that he would allow them the luxury of allowing the car to grow (something reminiscent of the methods Issigonis applied) but he still expected for it to match ‘inch for inch’ the interior dimensions of the Europeans. By 1987, the die was cast: a further revision of Metro with a K-Series engine and re-developed Hydragas suspension.
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