THE AUSTIN MINI METRO – A CELEBRATION

The 1980 International Motor Show was quite an event for my ten-year-old self, and two cars in particular attracted vast crowds at the NEC. Both seemed to truly belong to the new decade at a time of so many 1970s relics. The first was the Ford Escort Mk. III, with its FWD layout and distinctive hatchback body. The second was the undoubted star of the BL display – ‘A British Car To Beat The World’.

The launch of the Austin Mini Metro took place on the 8^th October 1980, and we will commemorate this important date in motoring history with a special blog. Here, we detail Part One of “The Metro Saga”, which dates back to the early-1970s with Project ADO88. Keith Adams’s fascinating tale of its development may be accessed here, where he notes that:

When Sir Michael Edwardes and the new Austin-Morris chief, Ray Horrocks looked at the ADO88 for the first time in January 1978, both realised immediately that it needed re-evaluation. It was, though, too late in the development cycle to make any drastic changes to the car.

The resulting change to the now-familiar LC8 body shape under the guidance of David Bache was arguably as much a key to the Metro’s future success as its pricing and layout. It looked up to the minute – arguably more so than certain competitors – while still conveying sight overtones of the Mini.

The debut of the Metro was heralded by a television advertisement that was, frankly, hilariously over the top