A British old-timer

 BCA Enfield (London) featured a lot on Saturday 14th December which, 30 short years ago, would have been as common as muck – but not now. For an Austin Metro, transmission in sump, whined its way into the ring – a sight and sound unheard of these days.

The Austin Metro played a major part in my early life and I have no doubt that that car is what inspired me to end up writing this column today.

I grew up down the avenue from an Austin-rover dealer and was obsessed with it. Saturdays were spent in the library adjacent to the dealer where I read a book, repeatedly, called Metro – the book of the Car by Graham Robson. I later met him through CM and talked to him about the book – he fondly recalled writing it.

Eventually when Father Ward needed a car, he bought a Metro (I wouldn’t have allowed him to buy anything else). That Metro was an unusual spec; five doors (at me Ma’s insistence as she feared three doors after being trapped in a shunted Capri), City X spec ( just above poverty) though with the race-proven 1275cc A-series. It was pretty-much identical to this auction Metro, and with a mileage of 32,859 – almost exactly the same as what mine had when I got it.

I was given the car for my 16th birthday and soon got the hang of the clutch. By my 17th birthday I’d put straight in for my test and passed first time. Every spare minute was spent with that car – I loved it. My friends loved it too as it took us everywhere, usually flat-out. I even crashed it in style, getting airborne before T-boning a teacher’s LWB Frontera in the college car park.

In my mind today, only an Elise has steering which rivals the intimate feel of that Metro (better on the A-series rather than K-series Metros) and only the TDV8 in a Range Rover matches the low-end torque of that A-series. One thing however is consistent; Michelin still produce the best tyre tread design. I incessantly doodled the tread of those run-flat TDXE tyres, a design matched only by Crossclimates today.

Sadly, I missed the sale (I couldn’t have resisted it if I’d made it) and I fear the car would have been bought just for its 1275cc A-series. Mini enthusiasts kill decent Metros just for their engines. Crazy really as the Metro is the better car, and I’ve owned plenty of Minis to know.

I don’t think any car leaves its impression on you as much as your first, especially when they are this good.

‘I fear the Metro would have been bought just for its 1275cc A-series’