Myth Buster Austin Metro
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
IT WAS SUPPOSED 1 TO REPLACE THE MINI
Issigonis had wanted a new Mini – a ‘super’ Mini, if you will – since the late Sixties, but budget constraints meant that its 9X successor never saw the light of day. Three later interim proposals were usurped by another car – ADO74 was bigger than the Mini, but eventually discarded, again on budget grounds, but also because of the nagging feeling within BLMC that it was just too big to succeed the Mini. Management still wanted a supermini to tackle the growing – and lucrative – segment that had opened up in the market place – so the Metro, then known internally as ADO88, began to take shape in 1974.
IT WAS THE ONLY 2 SUPERMINI THAT BL HAD IN ITS RANGE
Italy’s (Bertone) Innocenti Mini 90/120L, also introduced in 1974, was hailed by many as the greatest hatchback stopgap BL never used. Disliked within BL because it offered no packaging or economy advantages – hatchback aside – over the Mini, expensive private imports were offered via Islingtonbased London Garages Limited. So, the Innocenti Mini never came here properly – but its wheels appeared on early ADO88 mockups. A back-handed compliment or a missed opportunity?
IT WAS A WINNER 3 WITH THE PUBLIC FROM THE START
ADO88 was to bring excellent space utilisation and economy to the supermini class on a tiny budget. Only, there was one problem – customer clinics hated its looks so much that BL chairman, the late Sir Michael Edwardes, intervened. Within five weeks, a crack team of stylists and engineers under David Bache (including Harris Mann, Roger Tucker and Gordon Sked) had transformed the car to the point where it ended up with a new codename – Leyland Cars 8 (LC8).