This year commemorates the 20th anniversary of the closure of Britain’s biggest car manufacturer...MG Rover Longbridge. Having produced over fifteen million cars during it’s time there certainly were many that caught the hearts of car enthusiasts from across the country, but non as much as the Metro, or later known as the Rover 100. A small compact hatchback, that was Austin’s answer to Ford’s XR2 and Volkswagens Golf GTI. But what was it that made these mighty little cars so popular? 

By Holly Fawdrey 

Pictured: Rover advantage, a member of the Metro owners club. 

April 26th this year saw MG and Rover enthusiasts from across Europe gather at Cofton Park in Birmingham UK, opposite the Cuegate site of the old factory, to celebrate the past hundred years of MG Rover. Back in April 2005 the car brand closed its doors for the final time, resulting in a loss of approximately six thousand jobs. This year thousands of MG’s and Rovers showed up to remember the prestigious car brand, amongst them was the Metro owners club. A club designated specifically for a car that was once found on every street corner across the country, but will now be found hidden away in garages, guarded by car enthusiasts worldwide. 

Started in 2008, the Metro owners club share one thing in common...their love for Metros. Showcasing a variety of them from the 17 years of production, from the 1980 Mk1 Austin Metro all the way to the MK4 Rover 100 that finalised the production of the beloved car. But what inspired the start of this once little club?   One man from Wolverhampton saw how the desire for Metros sadly started to become few and far between and took it into his own hands to create something to remember these joyful classics. “I thought that these deserved a bit more, and so wanted to get owners together, and start a Metro owners club” Grant founded the club almost twenty years ago, and shared how news about the club was spread simply through word of mouth, or leaving a note on the windscreen of any metro you saw. But it wasn't just the founders that the club meant a lot to, Stuart Hardiman was a member back in 2009 and recalled the moment he first heard about them, “I first saw an article in a classic car magazine, saying if you like metros you need to go to this meet at Longbridge vicarage. I initially thought wow, thinking I was the only person that liked them, however, to my surprise there were over 160 Metros parked there on the day’. Stuart followed on by saying it was the start of the beginning for him, introducing him into the world of car meets, and creating friendships with those alike, many of which he’s still friends with today. 

Pictured (left to right), Grant (club founder), Mandy Smith and Kevin Westley, both original members of the Metro owners club, pictured stood next their 1982 Austin Metro HLE. 

The Metro: A production timeline -  

1980 – The Austin Metro was released into dealerships across the country, manufactured at the former MG Rover factory in Longbridge, by British Leyland.  

1983 – According to the MG owners club, this year saw the launch of the Metro Turbo, featuring a slightly sportier twist on the Metro as it was once known. Up until it was discontinued in 1990, Longbridge plant manufactured 21,968 Metro Turbos, becoming popular amongst petrol heads from all over the country. 

Pictured: B reg Metro Turbo, the brands sportier take on the well-known Metro. 

1984 – Four years after the launch of the Metro, British Aerospace who now owned the design decided to revamp the car as it was once known. The slight changes meant that the Metro now consisted of better sounding deadening, a clutch cable instead of the previous hydronic clutch, a revised interior and dashboard. As well as this the MK2 Metro also included a facelift design to the front of the car, alongside replacing the metal bumpers with plastic ones. 

1990 – The Metro was later renamed the Rover Metro or was also known as the MK3 Metro. It contained a heavily revised front end to house the K series engine unit, instead of the usual A series that has been in production for ten years prior. 

1995 – The Metro name was then dropped five years later and became known as the Rover 100, or simply the MK4. Once again, the car featured another revised front end, housing a bigger front grill to coincide with the Rover 200 R8, Rover 400, Rover 600 and the Rover 800. 

1997 – Rover then made the decision to stop production of the Metro after seventeen years. With the final Rover 100 to roll of the production line being silver and holding the signatures of everyone that worked at the Longbridge site. The car can now be viewed at the British motoring museum in Gayden. 

Pictured: MG Mtero showcasing its branded side stripe. 

Now forty-five years since the launch of the original Metro many believe that it is a British classic and will be for many years to come. 

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