Austin Metro History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Launched in 1980 as the Austin Mini Metro, the Metro was British Leyland's vital new supermini, pitched against the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo and marketed as 'a British car to beat the world'. It used Mini-derived running gear in a space-efficient hatchback body; a five-door joined the three-door in 1984.
Sporty MG Metro and MG Metro Turbo versions arrived in 1982, the turbo making around 93 bhp and giving the car hot-hatch credibility. The Austin badge was dropped in 1987, after which the car was sold simply as the Metro, then the Rover Metro and Rover 100; total production topped two million, making it one of Britain's best-selling cars.
Body styles
- 3-door hatchback
- 5-door hatchback
Notable special editions & performance variants
MG Metro
Warmed-over Metro with a tuned 1.3-litre engine and sportier trim — the everyday hot version.
MG Metro Turbo
Turbocharged MG Metro making about 93 bhp; the quickest of the early Metros.
Related models
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