O/T Mini Metro Turns 40

[phild]

And what a dogs dinner it was. My dad had one and It rusted within 12 months. When bought it had no under seal, that was something you'd pay extra for at a later date.

No heated rear winscreen. It's hydragas suspension which was revolutionary would leak and would require pumping up like air in a tyre. The clutch had 2 new cables in 6 months and all the car doors would sometimes wouldnt lock. One day they didn't lock and the car got nicked cus they were so easy to steal.

It was built to replace the MINI but how bad the mini was the metro I felt was worst so they continued with the MINI. it could have been a world beater but was let down by cr8p build quality like most of the British car industry

It was Better than the Allegro though, whose rear window would sometimes drop out on a hot day due to expansion.. Did anyone else have one of these Metros or even perhaps another one of those hapless British cars from the 70s/80s?

[kettering_baggie]

The metro was a very poor car, shocking build quality. You mention the Allegro, oh dear, horrible. I worked for Rover-Triumph, later BL Cars, from 1968 to 1976 and at one time, I was given an Allegro Estate as a company car, sad vehicle!

[mickd1961]

I has a Morris Marina 1972 model which was a s h I t t y rust bucket.

My missus later had a 1983 Mini Metro MG Which was little better.

British Leyland was all that was bad about British manufacturing in the 70’s and 80’s......terrible management and a lazy, f u c k witted workforce intent on self destruction.

Utter rubbish from top to bottom.

[stripes39]

I had an MG Metro. It was ok to be fair but it is correct that nearly everything that came out that factory was complete sh**

Can’t remember the model but my mates dad who was a company MD had one of them 1970’s hatchback executive Rover things in banana yellow. He took us school kids out for a spin. When we got back to the car it had been raining and someone opened the glove box to find this one week old car full of water.

Had a mate who crashed a mustard yellow Allegro. The steering wheel came off in his hands whilst going around an island in Halesowen. The stories are endless as I think we’ll find out

[mickd1961]

I had an MG Metro. It was ok to be fair but it is correct that nearly everything that came out that factory was complete sh**

Can’t remember the model but my mates dad who was a company MD had one of them 1970’s hatchback executive Rover things in banana yellow. He took us school kids out for a spin. When we got back to the car it had been raining and someone opened the glove box to find this one week old car full of water.

Had a mate who crashed a mustard yellow Allegro. The steering wheel came off in his hands whilst going around the island at Muclows Hill in Halesowen. The stories are endless as I think we’ll find out

“Glove box full of water” 😆😆😆😆

My Ford Capri was off the road so the guy at the garage lent me an Hillman Imp 850.

Coming away from a late night party up The Thorns I attempted a wheel screeching getaway with three girls in the car and couldn’t understand why the engine was revving it’s nuts off but we weren’t moving.......I’d sheered the drive shaft off the axel 😆😆⚰️

So the guy at the garage had to arrange to pick it up with a tow truck.

He subsequently lent me a Mini 1000.

As I was coming up from Kingswinford to turn right by the Summerhill ( which was still a pub and nightclub in 1981-82 ) as I turned across the traffic the rack and pinion steering failed.

The wheel was spinning like a top in my hands as the car went in a straight line straight up onto the grass verge at 40mph.

I had to phone the guy to pick up the second of his rental cars......not a happy bunny😆😆

When I look back at my early driving escapades from 1979 until I met my missus in 86 I’m amazed I’m still here because I did some bloody stupid things.

After watching Cradley Heathens Speedway on a Saturday night I’d drive back home the longer way because of the sweeping bend that took me up through Quarry Bank and then down the Thorns and up through Lye past my old school, The Grange.

Then down through Pedmore to the Foley Arms........most of the way overtaking and doing 70-80 mph.

Utterly f king stupid and when you see those four youngsters who died last week in Kingswinford on Bromley Lane due to speeding it does make you think.

Most of the stupidity was also being done in utterly c r a p vehicles with poor body quality and drum brakes with no seat belt.

To think that we often class today’s youngsters as morons!👀

[DaveP67 is back!]

Anything that came out of BL from the seventies to the 90’s had appalling build quality, decent ideas but put together terribly! I also had a Marina, first car was a P reg Marina 1.8 TC coupe, paid the princely sum of 250 quid for it! absolute death trap which made a 70’s capris cornering seem good! Don’t think there are any left at all now all gone to the great scrap yard in the Sky. That said if it had been properly built with IRS and a lighter engine it would have been a good car, certainly the 2 door coupe look was pretty nice..

[DaveP67 is back!]

I had an MG Metro. It was ok to be fair but it is corre ct that nearly everything that came out that factory was complete sh**

Can’t remember the model but my mates dad who was a company MD had one of them 1970’s hatchback executive Rover things in banana yellow. He took us school kids out for a spin. When we got back to the car it had been raining and someone opened the glove box to find this one week old car full of water.

Had a mate who crashed a mustard yellow Allegro. The steering wheel came off in his hands whilst going around an island in Halesowen. The stories are endless as I think we’ll find out

That would have been an Austin Princess or later Ambassador what were they on on the Friday they drafted that one 🤣

[kettering_baggie]

I has a Morris Marina 1972 model which was a s h I t t y rust bucket.

My missus later had a 1983 Mini Metro MG Which was little better.

British Leyland was all that was bad about British manufacturing in the 70’s and 80’s......terrible management and a lazy, f u c k witted workforce intent on self destruction.

Utter rubbish from top to bottom.

I must point out that I had nothing to do with the build process when I worked there; I was supposed to help sell the f*****s! Most of my time there though, was based at the Rover in Solihull, P6 Rovers, Range Rovers, Land Rovers, all good stuff until the Austin-Morris management took over and called the whole thing BL Cars. Some very interesting times there, though!

[stripes39]

That would have been an Austin Princess or later Ambassador what were they on on the Friday they drafted that one 🤣

I had to google it but it was the Rover SD1. Some time back Top Gear did a BL special from the old factory site and tried to fill one of these things with water due to their reputation for leaking. They had the help of the fire brigade but the car leaked as fast as they filled it until they used 2 hoses 😀

[Albionic68]

My Mrs had a mini metro back in the late 80s, it must have been a collectors item as apart from the clutch going she never had any mechanical issues with it. Now I think about it the brakes were actually pretty sharp but the electrics and body work were something else. Fuses always seemed to be blowing and I distinctly remember the wings, wheel arches and sills rusting away. Quietly confident it was only the paint and a piece of chewing gum that held it all together. I drove it back from Alton Towers the once. I used to drive very fast as and when the opportunity presented itself back then. To this day I still can't work out how the car didn't disintegrate around us in a cloud of rust leaving us to bounce down the road on our @rses.......