KEITH ADAMS Rimmer Bros sponsored AROnline’s Polish SD1 restoration… Buying parts for your BMC>MG has never been easier through AROnline… HERE at AROnline, we receive a large numbers of emails from people all over the world looking for parts for their cars MGs, Rovers, Landies and all manner of BMC>MG cars. Given that this is [...]

AROnline takes a another look at the cars which once littered the streets of blighty which now are vanishing fast. We love the Rover Metro/100 and the mildy-sporting GTa proved that power isn’t everything when cheeky charm is in abundance. Mike Humble grabs the keys… The little bounder As cute as a Labrador puppy yet [...]

Richard Kilptrick Back in 1992, when I gained that hugely valuable slip of paper allowing me to drive anything, anywhere (within reason), I had one thing on my mind. Well, two. Only one’s relevant to this article though. I was utterly obsessed with topless models. Yes, the glorious red four-door Chevette that gave me those [...]

Under the skin, there was plenty to crow about the Rover Metro of 1990 – the K-Series engine and interconnected Hydragas suspension were a technical marvel in this class. However, the same-again styling stunted its long term sales success…  Metromorphosis THE story of the Rover Metro is one of missed opportunities, a convoluted development programme [...]

In taking over from the venerable A-series, Rover’s hi-tech new engine had a hard act to follow. However, it went on to earn itself an enviable reputation in both four- and six-cylinder forms. KEITH ADAMS discusses this controversial engine… The light fantastic HOW to replace the irreplaceable A-series engine? Build a light, powerful and technically [...]

Hydragas suspension was one of the quiet achievements pioneered and refined by British Leyland – and yet, it never received the praise it deserved. KEITH ADAMS briefly explains how the system works. Pioneer that led nowhere… SINCE the introduction of the Mini in 1959, BL’s predecessor, the British Motor Corporation (BMC), had been right at [...]

Tough, small multi-activity hatchbacks such as the Skoda Roomster Scout are all the rage now, but Rover could have got in on the act 15 years ago… and been at the head of the queue… Keith Adams compares and contrasts two remarkably similar packages, separated by a mere 15-years… Scout trip WITH its uber-trendy multi-function [...]

Predating the Rover Streetwise. by over a decade, the Metro-based Scout could have given Rover an early foothold in the emerging soft-roader market, but it was not to be. We take a look at this interesting project, and ask whether it was another missed opportunity for the Rover Group. But is it Street wise? IN [...]

Thanks to the success of cars such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Escort Cabriolet during the 1980s, demand for open-tops based on hatchbacks ballooned during that decade. Things died down as the 1980s turned into the 1990s, but that didn’t stop the ever-resourceful and niche-hungry Rover to introduce a family of rag-tops topped and [...]

Metro’s missed opportunity Cost constraints killed the interesting AR6 Metro-replacement project, just as it was on the cusp of production. The lower cost alternative was to build a car based on the then current Metro, yet housing the PSA gearbox and K-Series engine. The underlying excellence of the K-Series engine, in particular, meant that …

Paradise lost The Roy Axe studio in Canley had been created to move Austin Rover forwards with a new design direction. Interesting projects were soon underway, with the initial effort being concentrated the XX Programme – however, by the end of 1982, ARG designers were also working hard on the replacement for the Metro, dubbed [...]

Fancy a K-Series Rover Metro or 100? Here’s what to look out for… Years produced: 1990-1998 Body style: 3-door, 5-door hatchback Engine options: 1120cc K-Series inline-four 1396cc K-Series inline-four 8V (76bhp) and 16v (95, 103bhp) 1360cc Peugeot TU diesel inline-four 1527cc Peugeot TU diesel in-line four Transmission options: 4-Speed manual, 5-speed manual, CVT automatic, front [...]

Take one 50-year old record, and a group of talented and driven engineers – and the result is a Rover world endurance record… Writing for AUTOCAR magazine back in August 1990, Andrew Frankel gets close to the record-winning Metro GTi, and reports that it was an exciting steer. The 130mph Metro GTi IT COULD never [...]

Made famous for creating the Plymouth-Dakar Rally, Julian Nowill has long since been associated with the Eastern European car scene. But he’s turning to the darkside, and has finally come out of the closet regarding his fondness for AROnline’s favourite cars. This particularly tasty Metro is set to serve Julian for years to come, and [...]

Keith Adams Against my better judgment, I’ve been tooling around in a Rover Metro 1.4LD for the past couple of weeks in order to save while I drive. In its first week’s of motoring, a £29 refill was all it needed and the old girl’s averaged 68mpg. Okay, so it’s not exactly set the roads on [...]

Ian Seabrook Recently, my Rover 2000 went into a garage for some work and I ended up borrowing a Rover 100 CVT as a courtesy car. I’d not had the pleasure of the ‘gearless’ Metro before and I must admit that I was looking forward to it. Sure, the build quality was shocking – the [...]

WE all know Metros can be great fun to drive – go-kart steering and handling to match, there are few cars that can please as well on a twisting piece of B-road. If only they had more power… Barry Gemmell thinks so, too – and now runs around in a very tasty VVC-powered example of [...]

Rover 100 Cabriolets are a rare enough sight these days, even in the UK, but here’s one of the few that found their way to Germany… Réal Heuertz, a Canadian-Luxembourg citizen based in Frankfurt, is a keen BMC>Rover enthusiast and owner of the 114 Cabriolet you see here. As Réal himself explains… LET me introduce [...]

THE GUARDIAN The Department of Trade and Industry confirmed yesterday that Austin Rover was required to give confidential commercial information to its principal rival, Ford, at the height of merger talks last year. But officials refused to comment on Labour allegations that the former Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Leon Brittan, instructed Sir Austin Bide, [...]