The Scout as it is today: A concept that could have worked for Rover?
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?
The Scout as it is today: A concept that could have worked for Rover?
IN these times of increasing political belligerance towards off-roaders and SUVs, buyers are being pressured to look for a more eco-friendly alternative... the rash of soft-roaders that have hit the market in recent times - as epitomised by the Rover Streetwise - have convinced manufacturers that there's a genuine case to produce cars with hunky styling and a beefed-up driving position, but without all the baggage of a four wheel drive transmission system.
Although we'd never claim that the Rover Scout project was the pre-cursor of the breed, or that it was a particular trailblazer - that's left to the Matra-Simca Rancho - but there are some very interesting questions raised by the tall-riding project. The story of the Scout is an interesting one, and well worth clarifying - and thanks to Jim Ragless, former Manager of the Styling, Engineering and Program Management activities at Automotive Development Consultants (ADC), we've been able to piece together a little more about this fascinating museum piece.
If you've never heard of ADC, then that's understandable, as many of its projects have not seen the light of day, as it has worked with many companies during prototype development build. In fact, ADC was one of the consultancy firms involved in the initial stages of the MGF programme. Jim Ragless explained: "ADC was actually part of the remnants of the Vauxhall Engineering department after GM had moved all car engineering to Germany and then closed down Bedford."
It appears that only the Specialist version was ever built, with the others
existing only on paper. The project is believed to have been cancelled by BMW
following the 1994 takeover, and the car pictured above currently resides at
the Stondon Transport Museum in Bedfordshire.
The Scout came about when ADC In 1991, and Rover had no part in its original conception of this fascinating range of six Metro-based multi-purpose vehicles. Called the Scout project, all six versions used the same basic bodystyle, based on the five-door Metro, but with a more upright tailgate and correspondingly larger (and taller) rear side window.
Jim Ragless recalled: "Rover did not commission the Scout, it was conceived and built by ADC as a showcase of our concept, design and build capabilities for the Automotive Engineering show at NEC. The original idea was a possible evolution of the Metro range with more space, more utility and easier entry-exit to the back seats."
Structural changes can clearly be seen here...
However, the soft-roader theme came later. Jim continued: "Somewhere along the way the idea of active lifestyle and mini-utility vehicle styling cues came in too. We showed it with cycle racks and mountain bikes and a fitted picnic set in the back. In some ways maybe it was one forerunner of the mini-SUVs and small people carriers."
Rover's involvement was fleeting and brief. "Rover was interested enough in what we were thinking about to provide the donor car," Jim said. Not enough to pursue the project, though.
The fate of the car after that was interesting too. "After the NEC show Ford also borrowed it for a while to examine, and I think they used it in a customer clinic..." It now resides in the Lower Stondon car museum.
| The Scout family... |  |
| Variant | Description |
|---|---|
| La Petite Famille | Aimed at the young family, and featured a bike rack, removable seats and integrated child seats. |
| Sunrider | For the sporty types, and was designed to carry surfing/windsurfing/skiing and other sporting equipment. |
| Country | Targetting the green-welly set, with large mud-flaps and a dirty-boot storage area. |
| Metropolis | For city dwellers, with car-phone and anti-scuff wheel trims. |
| Specialist | Aimed at photographers, with off-road capability (increased ride height, not 4wd) and secure storage areas. |
| La Femme | Apparently tailored for women drivers (and yes, this was the 1990s, not the 1970s), with power steering, breakdown phone, large mirrors on the sun visors, hair dryer(!), and a parking ticket holder(!!) |
This picture board shows two of the planned Scout derivatives, probably the
Sunrider and the Metroplis.
| Styling sketches | |
Drawing concept for the Specialist version...
The Post Office wasn't forgotten - a potential big market for this car...
Building the model - and the various stages
Interesting RV8 pictures - and the aborted plans to fit Metro/100 rear lamp
clusters
Metropolis version with neat integrated 'phone and fax...
The Specialist version - and its photographic paraphernalia...
| Details... | |
Interior is pretty standard, although the cupholders integrated into the dashboard
shelf are nice...
Bold graphics...
Individual rear seats have fore/aft adjustment - a rather prescient feature...
| Have your say... | |
Please let us know your thoughts - and let us know what you think. Was the ADC Scout project over a decade ahead of its time, or an ugly irrelevance?
Don't get me
wrong - I think the Scout is great, and would have added huge appeal to the
Metro - but ADC might have been better off helping to resurrect BMC's brightest
star - the Mini.
So much Mini-ness went into the Metro - the wheel at each corner stance, the
large glass area, interconnected suspension, and smaller-than average dimensions
- that a Mini-style makeover would surely have made sense in light of the car
that we eventually got. Assuming that an R6-based "Mini" had appeared
with the MGF circa 1995 - with K series units up to 1.8 litres, VVC, EPAS, and
a new more crash-resistant structure - that car would have transformed Rover's
appeal in the small-car market, and it could have been sold at premium prices.
Perhaps Rover was too hell-bent on reproducing a car as revolutionary as the
original - hence the Spiritual twins - when it could have concentrated its efforts
on a superficial facsimile of the original.
Also, couldn't it be argued that in soft-roading terms the Mini Moke predated
the Talbot Matro Rancho by some years? And before the Moke there was always
the 2CV...
'ERNST BLOFELT'
Great article.
It reminds me very much of the early 1980s Toyota Tercel 4wd somehow, this one
to be more specific:
But as always the info is a nice addition to the site...
ETIENNE VAN DER LINDEN
Thanks to Jim Ragless, former Manager of the Styling, Engineering and Program Management activities at ADC