Concepts and prototypes

Ever wondered what all those ADO, YDO and LC numbers mean when we’re discussing the history of BMC, BL and Rover cars? […]

The Morris Marina was conceived in a hurry, but its Designers consoled themselves in the fact that it was only going to last five or six years… Here we reveal […]

In 1967, Joe Edwards of BMH managed to secure the services of Roy Haynes from Ford as a stylist at the new BMH/Pressed Steel styling studios at Cowley in Oxford. […]

The wraps came off the MG EX-E at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1985, and the automotive world sat up and took notice. The car was conceived to showcase AR […]

Some images from the Rover P10 programme, that would eventually sire the Rover SD1… Rover P10 concept design The Rover P10 and Triumph Puma were rival projects to build British […]

The Leyland P82 would have supplemented the P76 and Force 7, and would have provided an up-to-date replacement for the Leyland Marina. Industry expert Jack Yan fills in the blanks […]

The idea of producing a new Jaguar F-Type was on the back-burner for a long time. This attempt dates back to the 1980s, and went under the codename XJ41/XJ42. They […]

The Ford Capri Mk1 underwent a remarkably short development programme, as these images clearly show. However, more than that, the company knew what it wanted from the final product – […]

Keith Adams tells the full story of the ill-fated MG Rover RDX60 programme and explains how Longbridge tried to create a new medium-sized car from the underpinnings of the Rover […]

Here’s an interesting one recently brought to my attention. AROnline Contributor David Harvey got in touch to remind us that it wasn’t just BMC that had missed the boat to replace […]

Steve Harper talks through his involvement in shaping the MGF, as it was transformed from the F16 into the mid-engined PR3 in 1990-’91. Setting the mid-engined sports car template for […]

Central to Austin Rover’s plans for the late-1980s and into the ’90s was a fresh-looking replacement for the under-performing Montego. There were many promising design proposals, but the AR16 and […]

Keith Adams tells the story of the Rover Coupe Concept Vehicle, which acted as a showcase for Austin Rover design and starred at the 1986 Turin Motor Show. It also […]

The Land Rover Freelander underwent a rather convoluted development programme; it started out as a joint Rover Cars/Land Rover project to produce a vehicle to compete in the emerging SUV […]

The Rover 35 – codename R30 – was the one that got away. A five-door hatch that oozed class and sophistication, it was due for introduction in 2003. Instead, it was canned in 1999. […]

Keith Adams tells the story of the Rover 55 or R60 – the 75’s smaller brother, and part of a two-pronged attack on the premium car market for the mid-2000s. […]

The Triumph Fury was a little more than a motor show crowd pleaser – it was a hint at what Triumph could really achieve with its sports car range during the 1960s. Shame this show concept didn’t make it into production… It was a huge missed opportunity. […]

The MG DR2/PR5 was created as a modern-day reboot of the Austin-Healey 3000 or MGC – an open-topped, two-seater, multi-cylinder sports car. Its conception and development process was an interesting […]

During the Metro’s honeymoon period of the early 1980s, Austin Rover’s Designers toyed with the idea of a number of exciting variations on a theme. Here’s one that perhaps you […]

Austin-Morris looked seriously at a plan to build a saloon version of its upcoming Metro hatchback. But as we exclusively reveal, it was canned rather late in the day due to financial cut backs. […]

The ADO88 project was BL’s attempt at creating a supermini out of the original Mini. It formed the basis of the Austin Metro […]