Concepts and prototypes

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 […]

Leyland ADO74  – the first attempt by British Leyland at replacing the Mini never saw the light of day. It was one project, but had many faces: a wide variety […]

The most comprehensive story you’ll ever read about the aborted 9X programme – the ill-fated Mini replacement, engineered by the man who created the original. […]

Coupe rennaissance THIS was the car that Rover fans have been waiting for since the launch of the 75 in the autumn of 1998. The coupe version of what has […]

The Ital Design-styled, V8-powered Etna concept made its debut at the 1984 British Motor Show at Birmingham. It was based on the Lotus Esprit, added race-bred cutting-edge technology, and promised […]

In 1969, Austin-Morris investigated ways to increase the appeal of the slow-selling Austin 3 Litre. This Wolseley 3 Litre prototype, as photographed at the Longbridge Elephant House in 1967, was […]

MG Rover was planning a revival of the Midget, a new TF and an upmarket Boxster rival – until, that is, the lights went out at Longbridge in 2005… MG […]

It’s interesting comparing what we think now with contemporary consensus. I like to think that, in my historic writing, I tend to err on the side of reporting the contemporary […]

The Austin Maxi ADO14 is one of few cars that received a substantial facelift before it went into production. In this case, the work followed the arrival of a new […]