Steve Harper has a fundamental role in the genesis of the MGF, which under his direction was transformed from a neat little roadster, lacking a splash of creativity, to a shapely new-age sports car that shouted its mid-engined layout from the rooftops. In his own words, Steve walks us through the design changes he made. […]
The ALCAN/Austin Rover Aluminium Metro was an interesting project – it was a feasibility study into the full-scale production of a supermini in this lightweight material, as pushed for by […]
We’ve talked about the Metro-replacing Austin AR6 a lot in relation to the company’s development in the mid-1980s, and its march towards privatisation. Keith Adams tells the car’s full story […]
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 […]
In the late-1970s, BL invested in its future by looking at the next step in engineering design. Under the leadership of Spen King, British Leyland Technology was created, and out of it came some fascinating projects, including the lightweight ECV3 prototype. […]
Keith Adams tells the full story of the Rover P8 and its mid-engined cousin, the P9. Rover’s range-topping saloon and coupe were killed days before they were set for production. Both […]
Keith Adams tells the story of the Rover P7, a series of prototypes to test new engineering solutions for the upcoming P8, as well as planned expansions to the P6. […]
The star of the 1977 Motorfair at Earls Court in London was the sensational six-wheeled Panther supercar. For a while it looked like it was going into production, too, but […]
Work on the promising MG ADO21 began in Abingdon in 1968, following the formation of BLMC. The E-Series powered mid-engined sports car had the looks of a Ferrari, but was […]
Keith Adams tells the story of the AR18, a short-lived proposal to replace the Rover 800 with an altogether more adventurously-styled saloon and two-door coupe. AR18/R16: The missing Rover Back in […]
The Triumph-Morris TM1 was the last throw of the dice for the ill-fated SD2 platform, and the overall concept was extended to replace both the Morris Marina and Triumph Dolomite […]
Thoughts on replacing the E-type weren’t limited to the V12-powered XJ-S grand tourer. Jaguar was also cooking up this potentially pretty sports car to supplement the new and exciting XJ6 […]
It is well known that MG Rover and China Brilliance were in talks about the co-development of a new generation of executive cars. For the first time, AROnline tells the […]
Keith Adams gives the Internet’s most detailed account of the Triumph SD2. What it should have looked like, what lay under the skin and, ultimately, why it was cancelled so late […]
The original targa-topped Triumph Bullet and its fastback Lynx cousin were originally conceived to replace the GT6 and TR6 – it was a long-running project. However, internal post-BLMC merger politics […]
The ADO70 Calypso, a sporting Mini prototype, was built by Michelotti as a proposed low-cost replacement for the MG Midget. Sadly, this promising idea was canned before it was evaluated […]
The Triumph Lynx would form the basis of another sad BL story. It was a victim of lack of funds, but also the ongoing battle between Michael Edwardes and the […]
Was the Triumph Broadside one of the biggest missed opportunities of the British Leyland era? It was designed to take the best bits of the TR7 it was based on, […]
In the BMC Board Files, Chris Cowin, author of British Leyland: Chronicle of a car crash, unearths the minutes of BMC’s secret Board meetings and finds that they contain an honest view of […]
Pre-dating the Rover Streetwise by over a decade, the ADC Metro Scout could have given Rover an early foothold in the emerging soft-roader market, but it was not to be. […]
These Austin Metro prototype engineering drawings are very interesting, because they show how this clever little supermini evolved from the ADO88 to the LC8. Although the two cars look very […]
This MG ZT-T four-wheel prototype offers a fascinating insight into how MG Rover had the hardware to get on board the lifestyle estate car market – before it had chance […]
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, British Leyland tried unsuccessfully to produce a viable replacement for the Mini. A number of interesting proposals emerged – none of which made it into production. […]
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