Concepts and prototypes : Leyland ADO74 (1972-74)
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 […]
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 […]
Rover Special Products wanted to recreate the magic of the early-1980s by producing a spiritual successor to the MG Metro Turbo. The Metro SP was that car and it reached […]
After Rover pulled the plug on the promising AR6 programme, Design Director Roy Axe decided that a light rebody of the upcoming K-Series Metro was required to keep it selling. […]
The ADO88 project was BL’s attempt at creating a supermini out of the original Mini. It formed the basis of the Austin Metro […]
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. […]
Regular readers of AROnline will be fully conversant about the relationship between BMC and Pininfarina. There’s no denying that, when these two joined forces, industrial magic ensued. From the Austin A40 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
British Leyland was working on a new supermini throughout the 1970s. It settled on an updated Mini with a hatchback, called the ADO88 – the only problem was that it didn’t clinic very well with potential buyers. That’s why the ADO88 transformed into the LC8 – a restyled version penned by David Bache, creator of the Range Rover and the Rover SD1. […]
On 26 April 1977, British Leyland was still finding its way under government control, having been bailed out the previous year. The priority was to get the Mini’s replacement into production. To do that, it needed to deliver the Ryder Report, and hope that Callaghan’s Labour government would foot the bill. Here’s how The Times reported the story. […]
The small hatchback Rover commissioned OMNI design to produce a proposal for the company’s upcoming supermini – these were the results. These sketches show two interesting interpretations on the Rover […]
Words: Keith Adams Photographs: Harry Metcalfe The stars are out at Auto Shanghai today, with a raft of important new car announcements and unveilings taking place at what is likely […]
Keith Adams It’s 1997, and Rover’s strategy for the Mini’s replacement is rapidly taking shape. It’s two years on from the memorable meeting at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon […]
Clive Goldthorp SAIC Motor has, as anticipated, officially unveiled the MG ZERO Concept car at Auto China 2010 in Beijing today. The Birmingham-based MG Global Design Team, led by British […]
On this day: Somewhere in the bowels of BLMC a photograph is taken of hatchback Mini Clubman, part of the ADO20 programme. GLASGOW HERALD Meanwhile the strike by 400 press […]
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