Austin Metro
The Metro Mini was a car model of the British car manufacturer British Leyland. It was built from 1980 to 1994 by the daughter company Austin Motor Company and sold under the brand names Austin, Rover and MG.
Basic models
The Metro had been brought originally in 1980 as a successor to the popular Mini on the market. Much like the Mini in its time and the Metro was marked progressive. The Metro was the first vehicle in which the rear back seat was a single and a double seat divisible. Split rear seats although there was previously already, but not with the 1/3-2/3-Teilung, which is now available in every vehicle with fold-down back seat.
The Metro was larger than the Mini, and it was there from 1985 as a five-door hatchback. The drive was based on the technology of the Mini, which, however, had undergone some changes. The engines had 998 cc (33 kW) and 1275 cc (46 kW ) and 70 kW for the Metro Turbo. Since the 1275 cc engine was again until incorporated ( in modified form ) in the Metro and the mini then delivered only with the 998- cc engine, many metros and metro turbos have been degraded to organ donors and now with its original engine only very rare to find. The chassis was equipped with a Hydra gas composite suspension, which was a further development of the mini- Hydrolastic suspension.
Also the Metro, there was a van version. This had a normal body, but in which the rear side windows ( window C ) were missing.
While the Metro after the facelift in 1990 as a Rover 100 arrived in Germany and many other export markets in the sale, production of the original Mini was further continued for 19 years. In England the name Metro to 1994 was preserved; only in the course of a further revision it was adapted to the other markets.
Metro 6R4
The MG Metro 6R4 was designed in 1984 for the short-lived Group B rallying, had a 6-cylinder mid-engine and four-wheel drive. The competition car had only distant resemblance to the normal Metro, it had all-wheel drive and only had two seats. The development was transferred to Williams Grand Prix Engineering.
The Metro 6R4 was presented in May 1985. It was powered by a longitudinally mounted 3- liter V6 DOHC engine with four valves per cylinder. The machine differed from most of its competitors in that it did not have a turbocharger. The body consisting of plastic, however, the doors were made of steel plate. However, the latter were provided with plastic panels which supplied the mid-engine with air. Show models have stickers that indicate the points at which you can move the car safely, without damaging the body nowadays.
The 6R4 appeared in two versions: There was a so-called Clubman model whose engine developed about 184 kW and manufactured by the approximately 200 pieces. Of these 20 evolutionary copies were prepared according to the Rules of the FIA , which allowed, among other things the installation of a 279 kW motor.
As the car came out in 1985, Rover announced to establish the necessary quantity for homologation (200 units) to November of that year. This happened in the largest MG Rover factory in Longbridge. A car took part in the Lombard RAC Rally in November 1985 and finished a respectable third place behind two Lancia Delta S4.
However, the initial success translated discontinued. Although the 6R4 1986 were used in the rallies in Monte Carlo, Sweden, Portugal and Corsica, none of the wagons used reached the goal. Most problems caused the suffering from teething V6 engine. Since then, there have been many allegations that the engine had not been fully developed before it was used in competitions. At the end of the 1986 season, the group B was banned by the FIA from the World Rally Championship after both drivers and spectators were killed in a series of accidents. From then on, the 6R4 models could gain no more successes, although they were still used in the further course of the year. Some specimens were transferred into private hands and were later used as an excellent rally and rallycross cars. So the Briton Will Gollop 1992, with a nearly 700 -hp MG Metro 6R4 BiTurbo Rallycross European champions.
Austin Rover withdrew the end of the 1986 season from the rally scene back. 1987 all parts and engines were sold to Tom Walkinshaw Racing, whereupon the V6 engine was used again under the hood of the Jaguar XJ220, this time equipped with a turbocharger.