By Matt Bird \/ Wednesday, 13 December 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
There can\u2019t be many cars in history with lives that began so auspiciously and ended as ignominiously as the Metro. Launched to widespread acclaim and commercial success, it was ultimately left to wither on the vine too long; another BL project that showed enormous promise and wasn\u2019t given sufficient investment (or management) to properly shine. Though the Euro NCAP results for the Rover 100 sealed the little car\u2019s fate, the writing had been on the wall for a long time – the Metro was seriously outdated come the ’90s. <\/p>\n
Back in the early ’80s, however, it was a supermini from the home team to compete with the very best. There must be millions of us with Metro stories to hand, such was their popularity; it seemed there everyone had a parent or cousin or grandparent (or more than one) with a Metro. They looked smart, drove well, and didn\u2019t cost very much. That the Princess of Wales was gifted one as a birthday present will have done the Metro\u2019s popularity with the general public no harm at all, either.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time (and seemingly not that ago), Metros remained everywhere. No longer in the first flushes of youth, sure, though ready to embark on a gentler pace of life as a cute old classic. Then they just seemed to vanish. As with so many cars that were reasonably plentiful and not very valuable at the time, the scrappage schemes will have played a part. So too, however, must have been the country\u2019s undying love for the original Mini. Those that maybe had to choose between saving one or the other would likely plump for the Issigonis icon rather than the ’80s supermini. Perhaps nobody wanted an old car they knew performed so badly in a crash (not that any are brilliant). Maybe the complexity Hydragas suspension put some potential suitors off. <\/p>\n
Whatever the truth, you barely ever see Metros now, and near enough never in this sort of condition. It\u2019s one of the fancier 1.3 HLEs, complete with Cinnabar Red paint and Savannah interior, which looks just as smart as it sounds. Somewhat amazingly, too, it\u2019s covered just 14,000 miles since new, or just 350 a year since 1983. Less than a mile a day. <\/p>\n
Encouragingly, it would seem that the driving has been in small and considered doses rather than being parked up for almost four decades. The ad suggests it\u2019s been cherished by five previous owners, apparently all keen to keep it pristine: the paint, rubbers and glass are all original, and it\u2019s been protected against rust. It surely won\u2019t have been outside much in inclement weather. <\/p>\n
The powertrain is said to be sweet, the brakes have been recently serviced and the Hydragas is functioning flawlessly. The asking price is \u00a37,250, or surely a fraction of what a comparable Mini might cost – even contemporary Fiestas are thousands more. And you can bet on favourable attention wherever the Metro goes. Which might be worth the asking price all on its own.<\/p>\n