MG Metro

The MG Metro was the sporting version of the Austin Metro supermini, introduced in 1982 as British Leyland expanded the Metro range. It revived the MG badge two years after the Abingdon factory stopped building the MGB. Its 1275 cc A-Series four-cylinder engine came from the Mini Cooper and was modified with a reworked cylinder head, larger valves, a different camshaft profile and a bigger carburettor, which raised output by about a fifth to 72 bhp. A turbocharged MG Metro Turbo, shown at the Birmingham Motor Show in October 1982, made 93 bhp and added stiffer suspension, ventilated front discs, alloy wheels and wheel arch extensions. Both MG versions had red seat belts and carpets and a sports steering wheel, and the MG Metro was named Car of the Year for 1983 by the magazine What Car.