Austin mini metro
![austin mini metro austin mini metro](https://www.kgfclassiccars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Austin-Mini-Metro-1.1L-OJW521X-145-scaled.jpg)
Even with the low-powered ‘hacked’ engine, it was now official: Austin Rover Motorsport had a rally car which could potentially challenge the might of Europe’s finest, and also rekindle the success of its forefathers. Despite taking fastest stage times on 8 stages – to lead by almost three minutes! – success was short lived as the car retired due to an alternator fire. Promising that the team would enter national rallies to test the car in the heat of competition, the team reappeared 6 weeks later on the 1984 York National Rally. In early 1984 at London Heathrow, the assembled motorsport press witnessed Tony Pond drive through a film screen as the team announced their future rally plans to the public – the MG Metro 6R4 was born! With a bold marketing step, Austin Rover Motorsport decided to show the cars in the ‘classic’ red and white livery reminiscent of the team’s very successful 1960’s Mini Coopers and ‘Big’ Healeys. For the next 12 months the team concentrated on private testing at a variety of venues including Austin Rover’s test track at Gaydon, as well as Cadwell Park circuit & the MIRA wind tunnel. The original prototype first turned a wheel at a private airfield in Oxfordshire in February of 1983 – driven by Tony Pond in plain red livery. The engine turned out to be too bulky to fit in the back of the Metro, so the decision was taken to cut out two cylinders and (literally!) weld it back together – the result being a 2.5 litre Rover V6! Fitted with a purpose-made crank, Rover Vitesse racing internals, and Weber carburettors, it produced a healthy 250 BHP – ideal to test the car until the final engine build was ready. Having rejected the Honda V6 (Austin Rover then shared a great deal of engineering development with the Japanese manufacturer), the only other obvious solution would be their own tried and tested 3.5 litre Rover (formerly Buick) V8 engine. With a simple layout the car would be more driveable and therefore less tiring for the crew over the busy schedules encountered in World Rally Championship events.
![austin mini metro austin mini metro](https://car-from-uk.com/carphotos/full/1357434267347913.jpg)
With this, the Metro 6R4 wouldn’t have turbo lag nor the heat and engineering problems associated with it. Combining the benefits of both the Audi quattro (four wheel drive) and the Renault 5 Turbo (mid-engine), the Metro’s powerplant was to be the biggest decision against the trend: use a large capacity normally aspirated engine.