The original wheels (and older tyres) are also still with the car.īehind the wheels, the Metro has had the suspension’s ‘Hydragas’ displacers regassed by experts Ian & Dawn Kennedy - so it rides and handles correctly. By a happy coincidence, these were also fitted to the Metro VDP 100 limited edition (and said previous owner also added VDP centre caps) so the choice isn’t too far from original. ‘And replacements are difficult and expensive to find.’ In the refurb’, the car was fitted with MG Metro ‘pepper pot’ alloys. ‘The bead attachment developed by Dunlop and Michelin wasn’t great,’ he adds. ‘Metros from this era came with ‘millimetric’ TD wheels and tyres,’ observes Richard. Metro enthusiasts might raise an eyebrow as to the apparently non-standard wheels. Richard says the car needs a new washer bottle with motor. There is no corrosion or crud in screw heads or around bolts. There are no creative wiring ‘solutions’ or get-rounds, and hoses and cables all look supple and have not perished. The underside of the bonnet itself shows no signs of rust or heat damage and the motor looks to be leak and oil stain free. Opening the bonnet reveals a clean and tidy engine bay - maybe not concours, but very well kept. Still it can live with the original spare wheel in a rust-free wheel well under the boot. In the boot, the original jack also has its black bag, though, just like the old days, there doesn’t seem to be an original place to put it. Also, the very clean carpets are protected by the original Mini Metro-branded Austin-Rover rubber mats. (They were slightly too small and often fell out).

How many of those do you reckon are still attached to the cars they came with? For the true Metro connoisseur, it should be noted that the original window winder (centre) screw cover caps are retained. On the subject of originality though the Metro retains its original radio cassette (yes, it works) and - even more astonishing - the black bag which holds the detachable glass sunroof is present. But it’s the incorrect grain - it should be a walnut burr.’ That said, the wood trim is very presentable and will do just fine until an even more picky future owner decides to ‘rectify’ the issue. ‘The owner who restored the car had them refurbished. The door capping show a fine gloss and grain, though Richard has a view on those No elbows have flattened the rear arm rests (another VP touch) and no rings or finger nails have left their marks on gear stick or steering wheel. All fabrics retains their colour throughout the car - front and back. There are no tears in the ‘Raschelle’ velvet upholstery, and the brushed nylon headlining, which once sagged, has recently been restored using the correct cloth. The interior is equally as pleasing as the bodywork, and the condition of the seat material alone goes a long way to confirming the car’s mileage reading. A nice period touch is the very tidy ‘I’ve seen Metros being built’ decal (which of course, this owner has) in the offside rear window. The parallel ‘VP’ coachlining looks good too. The black window surrounds retain their colour and line, as does the chrome and rubber trim along the sides of the body. Bumpers and mirrors are firmly fitted and retain their colour.The chrome surrounding the rectangular grill is dent free, shows no discolouration and retains its crisp rectangular shape. The exterior trim is also in good condition. The only significant blemish to the paint is on the tailgate,’ he notes ‘where there's a very average repair around the rear wiper spindle.’ However, he describes the repair as ‘robust’, so the new owner will be able to attend to any correction in their own time while still using and enjoying the car as is. ‘All the locks work as they should,’ says Richard, noting that this was the area that needed work ‘the bodywork repair is very difficult to detect. The wheel arches look very tidy and the seams between panels below the bumpers - always a worrying place - appear very clean. The angles in the lines would give away any misalignment, but the gaps and shut lines are consistently even. The car looks symmetrical side to side, and the doors and panels line up well.

The dark blue paintwork retains a good lustre with no major blemishes to speak of. ‘It has had no welding and doesn't need any.’ A walk around the car backs up his opinion. ‘The bodywork is in fine condition,’ confirms Richard.

Mini metro car