![]() The interest for the MG Metro Turbo is moderate at best. There is no interest in ordinary Subways. In terms of bodywork, the rust sensitivity of these anabolic Metros was once described as 'Ice that melts in the summer sun'. But the 'Turbo' designation on the flanks was seen as pretty cool and the price was described in an article as 'not that bad'. It is interesting that critical car journalists at the time reported that the Metro MG was a nice car in appearance, but that the performance was disappointing. The suspension was provided by a simplified version of the Hydragas suspension. To curb that speed, the MG had an energized braking system with front discs, behind drums. The roadworthy but 830 kilo weighing Metro MG was given up in terms of top speed for a smooth, but not horrifying top speed of 169 km / h. And with that MG was a forerunner in the field of all electronic cousins that modern (turbo) cars have on board. To keep the damage under control / prevent MG devised an electronically controlled turbo pressure control. The power of the MG Metro Turbo, partly generated by the Garret T3 turbo, was the reason that quite a few gearboxes died. ![]() This resulted in a fairly unique engine that unfortunately did not look that much different once in the front then the standard block. The engine was previously considerably reinforced with parts and materials that were common for competition engines such as the cylinder head, the crankshaft, the sodium-filled exhaust valves, etc. Black, Blue, Carbon Look, Green, Orange, Red, Transparent, Transparent Blue, Transparent Purple, Transparent Red, White, Yellow. That extra acceleration was needed for the 1.300 cc block that was specified after the extensive help from Lotus Engineering for 93 pk, but that in practice often delivered almost 100 pk. The whole concept screamed for an extra gear. But if all went well, the cars' performance was generally good and competitive, but limited by the A-Series engine with its four-speed gearbox. The cautious trend towards improvement was very cautiously described as 'from very bad to acceptable' in the first few years and it wasn't until 1986 that the quality of the cars got better. However, the MG Metro 1300 looked very much a product of its time, with red seatbelts and pinstriping inside and out, bold-looking alloys and a neat-looking boot spoiler. In addition, practice proved that the build quality of the cars was quite variable After all, badge-engineered MGs has been a fact of life for decades, with the 1100/1300 and Magnette already finding favour as classics at the time. And that was more than disturbing for the classic MG enthusiasts. But even with all that effort, the MG remained in its profile nothing more than… A little Metro. It was an MG that was faster and more lively than the MGB ever was. The MG Metro Turbo had a huge set of changes that made it quite unique. The development and re-engineering of the MG Metro 1300 made the car really a different car than 'a Metrootje'. But with that first argument 'the market' did not do justice to the little poison frog ![]() And the quality left something to be desired for 1986. A bleak, unimaginative example of BMC badge engineering. That lack of success was mainly due to two things: The hard core MG enthusiasts thought the thing was just a fake MG. f Performance that could outdo the best Ferrari or Lamborghini had to offer, even.Because since 1983, just under 22.000 have been made. ![]() According to CarMagazine, this meant the road-going car, with its lightweight body, miniature size, and four-wheel-drive system had insane performance. Mind you, it was hardly muted, either, with the same 3.0 V6 developing around 250 bhp. To meet homologation standards, 200 of the MG Metro 6R4s entered into production, though the result wasn't quite as aggressive as the rally-spec car. The Metro, then, had been turned into an absolute monster. Sixty was dealt with in 3.2 seconds and 100 mph reached in 8.2. The result had six cylinders - hence the 6R4 name, which stood for six cylinders, rally, and 4-wheel drive - and developed an eye-watering 400 bhp, imn a car the size of a Metro. MG decided to fit the Metro 6R4 with a naturally-aspirated engine placed just behind the driver, rather than a turbocharged one - something which was a bit of an oddity compared to its competitors - as, according to Evo, it would reduce turbo lag and prevent having to run at higher temperatures. Via: Mark Brown from Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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